Guard trade

The paradox of retail is that, on the one hand, stores must be open to everyone—to new customers, to casual visitors ready to become regulars, to fashionistas, and to those who come in dire straits. On the other hand, a store must be a fortress, reliably protected from robbers and thieves. We sought to find a balance between the axiom "The customer is always right" and the motto "Forewarned is protected" and reviewed the most reliable anti-theft equipment. Liliana Berger investigated the details.

The onset of the economic crisis in Europe triggered a spike in store thefts. According to the Lithuanian research on the theft at wholesale and retail outlets in 2009, the total damage from theft in shops in Europe amounted to 32,2 billion euros. This figure exceeds the figures for 2008 and is ≈1,38% of the total turnover of goods.

Czech sellers did not account for 1,47% of sales, Poland and France - for 1,42% of sales. Least of all steal in Austria - only 0,9% of damage. And the largest dynamics of thefts was recorded in Slovakia - 9,8% per year.

There are no official statistics on theft in Russian stores, because not a single retail chain seeks to publish this information. However, on the sidelines of the trading business, they say that the loss from the turnover of goods in the country for 2009 year amounted to about 2%.

Theft and its prevention

According to Alexander Sarychev, head of Zenden's shoe chain retail chain, “most often, shoplifters steal staff. The permissible rate of monthly thefts committed by visitors is no more than 0,15% of all revenue, and in many stores this figure is generally zero. If the number grows, then there is the likelihood of direct theft by staff. For example, sellers write off goods, and appropriate the money for their sale. The result is a shortage. Possible collusion at the checkout - the sale of expensive goods by check for a cheap product. ”

An effective way to protect against theft at the workplace is video surveillance. Detect the offender "among their own" will help a sudden report or inventory.

Buying thieves are generally divided into three main categories. "Professionals", fishing alone or with a partner, which is used as a diversion maneuver. "Tourists" visiting the store in whole groups: while some divert the attention of store employees, creating an artificial mess, others try to carry away the goods or money. "Lovers" who steal not for the sake of profit, but for the thrill. Among amateur thieves quite wealthy people are often come across.

You can upset the plans of attackers if you regularly pay attention to the need for vigilance: do not get involved in a long conversation with the buyer; not be distracted by trifles; make sure that the buyer does not replace the label or product.

“There are a lot of tricks that buy thieves go to. Most often, a thief sets new shoes and leaves the store in it. Or the kidnapper’s accomplice distracts the seller, while the kidnapper shoves the shoes inside his sleeves at this time, ”explains Alexander Sarychev. - We do not have expensive anti-theft systems, we just constantly work with staff. Our anti-theft system is seller’s responsibility. ”

According to Yuri Getogazov, director of the Anti-Theor marketing department of the company, “it’s almost impossible to stop a serious professional thief. However, electronic anti-theft systems and security work in 99% of cases provide stable protection of outlets from amateur thieves. "

What is a theft protection system?

Despite the trustful attitude to the staff and calls for customer awareness, theft protection systems are invaluable help in protecting the store. What are they and how do they work?

The main function of the anti-theft equipment is to alert employees that they are trying to take out unpaid goods from the store. The security system is installed either at the entrance group or at the cash terminal.

“Today, there are three technologies on the world market: radio frequency, electromagnetic and acoustomagnetic. The general principle of the system design is the same: the equipment consists of antennas and sensors. The differences are only in the parameters of the sensors and the principles of operation at a technical level, ”Yuri Getogazov explained.

The radio frequency system generates a field at a frequency of 8,2 MHz. If it enters this field, the protective sensor resonates. The antenna picks up radio waves and triggers an alarm. Inside modern systems, there is a DSP processor, which, in accordance with a complex algorithm, filters out interference to eliminate false alarms. One of the radio frequency innovations of recent years is Noise Memory technology implemented in Detex Line systems. If extraneous noise appears on the air for 30 seconds, this anti-theft system analyzes it, remembers the parameters, and then stops responding to it. This is a very useful feature in shopping centers, where in the immediate vicinity there are various systems that affect the quality of each other's work. Thanks to Noise Memory technology, the risk of false positives is reduced to zero.

The acoustic-magnetic system operates at a frequency of 58 KHz. Its principle of operation is similar to radio frequency, except that inside the protective sensor there is a small trick - a miniature tuning fork, which, when it enters the system's field of action (between antennas), vibrates. Antennas emit an inaudible signal to the ear. The antenna picks up this signal and turns on the alarm for protection.

At the frequency of 12,5 KHz, an electromagnetic system operates. Its principle of operation differs from the previous two in that a magnetic field is formed inside the passage. When a protective sensor enters the field, the induction changes, as a result of which an alarm is triggered.

