Best Security Products blog

As a business owner, you know firsthand the threat shoplifters pose against your business. Retailers lost a staggering $44 billion in 2014 due to shoplifting.¹

Why is so much money lost to shoplifters? Shoplifting is an easy way for people to steal from you. They have open access to large amounts of inventory, and you and your employees can only watch so many people at once, while also doing your jobs.

And while there are some common traits that can help you identify a shoplifter (for example – they are watching staff more than they are looking at merchandise, they stay in obscure areas of the store and they avoid eye contact), not all shoplifters are easy to spot.

You can, however, do a lot to protect your business from loss due to shoplifters. Here are some tips:

1. Install a video surveillance system. Security cameras go a long way towards not only discouraging shoplifting, but if you use high quality cameras, the video footage can help law enforcement to identify and catch the shoplifter.

2. Install convex mirrors in your store. These mirrors will aid you and your employees in seeing corners and aisles more easily.

3. Hire a greeter. Having someone to greet visitors as they come in can reduce shoplifting. Walmart discovered that shoplifting was reduced by as much as 35% when they had greeters.² This same person can be tasked to speak to customers on their way out of your store as well. Some stores are now having the customer present their receipt to the greeter. This dual contact with an employee can be a powerful deterrent against shoplifting.

4. Station attendants at dressing rooms. If your business has dressing rooms, hire attendants to monitor the number of garments that customers take into and out of the dressing rooms.

^{1 http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/shoplifting-organized-retail-crime/shedding-light-on-retail-theft-statistics/
2 http://smart-retailer.com/growyourbiz/retailmanagement/reduce-your-chance-of-theft/}

With vacation season winding down for the year, you may be interested in the best ways to keep your vacation home safe until next season.

One of the smartest things you can do is install a robust home security system for full service monitoring.

A home security system can monitor your home for fire, carbon monoxide, excessive heat and even environmental emergencies, such as a water pipe malfunction. A water leak can cause thousands of dollars in damage if left undetected. Monitoring such events will not only bring you peace of mind, but can also save you a substantial amount of money.

In addition, your system can monitor intrusion attempts. Motion detectors and wireless cameras will let you know as soon as suspicious activity is detected. Alerts can be sent to you and to your monitoring company as well. Doors and windows can be protected with alarm sensors and glass break detectors, and you can even install SkyBell video doorbells on all your doors, for up-to-the-minute video and audio feed of any visitors.

There are also some general tips to keep in mind while you are away from your vacation home:

1. Keep the grass mowed. Unmowed grass practically shouts to potential intruders that you are not at home.

2. Stop all mail delivery. Even if the only mail you receive is junk mail, as it piles up it becomes obvious that no one is monitoring the home.

3. Ask someone to check on your home. Once a week or so, ask or hire someone to literally go to your home, walk through the house and take a look around the premises, just to make sure everything looks okay.

With these tips, you can make smart decisions about keeping your vacation home safe all year long.

We would love to schedule a consultation with you, to help you determine what is best for your home and vacation home security needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 or send us an email at sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

You probably pay a lot of attention to protecting the inside of your home. Smoke detectors warn you if a fire has broken out or if an appliance is overheating. Carbon monoxide detectors let you know if the levels of carbon monoxide have increased to dangerous levels.

Glass break sensors detect an intrusion through doors or windows, alarm systems let you know if someone has opened a door or window, and motion activated video cameras monitor your home, activating themselves if suspicious activity is detected. You can even equip your home with environmental sensors, letting you know if your freezer is too warm, if your attic is too hot or if a water pipe has burst in the basement!

These are excellent precautions to take, and every home should be so well equipped!

But what about the outside of your home? Have you protected the exterior of your home as carefully as you have protected the interior?

If not, the good news is that Honeywell has you covered. Wireless Outdoor Motion Sensors are a smart way to create a safe environment outside your home.

Wireless outdoor motion sensors bring you peace of mind, no matter where you are, because it keeps you in the know about what is happening. And when this device is paired with Honeywell’s Total Connect Remote Services, you can use the internet and your mobile devices to get updates about an activity around your home.

Here’s how it works. When the motion sensor detects suspicious activity, you can receive an email alert notification on your PC, laptop, mobile phone and iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

This motion detector is also pet friendly, meaning you will have fewer false alarms. Because the device contains two passive infrared (PIR) detectors, both of them must be tripped before the device will register a trigger and declare an alarm.

We would love to schedule a consultation with you, to help you determine what is best for your home security needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 or send us an email at sales@bestsecurityproducts.com