{"id":465,"date":"2015-03-20T18:43:47","date_gmt":"2015-03-21T01:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/?p=465"},"modified":"2015-03-16T15:44:18","modified_gmt":"2015-03-16T22:44:18","slug":"unfortunately-your-merchandise-is-flying-off-the-shelf-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/unfortunately-your-merchandise-is-flying-off-the-shelf-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Unfortunately, Your Merchandise is Flying Off the Shelf"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shoplifting<\/a>The good news is that your merchandise is flying off the shelves. The bad news is, your merchandise is flying off the shelves \u2014 thanks to shoplifting.<\/p>\n

For this blog post, we flip things around and give you the bad news first, followed by some good news about how a robust POS systems from Sintel can be your greatest ally in coming to grips with inventory shrinkage.<\/p>\n

The Bad News<\/b><\/p>\n

J.C. Penney CEO Mike Ullman, in a recent conference call with financial analysts said, \u00abAlthough the business has turned a corner, employee theft and shoplifting are a problem.\u00bb<\/p>\n

In \u00ab8 Products Shoplifters Love to Steal,\u00bb a recent post at finance.yahoo.com, Ullman said, \u00abThis cannot continue. We are putting processes and disciplines back in place to control inventory shortage in our stores.\u201d<\/p>\n

J.C. Penney isn’t the only retailer reeling from shrinkage, the umbrella term for inventory missing-in-action due to clerical error, damage, employee theft and shoplifting.<\/p>\n

The salient points made in the finance.yahoo.com post include the following:<\/p>\n

– The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) estimates that $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from U.S. stores annually.<\/p>\n

– NASP calculates that shoplifters are caught once for every 48 times they shoplift, and that a shoplifter who\u2019s caught has already stolen an average of $1,800 worth of goods.<\/p>\n

The finance.yahoo.com post included some of the findings of the 25th<\/sup> Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, a loss-prevention consulting firm:<\/p>\n

– Nearly two-dozen major U.S. stores apprehended 1.1 million shoplifters last year, an increase of 7% over the year before.<\/p>\n

– Over $138 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2012, an increase of almost 23% from 2011.<\/p>\n

– On average, some $715 was recovered from dishonest employees in 2012, over five times as much as was recovered from other shoplifters ($129).<\/p>\n

– There are approximately 27 million shoplifters in the U.S., roughly 1 in 11 people, who steal more than $35 million in goods from stores every day.<\/p>\n

– Often, organized criminals hit stores in groups, carrying \u201cbooster bags,\u201d shopping bags that look like they\u2019re made out of paper but are lined with aluminum foil which allows products with electronic surveillance tags to be quietly taken through the exit without setting off the store\u2019s alarm system.<\/p>\n

Without irony, the finance.yahoo.com post lists eight products shoplifters apparently can’t live without:<\/p>\n

Cosmetics<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00abTheft can be a way of compensating for emotional distress,\u00bb says Rachel Shteir, quoted in the post and author of \u201cA Cultural History of Shoplifting. \u00bb Shteir adds, \u00abWhether they were amateurs or professionals, a common thread among shoplifters is the idea of revenge.\u00bb Yahoo’s post notes that hair-growth formula like Rogaine, teeth-whitening strips, makeup, and facial creams are some of the preferred pilfered items. \u00abSome people feel resentful that they have to pay a high price for them,\u00bb says Shteir. \u00abThey feel like they have already paid a high price for having genes that make them look the way they do.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Pregnancy Tests<\/b><\/p>\n

The post notes that pregnancy tests are also among the items most commonly targeted by thieves \u2014 particularly organized-crime networks \u2014 according to the National Retail Federation\u2019s 2013 Organized Retail Crime Survey, primarily due to being easy to sell online. Don’t imagine it’s younger shoppers stealing these items because they’re too embarrassed at the register. Barbara Staib, spokeswoman for NASP, tells finance.yahoo.com that 75% of all shoplifters are adults. Younger shoppers might steal a pregnancy test because they\u2019re too embarrassed to take them to the register, but adult shoplifters account for much more of the problem. After all, some 75% of shoplifters are adults, says Staib.<\/p>\n

Baby Formula<\/b><\/p>\n

As with pregnancy tests, baby formula has a worldwide audience; the powdered variety is light, has a low shipping cost and can be sold online.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Razors<\/b><\/p>\n

Both the National Retail Federation and the research firm Euromonitor International\u2019s Global Retail Theft Barometer name men’s razors among the most popular stolen items. There’s a healthy black market for the small, desirable and over-priced cartridges such as Gillette’s Mach3 12-pack.<\/p>\n