The basis of anti-theft equipment is the antenna, which is installed at the entrance to the store. Sensors are fixed on the product itself - sensors of different sizes and shapes. According to their functional value, the sensors are divided into two types. Rigid sensors are designed for reusable use. At the time of payment for the purchase at the checkout, the seller-cashier eliminates the sensor using a special removable device. Flexible sensors are disposable, and when paying, the cashier turns off the protective sensor by attaching it to the diaactivator.

As a rule, flexible sensors in clothing or shoe stores are used for added protection. For example, a professional thief, quietly removing a hard sensor, did not notice that a flexible sensor was also glued inside the sweater.

Advantages and disadvantages

It will be useful to say that all three technologies are equally harmless to human health. But when choosing a particular system, attention should be paid to their advantages and disadvantages.

For example, RF technology has a favorable price for antennas and supplies - less than 3 cents apiece, as well as a huge range of protective sensors of different sizes, colors and types. The premium RF system is designed for wide passages - from 150 cm or more, it can also be called the most beautiful and in demand. The minus is that this system has the most noticeable sensors: flexible - 4x4 cm and hard with a minimum diameter of 3 cm (at a rate of no more than 4,2 cm).

Acoustic-magnetic technologies, as well as radio-frequency ones, have a large assortment of sensors, design models of antennas and the ability to advertise on antennas. The width of the passage protection is also attractive - from 160-220 cm or more, and rigid sensors are smaller than those of the radio frequency. However, the price of the antenna and sensors is 1,5 times higher, and flexible sensors are easier to disable compared to the first system.

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Electromagnetic technology is the most expensive at a price: ≈ $ 4000, with large dimensions of the antenna the width of the protected passage is very small - only 80-90 cm, there are no high-quality sensors in this system, and finally, most systems of this technology falsely work on Russian banknotes with a face value 1000 and 5000 rubles. The advantage of electromagnetic technology is only in almost invisible sensors, which is convenient for bookstores, pharmacies and decorative cosmetics salons.

For shoe stores, radio frequency and acoustomagnetic technologies are best suited. However, to select the most optimal option, it is recommended to contact the supplier of anti-theft systems in order to receive expert advice based on the parameters of the store.

Shop parameters that are important when choosing an anti-theft system

- input group width

- its configuration

- location of the store.

Golden mean

Anti-theft equipment is divided into the categories of economy class, business class and premium systems. Business-class equipment can be called the golden mean. Buying such an installation will cost $ 2000. Sensors for equipment cost around 30-40 cents per unit, and antenna repair services are $ 150-200.

It is impossible not to mention price extremes. Cheap equipment from Chinese manufacturers costing less than $ 1000 is far from the European standard. According to statistics, it does not even provide 95% protection, that is, it is not capable of quality work. It is also not advisable to purchase very expensive equipment, since the system functions built into it are not applicable in practice. For example, companies promise their customers remote system maintenance - performing all the settings and repair work remotely via the Internet.

Service Warranty

The most popular radio frequency technology in Russia is Detex Line. Theft protection systems of this brand are installed in 10 000 trading enterprises in Russia and Ukraine. The warranty period is 3 years, the systems are supported by the ANTIvor branded technical service center serving stores in 780 cities of Russia and the CIS countries. The right partner will save you from problems associated with the service.

European brands are also sold in Russia: Gateway (Sweden), WideExit and Sensormatic (manufactured in the USA), Meto (USA, Checkpoint). They cost more than $ 2000, although the Russian manufacturer is almost as good as its technical characteristics.

When choosing a security partner, it is imperative to clarify whether the company offers all three existing security technologies. If a company offers one protection technology, it should be understood that such a seller recommends it regardless of the type of protected goods, and the choice may not be entirely suitable for the store.

New Systems

The first anti-theft system from the American manufacturer Checkpoint appeared in the 60 of the XX century. Until 2002, the systems of this company were popular in Russia. The first and so far the only domestic manufacturer of anti-theft systems is Detex Line. Its systems attract customers by the price and the fact that they are designed specifically for our specific customer, who tend to lean on the antenna or hit it with a trolley.

The discovery of the last decade was acoustomagnetic technology. There are also new items regarding technical and design improvements.

An anti-theft system with a built-in visitor counter appeared on the market. She counts visitors and sends data to the main office.

In 2000, the first invisibility system appeared: a system cable is run along the store’s contour, which eliminates the input antennas. However, at the same time, the level of detection is very low, therefore, so far the number of installations of this system in Russia does not exceed three installations.

“Antivor offers such a system. It does not differ in any outstanding parameters and super-quality. In addition, the invisibility system has a big drawback: it cannot be mounted after the repair work of the store has already been completed. However, new developments are underway in this area, and it is possible that in the near future we will see a solution spared from these shortcomings, ”Yuri Getogazov stated.

And finally... Effective store security depends not only on the right anti-theft system, but also on vigilant security, equipped video surveillance, and the proper placement of security mirrors. With comprehensive security, you can be confident that your store is protected from unwanted visitors.