No Products in the Cart
The fact that electronic article surveillance (EAS) notifies your workers to a suspected theft is by far the most effective aspect.
This helps retail employees to focus on the task at hand rather than being distracted by looking for shoplifters on the shop floor.
There are, however, a few pointers to guarantee that alarms only sound when they should and that your employees understand what each alert implies.
So here are four things you should be aware of when it comes to security tag alarms...
The significance of excellent practices in EAS
As a retail loss prevention tool, EAS is highly popular and effective. When security tags and/or security labels are applied on items, the system detects them and, when they approach a zone near the shop exit, an alarm sounds to inform employees that a theft may be taking place.
The system, however, is only as good as the regulations, processes, and education that it is surrounded by.
That means your workers should be instructed on how EAS works and how to respond appropriately to a warning and its implications.
Tag Pollution
When another store fails to properly deactivate or remove a tag, tag pollution arises. Your EAS system may trigger when a consumer carrying that item enters your retail area.
Most EAS antennas now incorporate a lighting system that shows if an alert is being triggered by an incoming or outgoing tag.
The meaning of the illumination on the EAS antenna should be explained to the staff.
When it's likely that a tag from another business has triggered your alarm, they should be taught measures to follow, such as verifying the shopper's bag.
Alarm Fatigue
It implies something when an EAS antenna raises an alarm. However, some establishments fail to follow EAS best practices, and the alert rings so frequently that employees become oblivious to its possible implications.
This is generally due to one of four factors:
Pollution should be labelled.
Tags in the forbidden zone
Failure to detach tags or deactivate labels appropriately.
Inadequate EAS system maintenance and incorrect inspections.
So, what exactly do each of these terms imply?
The No Tag Zone
A no-tag zone is defined as the area between and surrounding the EAS antenna. This is an area where branded or labelled items, as well as decorations with a high foil content, should be avoided.
If there are any marked or labelled things in this vicinity, the EAS antenna will most likely sound.
The EAS system is usually within six feet of the "No Tag" zone.
As a quick check, extend your arms out like you're performing a star leap and look around each pedestal for any security tags within reach or just out of reach.
Alarms are produced by a tag in the area of the antenna in over 90% of documented occurrences of false alerting.
Failure To Properly Detach Tags
Security tags must be removed at the point of sale, while labels must be disabled, to prevent the EAS system from raising an alert when an item left the store.
Staff should be thoroughly instructed on how to perform this efficiently, as well as provided with the necessary equipment.
Deactivators can be included within the scanning area of the checkout so that the label is deactivated at the same time as the barcode is scanned during a sales transaction, whereas detachers are normally tethered to the POS.
Daily Checks
Your EAS system should be examined regularly and repaired as needed because it is a valuable piece of equipment that is meant to safeguard a merchant from loss.
Your manufacturer's recommendations are likely to specify exactly what checks and service are required, but at the very least, the system should be examined each morning before the store opens to verify it is powered up and operational.
Staff should also make sure the label deactivator is turned on at the same time.
Additional resources:
https://www.securitytags.com/the-different-types-of-security-tags/
https://www.ineoproducts.com/blogs/industry-banter/tags-vs-labels-which-one-should-you-use
https://www.ineoproducts.com/blogs/industry-banter/everything-you-need-to-know-about-security-labels
