Rise in Thievery : New Label Geared to Help Fight Shoplifting
The Christmas season brings out lights and trees and jingle bells, the generous gift-giving spirit--and shoplifters.
Forty-five percent of every year’s shoplifting occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Retailers have learned to trust no one, and they are using increasingly sophisticated methods to combat the problem.
The latest weapon, developed by Sensormatic of Boca Raton, Fla., is a thin plastic label that can be stuck to nearly any item and will set off alarms if a customer tries to leave before the label has been deactivated.
Brad Kane, Sensormatic product manager, said shoplifting soars at Christmas because of increased traffic in stores and the greed Christmas sometimes inspires.
“Shoppers go into a store and are very frustrated because they can’t buy everything they see,” Kane said. “Christmas just amplifies the feeling.”
Shoplifting costs American retailers $25 billion a year.
“The average store customer is the typical shoplifter,” Kane said.
Displayed New Device
Sensormatic, which sold $93 million worth of anti-shoplifting devices last year, displayed its new MicroLabel at the recent National Association of Chain Drug Stores convention in New Orleans.
The MicroLabel works in much the same way as those bulky plastic tags commonly attached to clothes in retail and department stores. Those, too, set off store alarms if they are not taken off the garment before the customer leaves.
But the new electronic label is small--three-quarters of an inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long--and has a strong adhesive that can be attached to medicine bottles, records, tapes, auto parts and other items on which the large plastic tags would be impossible.
Prices can be printed on the labels, which are deactivated by a wand used by a cashier. If that process is not done, alarms hidden in pedestals, floor mats or overhead units ring when the product is taken out of the store.
Sensormatic was founded in the 1960s by an Ohio supermarket manager frustrated after he chased a shoplifter out of his store. It now dominates the market, Kane said.
About 75% to 80% of all the plastic tags used in the United States are made by Sensormatic, and it has about 60% of the world market, he said. Sales offices range from Buenos Aires to Kuala Lumpur.
The MicroLabel system already is used by several major drug store chains, department stores and record shops, but Kane said it is not limited to large retailers.
“What it can allow mom and pop to do is concentrate on their sales rather than watching people in the store,” Kane said.
