Business Security Information

Do you use an EAS (electronic article surveillance) system in your retail store?  I know that most of the major retailers use these type of systems.  Actually, I was at a department store the other day, and I noticed, like I have so many times in the past few years, how ineffective they can be.  Let me explain that statement.

Failure of Electronic Article Surveillance Systems!

There are several different types of EAS systems being used today, but you really do not need to understand the difference between them or even how they work to understand the issue I have with them.  Although most of these systems can be beaten by an experienced and knowledgeable thief, this is not the real issue.  How many times in your own store or in other stores where you shop have you seen a customer walk through the sensors, which are usually located at the exits/entrances to a store, and set off the alarm?  Most of us see this all the time. The next time you see it, however, look at the situation closer and notice how many times an employee actually reacts or takes action when the alarm is triggered.  In almost all the stores where I have seen EAS systems used, employees rarely pay any attention to the customer who just set off the EAS system.

When I was at a Target store recently, a group of customers triggered the alarm at the exit.  I stood there and watched as the customers looked a little confused, but no employee came over to question or investigate the situation so the customers continued out of the store.  The system appeared to have a timed shutoff because the alarm soon stopped, but as another customer passed through the sensors, they also triggered the alarm.  Again, the same thing happened and the customer exited the store unchallenged.  This happened one more time as I stood there and watched.  Obviously, in this situation there could have been a problem with one of the checkout stations not deactivating the EAS tag properly or  the sensors at the exits could have been malfunctioning since the alarm was set off so frequently in such a short period of time.  The point is that there was no employee reaction or action taken while the alarms were occurring.

As I have stated a number times in different articles on this site, for security of any type to be effective, you must detect the threat, slow it down, and have an adequate response(PRINCIPLES OF SECURITY).  In most of the cases regarding EAS systems, the threat is announced by the alarm, but if employees do not respond to the situation, the system is ineffective no matter how good the EAS system is at detecting the possible theft of your products.

Should I use Electronic Article Surveillance Systems?

First of all, if you already have an EAS system in your store(s), do not remove them.  The cost of these systems is not cheap so if you already have one, keep it.  Secondly, understand that EAS systems are usually only effective against casual shoplifters, and you still need to implement other measures to deter the professional thief.  As stated before, these systems can be beaten with the right knowledge and tools.  Also, EAS systems do not really address the issue of internal theft.

Strategies can be implemented to make an EAS system more effective.  If you look at most Wal-Mart stores, greeters are stationed at the entrance/exits.  If the sensor is triggered and the alarm sounds, there is someone immediately available to respond.  Most of the time, they ask for the customer’s receipt and compare it against what is in the customer’s shopping bag.  Response to the alarm usually goes no further than that.  If the customer then walks through the sensor and the alarm is sounded again, they usually just wave the customer through.  Just because no stolen items are found in the customer’s shopping bag does not mean there is not other stolen items elsewhere on the customer.  I have also seen a customer show a receipt by holding it up, and the employee just waves the customer through thinking the customer is honest and the EAS tag must not have been deactivated.  Be aware ineffective employee response to an EAS alarm will make the EAS system ineffective and might actually provide additional opportunities for the shoplifter to succeed.

The bottom line is–don’t get rid of the EAS system you have but understand the limitations of the system. It should only be one layer of the security measures you use to deter theft.  Also, look at the policies and procedures you have related to EAS systems and how your employees respond or don’t respond to an alarm from the EAS system.  Do you need to modify your procedures and are your employees adequately trained on how to respond to these type of alarms.  As employees clearly understand procedures and their comfort level increases, so will the response to EAS alarms.  Feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you wish to discuss this issue further.

Related posts:

1. Security Camera Systems
2. False Alarm Fines for Business
3. Security Benefits of Key Cabinets