Jewelry<\/b><\/p>\n

Watches, bracelets and earrings may be worn by shoplifters as they walk out of the store in full view of staff and security cameras. Gold and silver jewelry is easily resold or melted down and often impossible to trace.<\/p>\n

Underwear<\/b><\/p>\n

Fitting rooms are a perfect fit for shoplifters. Kathy Rodkey, author of \u00abThe Customer Isn’t Always Right,\u00bb tells finance.yahoo.com, \u00abThere is no security company in the world that can put a camera in a fitting room, so it\u2019s almost impossible to catch underwear shoplifters.\u00bb They can shop for a whole new wardrobe, leaving their old clothes behind. Or, says Rodkey, \u00abShoplifters will put three or four bras on them, three bathing suits, four or five pairs of underwear and then put their regular clothes on over them.\u00bb<\/p>\n

<\/b>Condoms<\/b><\/p>\n

Their small size and relatively high price are tempting to shoplifters, thus many drug stores today lock up condoms in glass cabinets to prevent theft. \u00abIt\u2019s a dilemma for retailers,\u00bb says Richard C. Hollinger, professor and chair at the department of sociology, criminology & law at the University of Florida in Gainesville. \u00abIf they\u2019re in a cabinet, they won\u2019t sell as many.\u00bb<\/p>\n

iPhone accessories<\/b><\/p>\n

Apple’s iPhone accessories such as chargers, cases and headphones are thieves’ new high-tech target. \u00abMost electronic accessories are not wired or nailed to the counter like smartphones, tablets or computers,\u00bb Shteir tells finance.yahoo.com. Her research indicates that around the holidays, shoplifters steal for friends and family. Shteir adds, \u00abWages are flat and many middle class people can no longer afford the luxury items they like.\u00bb<\/p>\n

The Good News<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>The good news is that the cure for inventory shrinkage is information technology. In an article posted on their website, \u00abInformation Systems To Prevent Inventory Shrinkage,\u00bb the Houston Chronicle (HC) stated that, with the right systems to control inventory in place, \u00abthe money you save can raise profits without raising sales.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Here are the three information technologies highlighted in the HC article:<\/p>\n

\u2022 POS, Front to Back<\/b><\/p>\n

By tying every sale to inventory counts and costs, a point of sale system can pinpoint internal shrinkage, thus calling for heightened back-room security measures.<\/p>\n

\u2022 View Profit Margins By Category<\/b><\/p>\n

For each product you sell, view the IT system profit margin reports by category and investigate any areas with reduced margins. HC writes, \u00abIf one area has a reduced margin, you need to investigate what is going on in the warehouse. You could have a reduced margin because you are buying more inventory than you are selling.\u00bb<\/p>\n

\u2022 Avoid Packing Slip Slip-ups<\/b><\/p>\n

HC recommends using an IT system to record \u00abactual products ordered and received from vendors,\u00bb and not to use vendors’ packing slips \u00abbecause packaging errors occur.\u00bb Instead, they write, \u00abRun your actual inventory numbers against vendor claims once a month, and you can identify areas where you are paying for inventory you never received.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Sintel Systems forms lasting partnerships with our clients that you simply can\u2019t get from a reseller, allowing larger franchises to grow and providing start-ups the foundation for future growth from the very beginning. Our expertise can help you avoid common pitfalls of entry into this thriving but complex industry \u2014 including the rapid pace of technological change.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in learning more about Sintel\u2019s POS systems and how our knowledge and support can impact your future success, call us for a complimentary phone consultation.<\/p>\n

Read the full finance.yahoo.com post\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0Read the full Houston Chronicle post here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sintel Systems<\/a>\u00a0is the only full-service provider of tailored Point of Sale systems across retail, restaurant and service industries, including\u00a0frozen yogurt shops<\/a>,\u00a0pizzerias<\/a>,\u00a0sushi restaurants<\/a>,\u00a0caf\u00e9s<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0retail stores<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a single source for business solutions, our experienced, knowledgeable team negotiates the complex POS landscape for you to enable you to find the right POS system for your business and budget.\u00a0Hardware<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Software<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Support<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The good news is that your merchandise is flying off the shelves. The bad news is, your merchandise is flying off the shelves \u2014 thanks to shoplifting. For this blog post, we flip things around and give you the bad news first, followed by some good news about how a robust POS systems from Sintel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-465","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"czr-hentry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":466,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions\/466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sintelsystemspos.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}