Staff Editor — Page 337

Employee Theft Investigation In Atlanta-How To!

September 18, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

An employee theft investigation is a key factor in a proactive loss prevention environment. Today’s retailers face a number of different factors contributing to the losses of sales, service and safety. Understanding these concerns and having a solid plan in place will make a huge impact to your business profitability. Although there is no fool-proof way to stop employees from “stealing”, there are ways to recover what you’ve lost and help prevent these issues from taking over. It is said that on average, retailers can directly attribute approx. 70% of their losses to employee theft. In some instances, unchecked employee theft can close and ruin businesses.

What can you do to jumpstart an employee theft investigation? Identify the problem. The problem could be cash shortages, empty packages in “employee only” areas, poor inventory results or as simple as missing office supplies (pens, pencils etc.). These are all possible factors when identifying employee theft issues. Isolate the issue. Who had access to these areas? Was a manager involved? Narrowing down the suspected employees is as important as knowing what you’ve lost. Was the employee on the register missing the money? Who was in the “employee only” area when the packages were found? Gather the evidence. For cash shortages, utilize journal tape or electronic register journals. Identify cash transactions where large bills of $50 or more were used.

Confidentially talk with other employees, listen for those with financial problems at home or other personal issues. Be thorough, and document your findings when conducting your employee theft investigation.

Well, are you ready to talk with the suspected employee(s)? It is usually best to leave this part to the professionals; however, having due diligence and a solid investigation will almost always overshadow the dishonest employee’s ability to deny his or her wrongdoing.

You didn’t set out to have to watch over your employees, and you shouldn’t have to. Stay profitable; always perform a thorough employee theft investigation when a potential problem has been found.

For more information about employee theft in Atlanta contact us about employee theft investigation or call 1.770.426.0547

Checkpoint security system offers bonus benefits

September 17, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Installing a checkpoint security system at the entry and exit doors of your retail store will deliver much more that a loud beep when protected merchandise that has not been paid for approaches the door. The simple presence of the system, since with a quick look in from the outside you can see the checkpoint system antennas, will cause would be shoplifters to think twice about hitting the store. Studies show that shoplifters will pass by protected stores for one that is unprotected and easier to steal from. Less shoplifting traffic will improve overall traffic quality and customer comfort.

A bonus benefit checkpoint security system users realize that they usually don’t expect is an increase in sales volume. Price Waterhouse Coopers recently studied the effect of installing a system measuring 98 different product sku’s over a period of fourteen weeks. They recorded an increase in sales volume of just under 10%. Sales volume will naturally go up after installing a checkpoint security system because less theft means more inventory available for sale. When inventory is stolen off of the sales floor the impact is not just cost of the lost product it is the lost sale which sends customer to other stores to find the product they want.

To stop shoplifting and boost sales go to: checkpoint security system

Filed Under: antishoplifting Tagged With: checkpoint security system, shoplifting

5 Things Employee Background Checks will Reveal.

September 17, 2010 by Staff Editor

In today’s America, pre employment background checks have become a must in every company that thrives for success in the entrepreneurial world. Remember that the government is always looking at you, and you should always be very careful with your potential employees if you don’t want Uncle Sam to slap you in the hands for bad management.

Even though employee background checks can become a scary task if you want to do it on your own, if you hire the perfect background check company, scary will be the least of your concerns. A background check company will help you dig out the dirt out of your potential employees. Employment screening will reveal things like:

* Lies About Past Jobs.
If you thought you’d be hiring the next Bill Gates for your company, think again. Employment screening will reveal if you are about to hire the next Bill Gates, or the next Larry the Cable Guy for your company.

* Lies About Degrees.
It’s very common for potential employees to lie about their academic history. Pre employment background checks will detect very easily degree-fudging in your potential employees as well as your company’s current employees.

* Worker’s Compensation History.
Employee background checks will reveal if your staff has been involved in worker’s compensation fraud, or if they are seriously injured that they won’t be able to put up with the job that you are trying to offer them.

