Retailers across America are yearning for some normalcy to return to the experienced shoppers once had before COVID was ravaging our population prior to the vaccine. More people are returning to “brick and mortar” shops, and retailers are facing some constraints and challenges with what is, according to ‘Retail Insider’, a year that will prove to have a massive increase in foot traffic that retailers are not prepared to handle.
While store employees are engaging customers to ensure they are complying with state laws on the six-foot social distancing rule, and the mandatory mask mandate, theft is predicted to rise amidst stores dealing with distractions, and the disgruntled customers with heightened emotions fighting against what they perceive as uncomfortable regulations. We have just entered 2022, and savvy businesses are already seeking partnerships with a company that sells retail anti theft devices to combat shoplifting and internal thievery. Here are the top retail anti-theft devices that stores should be investing in to help protect their bottom line in what is going to be a challenging year to come.
RFID Systems for Retail Security
RFID (radio frequency identification) is a method for using radio frequencies in security equipment to keep tagged products safe from shoplifters. This technology is highly effective and deters theft in several ways. RFID systems consist of an RFID reader that’s placed at or near the entrances and exit points of your store. In addition, RFID systems also contain a wide variety of RFID tags, each designed to protect a specific type of product ranging from heavy-duty apparel like outerwear and denim, to jewelry, boxed electronics, and small delicate items.
When you tag products with RFID tags your employees can also track inventory and identify each unique item. Thanks to RFID technology, auto-ID technology is taken to all new heights without the need for a sight line or the need to be in ultra-close proximity. RFID technology has enabled wireless security to come a long way from its first application used in World War II–a method used for identifying airplanes. Now, retailers can use RFID systems to identify specific products and track them.
CONTROLTEK offers a wide range of RFID readers with a six-foot range, meaning that employees can be alerted to theft attempts before the product leaves the premises, giving them ample time to act, whatever that may be based on your individual protocol.
CONTROLTEK Offers the Best EAS System for Retail Security
Another critical part of retail anti-theft devices that stores should consider for 2022 would be an EAS system. An EAS system strives to protect goods against theft, just as RFID technology does, but the specs are different. EAS (electronic article surveillance) has a reader and tags, working on a different frequency, that sounds an alarm when people are leaving a store with unpaid items on their person, whether in their pockets, bags, or they may be so bold as to try walking out with a large boxed item giving the appearance that it was paid for. The only way the tags can be removed is for an employee to do this at the POS once the item has been paid for.
Invented in 1966 by Arthur Minasy of America, EAS technology has been involved since its first system was put in place. The two most common types of EAS systems run on AM (auto-magnetic) and RF (radio frequency) options. CONTROLTEK has designed a wide range of EAS readers, tags, and labels to achieve the security goals set by virtually any retailer in the country, for any type of product they may be trying to safeguard.
RFID Tags and EAS Tags are Important Retail Anti-Theft Components
CONTROLTEK designs RFID tags and EAS tags to protect a plethora of products. In many cases, the same anti-theft tags can be purchased in either the RFID or EAS option. For example, if you want to protect high-end apparel, security tags like the INKGUARD are ideal. These EAS tags have tiny capsules containing colored dye designed to explode and ruin the apparel if the tags are tampered with. The visual deterrent feature alone is responsible for making thieves think twice, and studies show that shoplifters usually give up and go to other stores when INKGUARD tags are in use. Another variation of security tags designed to protect smaller valuables is the FLATGUARD, a thin, sleek security tag that comes in both EAS and RFID options, designed to protect expensive wallets, ties, belts, scarves, and other similar items that have high value and are small enough to be easy targets for shoplifters. Only a store employee can remove the FLATGUARD once the item has been paid for. CONTROLTEK also offers several other RFID tags and EAS tags designed to protect everything from expensive bottles of liquor, oils, or perfume, as well as security tags that protect golf clubs, electronics, watches, and artwork. There is a retail anti-theft solution for any product when stores work with CONTROLTEK.
Tamper Evident Cash Bags for Retail Stores
Finally, tamper evident cash bags are important pieces to your arsenal of retail anti-theft devices going into this new year. According to a retail risk management study by Embroker, 75% of employees admitted to stealing from their employer in 2021. Furthermore, an estimated 50 billion dollars was lost due to employee theft across the country. In this study, Service Management Group reported that roughly 75% of businesses not impacted by COVID but that were forced to declare bankruptcy did so primarily due to losses from internal theft (cash being the most frequently stolen thing). With more stores opening in 2022, internal cash theft is predicted to go up in 2022. The most cost-effective way for retailers to protect their profitability is to invest in tamper evident cash bags that boast several security features.
Traditional cash bags can be opened when exposed to heat or liquids. However, CONTROLTEK offers tamper evident cash bags such as the TripLOK–a tamper evident cash bag that displays highly visible void messages when tampering is attempted, as well as a special thermochromic ink that turns the bag red when exposed to heat, and an ink that’s released when the cash bag is exposed to liquids. When employees are aware of security measures such as these, theft goes down significantly, and in some cases it goes away altogether. CONTROLTEK also offers tamper evident cash bags for retail stores with large serial numbers that enable easy tracking from CCTV, and this sense of careful tracking often deters thieves from attempting to steal the protected currency.
If You are a Retail Manager or Store Owner, Call CONTROLTEK for Your Custom Anti- Theft Devices Necessary for 2022 and Beyond
Every retail store is different; you have your own unique products, types of customers, employees, logistics, and many things that play into how operations are run. This means a free consultation with a retail loss prevention expert at CONTROLTEK is necessary so that you and your team can learn about the various types of retail anti-theft products we design, and you can make an educated decision when it comes to piecing together the ideal theft protection package that will best help to protect your bottom line while improving efficiency. Call today and let our expert’s team up with you to ensure 2022 will be a very productive year.