Theft From Retailers For Valentine’s Day – How Can EAS Systems Help To Curb Crime?

Love may be in the air on St. Valentine's Day – but so will be the threat of theft for retail stores. Whilst retailers will receive a much-needed visitor boost during the run-up to the 14^th February,they will simply not know who is coming through their doors, nor what their intentions are.

In this blog, we're going to look at some of the most commonly-stolen items around Valentine's Day and how EAS systems may help to prevent them from leaving the premises without being paid for.

Commonly Stolen Items In The Lead Up To St. Valentine's Day

Shoplifting is a threat to retailers all-year-round of course – the advent of occasions such as Valentine's Day, with the boost in customers it provides, acts a as reminder that security should be taken seriously all-year-round.

It won't be a surprise to learn that the most commonly stolen items from retailers are ones that can be fit into a pocket or a bag. So before we look at how EAS systems can help to curb shoplifting, here are the most common types of products stolen from retailers in the run-up to Valentine's Day:

• Alcohol.With many people taking the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day with a glass or two of bubbly, alcohol (which is already a commonly stolen item from retailers) is a particularly vulnerable target. Expensive spirits such as vodka, whisky and rum-based products are particularly at risk, due to their cost and growing popularity.

• Cosmetics.Often contained in small packages, freely pickable from shelves and easy to conceal, requiring little work to do so, it is no real surprise that cosmetic products are commonly stolen in the run-up to Valentine's Day (or at any time,really!)

• Fashion accessories. Also easy to slip into a pocket or a bag, you may have noticed tags placed on fashion accessories in order for them to be picked up by EAS systems. Common fashion items to be stolen include scarves, hats, belts, earrings, etc – anything that can be concealed and carried away without much effort.

• Chocolate.For most people, Valentine's Day and chocolate fit together like a hand in a very snug glove. With a plethora of different types, styles and shapes on offer during this time of year, many chocolate items present attractive targets for shoplifters.

• Mobile device accessories. The popularity of mobile phones, laptops and tablet devices make their accessories particularly useful and thoughtful gifts. Whilst the devices themselves may be difficult to steal, items such as chargers and cases aren't normally kept under the same stringent security, presenting easy targets for anyone with stealing in mind.

• Lingerie.An extremely popular gift for Valentine's Day is lingerie (for some reason).Designed to fit on a person, such items are easy targets to steal – this is why changing facilities always make a point of counting how many items are taken into their fitting rooms and why products make use of tags and their accompanying EAS systems. Pairing tagging security systems with CCTV cameras(installed outside of the fitting rooms) can give staff a clear indication of who – and what – is being taken into your changing facilities.

So, How Can EAS Systems Help?

Whilst it might be too late to put them in place for the lead-up to this year's Valentine's Day rush, the increase in shoppers during this period acts as a reminder for the retailer to think ahead. Whilst some of the products mentioned may only be popular around this time of year, many others are common targets all-year round. So how can a busy store put in place measures to cut down on crime?

Working in conjunction with product tags, EAS systems are installed close to the entrance/exit of a store, sending out signals that sense whenever a tag is passed through them. On activation, it will sound an alarm that will give staff the opportunity to confront whoever has taken the tag through. Aside from being adept at tracking products, it allows for staff to concentrate on their work,without having to constantly look out for people they may suspect of shoplifting.

If you're responsible for a retail operation yourself and are interested in protecting your products with EAS systems and their accompanying tags, we can help.

Boost The Security of Your Retail Store, With Tagmax

Throughout the last 20 years, the Tagmax team have been providing security tagging systems to a wide array of public and private buildings – whether our clients have been retailers or warehouses, schools or colleges, restaurants or pubs, we have a proven track record of meeting whatever bespoke requirements they may have.

To learn more about how we can help, please feel free to give our expert security team a call today on 0800 044 3160. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail to us at sales@tagmax.co.uk