* Sex Offender’s List.
Let’s face it, who wants to hire a pervert? Quick criminal background checks will reveal to you in no time if your baby-faced potential worker is in reality a wolf in disguise. Always be on the safe side and ask to your background check company for a criminal background check.

* Credit Records.
Is money disappearing from your cash registers? Hire a background check company to reveal which person on your total staff is having money problems. However, that doesn’t really mean this person is taking the money, but at least you know you have to keep an eye on this person just in case.

There are a lot of things that a background check company can help you find out. If you want to be on the safe side it’s never too late to hire one of these companies, you don’t want Uncle Sam telling you “I told you so”.

For more information: employee background checks or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks, employment screening, pre employment

Loss Prevention Consultants – Your Profitability

September 17, 2010 by Staff Editor

Loss prevention consultants offer a wide variety of experience and resources. Identifying opportunities for your business to be safe, secure and profitable are just a few of the benefits loss prevention consultants can offer.

Imagine this, you borrowed a lot of money and started your dream company. You have 1 to 5 retail locations and are doing pretty well. You have a great staff, merchandise flow is near perfect, and your customer base grows from month to month. Your business is booming! How do you keep up the momentum? How do you protect your investments and profits? Loss prevention consultants can advise you on everything from shoplifting activity in your business to proper installation of alarms and alarm monitoring equipment. Is CCTV something you’d like to install in your business? How about Electronic Article Surveillance? Loss prevention consultants can build a solid plan for installation.

A number or businesses close every year, some due to issues that could have easily been corrected if identified sooner. Maybe the business did not realize the importance of protecting itself with the latest technology in alarm systems and monitoring. Maybe the company didn’t hire the best employees or didn’t properly conduct background screening and as a result, hired less than desirable employees. Or maybe the business plan only included the basics of business and didn’t plan for growth. Whatever the need, loss prevention consultants could be your answer.

As a professional in the Loss Prevention industry for the last several years, I have seen the huge benefit in having loss prevention consultants indentify potential issues and offer advice to sound business people. The benefit in most instances can be dramatic. A Loss Prevention Consultant should have a knack for the industry and truly enjoy advising companies on how to stay profitable.

Profitability! The word alone is music to ears of the savvy business person. How to stay profitable can be more frightening of a sound. Don’t lose sleep over it. Profitability can be maintained by having an executable business plan, follow through and some smart advice.

For more information contact us at loss prevention consultants or call 1-770-426-0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loss prevention consultants

A Shoplifters Worst Nightmare – Prevent Shoplifting Loss In Atlanta

September 17, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

“Prevent Shoplifting” can actually be a fun quest or sport for you and your employees. Turn the tables on the shoplifter and make their dreams of easy theft their worst nightmare.

To prevent shoplifting loss consider this. Shoplifters have to have privacy to steal. Take it away from them and customer service them to death! They will give up and leave. In most cases they will go to an easier target such as your not quite so savvy competitor.

To explain how to do this I will give you a real example. I had done a shoplifting prevention training session with a store. I taught them the skills to deal with shoplifters. Two weeks later I got an excited call from the store manager, “it works!” (well of course it works. I have been doing this for 30 years now).

This was a hardware type store. A person went into the electrical department picked up a circuit breaker worth about $70. He stuffed it in the front of his pants. The employee did saw him do this from behind. The employee proceeded to get on the PA and made an announcement in “code” that only other employees would understand. This code let store staff know that he had a shoplifter and need help.

The Cavalry came to the rescue. A total of 4 employees followed the shoplifter through the store. They acted like they were counting items or doing other work. They stayed back about 20 feet but keep following him. Every time the shoplifter would stop and look at something an employee would approach him and ask if he could help.

The shoplifter got the message he pulled the circuit breaker out of his pants (disinfectant anyone?) put it on a shelf and walked out of the store.

