Technology helps reign in shoplifters
Technology helps reign in shoplifters
According to a study by the University of Florida, the retail industry lost $30 billion last year due to thefts by customers, employees and vendor fraud. Now technology is helping reign in the crime.
Everyone can see the big clip on tags on clothing that must be removed before leaving the store, but many other products have theft-prevention tags you can’t see helping retailers.
"Even when they can't see that the products are protected, many times they are. They really need to think twice," said Scott Clements, Vice President and General Manager of Sensormatic Retail Solutions.
Disposable tags are concealed in vitamin bottles and even in the pad underneath steak packs.
"There is a small label inside the soaker pad for this meat," explained Clements.
Security cameras are used to monitor the stores, creating hundreds of hours of video.
Now software helps retailers narrow it down.
"Video analytics, which uses computers essentially, to look at and monitor that video and identify when there are things happening that are unusual," said Clements.
The University of Florida also found that the average person pays about $2,000 more every year to absorb some of the losses due to shoplifting.
Courtesy of ABC7 NEWS
