EAS Feature
THE
Tag Teams
EAS has been around for years, but it still generates passionate
debate which is now raging around ‘source tagging’
othing can divide the loss In Europe having EAS antennae Ian Eeles
N
prevention community at the cash tills is de rigour, but in of EAS
more than the subject of the UK where customer is king, Distributors
tagging. Brits want to enjoy the shopping
Does it work? Should experience without feeling like a
we tag at source, the point of criminal. Retailers want footfall so
manufacture elsewhere in the wide aisles and doorways are
supply chain or at the store? Out of important to entice shoppers in,
a broad array of technologies – AM, especially now as retailers stare
EM, RF or RFID – which is the best recession in the face. It is therefore
solution for my business, if any? Do little wonder that the UK rates so
I use soft tags or hard tags? Speak highly in the GTB’s league table of
to the manufacturers, and they will shoplifting shame. Goods simply
all tell you a different story. walk out of stores because of a lack
Each retailer has different needs of protection.
for its business and the return on Source tagging, applying the
investment is a difficult case to take hard or soft tags at the point of
to the board. Rolling out EAS across manufacture of packaging is a
an entire estate can be expensive potent argument. But how to do it
and at a time of economic without frightening away
uncertainty, the tagging legitimate customers and at a cost
manufacturers have got to shout that does not scare the retailer?
louder than ever before to get their One suggestion is to focus upon put off by their unwieldy size and
message across, despite the fact re-usable hard tags through a where they are applied to the
that shrink cost retail businesses system of re-cycling. garment may affect its cut and
more than £4 billion last year, Take the electronic tagging of hang during the all-important
according to the recently-published garments, an area that has always trying on.
Global Theft Barometer (GTB). presented a quandary for retailers There are two ways retailers can
It is not practical to tag every and shoppers alike. ‘source tag’ that will probably
item, but the high value goods – The hard tag provides an obvious change the way EAS protection is
those highlighted in the GTB – are deterrent to the opportunistic thief, applied to apparel and accessories’.
the obvious starting point. but genuine customers are often One is the use of adhesive label EAS
28 • RETAIL FRAUD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44