The employees hunted down the shoplifter and pursued him with customer service as their weapon. They bagged him and he left in frustration. No criminal charges, no reports just great customer service that worked to prevent shoplifting loss! You can do it to!

For help to prevent shoplifting loss in the Atlanta area or anywhere else contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Prevent Shoplifting

Why This Southern Girl is Anti-Shoplifting

September 16, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When I was six years old, my grandmother, her name was Irene by the way, made me a true anti shoplifting fanatic. How you might ask? Well, let me tell you a story………

When I was six years old there was a sewing store that Irene and I used to frequent. Fabric and cloth stores were much more prevalent in the 1960’s and 1970’s than they are now, and they carried a variety of things that would peak your interest, like buttons. This place had thousands of buttons in all different shapes and sizes. You should be beginning to see where I’m going with this story.

One type of button especially caught my eye; it was pearl with a beautiful rose painted on it in pink. Well, I decided I needed it. But I didn’t have any money, being 6 years old and all. So I TOOK it. Yep, I became a shoplifter. Well of course when sweet Irene found out, not only did I have to take it back and apologize, but I got the spanking of my life! And bam, instantly I became extremely anti shoplifting. Corporal punishment tends to make believers out of the best of us.

All kinds of people are shoplifting. Celebrities do it mostly because their personalities lend themselves that they are convinced they will not be caught, or so psychology tells us. To most people, getting something for nothing is like giving themselves a reward. There is also a “high” associated with getting away with the theft.

This need to take things in American has led to the development of such anti shoplifting devices as surveillance cameras, security tags on clothing, ink tags on clothing and security guards posted on exits and entrances of department stores.

So are you wondering if I ever got my button? As a matter of fact my grandmother bought it for me a few months later. I still have it to this day. I guess she figured I had learned my lesson.

Do you need help in your small business developing an anti shoplifting program? Contact us at anti shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547.

Filed Under: antishoplifting Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, shoplifting

Trade Secrets….Are They Susceptible to Employee Theft in Atlanta?

September 16, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, a trade secret is any confidential plan, formula, pattern, program device, technique, code, or collection of information that, once released, could potentially benefit a business. Did you know that a trade secret isn’t even anything that has to be written down? It can be in someone’s memory and can still be a target of employee theft. Atlanta based companies are just as open to this as any other in the country.

Employee theft has many different shapes and forms. Basically when someone works for a company, let’s say in the research and development field, anything designed or developed under that company’s employ becomes property of said company. If that particular item is never released to the public, then the trade secret obligations are still present. It would be considered employee theft for that information to be used by that employee either after employment ends or if it’s released without the employer’s consent.

A confidentiality agreement may be the best way to protect a company from trade secret employee theft. An agreement of this nature is a legally binding contract, which prohibits involved parties (such as company employees) from disclosing trade secret information to the public, third parties, or worse—the competition.

Many employers have gone to great lengths to protect their trade secrets. An interesting study showed that up to 58% of all employees steal something from a business. Trade secret theft however affects business the most when there are 100 employees or less. Some small businesses can be destroyed by employee theft of trade secrets.
Suspect Trade secret theft?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: employee theft

Why Checkpoint Tags Over The Imported Knockoffs?

September 15, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

We get this question from time to time. Genuine checkpoint security tags have a considerable advantage over the knockoffs out there. We hear tales of sales people saying that the tags they have perform as well as Checkpoint tags . Lets clear up some of the myths:

Genuine Checkpoint security tags ARE very different in deactivation. Knock offs in as much as 30% of the time will re-activate on their own after they have been deactivated at the POS and the customer exit. This is because they are cheaply made. Embarrassing and you do not need the customer hassle. Genuine checkpoint tags deactivate each time, every time period.

Genuine checkpoint tags have an aggressive adhesive. They will not fall off even if they have been on the merchandise for some time. This makes it more difficult for the person shoplifting to detect the tag and remove it easily.

Genuine checkpoint security tags do not fade. Discolored tags look terrible and degrade the look and appeal of your merchandise. Knock offs tend to fad or discolor quickly.

Genuine checkpoint tags come with 2000 to a roll or tray that are guaranteed to work if applied properly. The checkpoint security tags that did not pass QC are marked with a red dot. Do not use them. There are 2000+ good labels (non red dot) on each roll or tray.

Genuine checkpoint security tags can only be purchased from a Checkpoint Dealer. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc is a Gold level Dealer and we guarantee the lowest price on your new genuine checkpoint tags.

Do not allow shoplifting or a slick salesman cause you any more losses. Shoplifting needs serious solutions provided by serious companies.

For more information contact us at checkpoint security systems or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: antishoplifting Tagged With: checkpoint security system, checkpoint security systems, Checkpoint security tags, Checkpoint tags, shoplifting

Employment Screening and MVR’s

September 14, 2010 by Staff Editor

When employers implement an employment screening program for new hires, a major question is often “What should I look for in a potential employee?” Most agree that a criminal record check is certainly required, but what other services are offered that could be of value to the employer.

One such search that is sometimes overlooked is the MVR (Motor Vehicle Record) or state driving record search. The MVR will reveal several pieces of relevant information to the employer:

§ Is the license valid?
§ Are there excessive traffic violations?
§ Have there been any suspensions or revocations?
§ Are the identity and date of birth correct?

Remember that the person may have a revoked or suspended license and still have it in his possession, and that drivers’ licenses can be forged, counterfeit, or altered. The only way to be sure that the license is legitimate is to verify it with the DMV.

If your employee is going to be driving as a part of the job, of course the employer has an interest in the driver’s status, because the record can have an effect on the insurance premiums paid by the employer. Bad drivers equal high rates.

But what if an employee who doesn’t normally drive as part of his duties is running an errand to the office supply store for your business in his own vehicle, and has an accident in which someone is injured. The liability is likely to fall back on the employer. If the driver was unlicensed or had a bad driving record, the chances of being found negligent potentially rise.

So weigh the potential risk of unknowingly employing an unsafe driver against the satisfaction of knowing that you have a safe and responsible employee on the road. An MVR check as part of your overall employment screening process is a relatively inexpensive way to have one less thing to worry about.

To learn more about employment screening call 1-770-426-0547 or click here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: employment screening

Loss Prevention Investigator – Your White Knight?

September 14, 2010 by Staff Editor

What is a Loss Prevention Investigator? A complex area of loss prevention, by far, can be the investigations related to employee theft, missing merchandise, poor inventory results or organized retail crime. The main job of the Loss Prevention Investigator is to, as the name claims, investigate. Gathering detailed information, contacting witnesses, investigating the area where the incidents occurred, correlating the information and working with law enforcement are some of what an investigator would do.

Even more so, the bread and butter, as it is said, comes down to the interview/interrogation of a suspected dishonest employee. In some cases, this part of the investigation can make or break the outcome.

Interviewing/Interrogating dishonest employees takes finesse. You may say, sure “How hard is it to talk with an employee about losses?” In fact, it’s tough, especially for a manager or business owner that has a vested interest in the employee in question. A seasoned investigator can be the difference between recovering your losses and hurting your business.

Generally speaking, a Loss Prevention Investigator starts out as an entry level Loss Prevention Agent. Usually he spends his time apprehending shoplifters and investigating external theft, or shoplifters. When he expresses interest to his supervisor or his supervisors believe the agent has what it takes to become an investigator, the transition begins. A Loss Prevention Agent can make great investigator. Most of us started as a Loss Prevention Agent

All in all, investigators are an important part of any loss prevention program. Maintaining a profitable business is the goal of any business owner. Providing support, direction, recovery and closure is the goal of a Loss Prevention Investigator.

When the chips are down and you need help a Loss Prevention Investigator is the person who is on your side, fighting for you and your business.

For more information contact us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loss prevention agent, loss prevention investigator