Tide Theft Solution

Liquid Gold.  That’s what the object of this new crime phenomenon is being referred to.  Tide, the popular laundry detergent, is being illegally plucked from the shelves of grocery stores and big box retailers to be sold or traded on the black market for profit.  But with The Theft Recovery Label the ultimate liquid gold theft deterrent is here.

Why would anybody trade drugs or even cash for stolen Tide on the black market?  Tide is the nation’s most popular and recognizable detergent selling at an average of $20 per 150 oz. bottle, which is at a much higher cost than most detergents.  Tide is also a staple in most homes across the socioeconomic spectrum making it an ideal currency for drugs. “Boosters”, or the Tide thieves, are selling the product to “fencers” for $8 to $10 or the drug equivalent of a bottle, which then sells for $12 to $15 to smaller stores, online merchants, or flea markets.  The profits are unmistakable and the possible penalties minimal.  Theft convictions from homes or muggings can come with a maximum penalty of 15 years jail time, but the penalty for shoplifting is often just a small fine and no jail time; resulting in low risk, high reward.  Retailers across the country are losing billions worth of tide each year because of this phenomenon.

The major problem here isn’t just the theft, it’s the security of the product and how easy it is to steal and resell.  Since the phenomenon first began a few years ago, an array of security labels and tracking tags have been developed to combat it.  Tracking stickers are easily washed off, there are no printable/non-washable serial numbers to track the products’ whereabouts, and it’s impractical to keep the detergent locked up behind the counter because it would add more time to the customer’s errand runs, potentially sending them to shop elsewhere.  What’s more, merchants don’t record the lot and batch numbers on their products because it takes a lot of time and most of the information is not available publicly.

But merchants aren’t the only ones at risk. Brand owners are also suffering.  Merchandise that has been tampered with can damage company and brand reputation.  If a consumer buys the tampered product and has a bad experience with it, they won’t purchase your brand again or worse, it can hit the media and destroy your brand image.

The solution for your high-risk products is finally here.  Developed with the intense input of a major national grocery security team, Price Gun Store is able to offer a destructible film, tamper-proof, super aggressive permanent grade adhesive security label.  This loss prevention label has specialized security drive cuts, which offer additional tamper resistance and tearing, implemented in order to make it virtually impossible to remove in a short time.  It takes a lot of effort to remove the super aggressive adhesive from Tide or other products, if at all.  Often times, the product will be destroyed or damaged while trying to remove the label.  Inventory shrink will be reduced as the resellers of stolen goods will not be interested in purchasing products with this label attached.  Even if it is stolen, it will be virtually useless in trade for drugs or money – only for its intended use, washing dirty laundry.  No thief would return to a place where the products they are trying to steal have no value.

The labels are applied with one of our label guns.  With the guns, you can add variable information on the labels on the spot for each individual container or area of the store.  Store number and division numbers can be added for security.  For example, if you place a division number on all the Tide in aisle 7 and place a different division number on all the Tide in aisle 5 and you determine that the Tide in aisle 5 is what is missing, you’ll know that there is a security issue surrounding aisle 5.  Therefore, you can boost security and move the placement of that aisle’s goods.  The label guns can also be ordered to simply apply a preprinted label.  By not implementing tracking devices into our sticker, we are helping to cut the cost of the label and its applicator.  These loss prevention super security labels, which have the option to be personalized with your store logo and information, cost just pennies and can save every size operation a lot of money and increase the safety of the customers by reducing risk of theft in the store.

Today it’s Tide, but other household products are starting to pop up in bulk in criminal’s homes and warehouses all around the country.  Examples of popular items lifted by Organized Retail Crime include vitamins, cosmetics, infant formula, over-the-counter medications, and diabetic test strips.  Authorities are finding homes with bathtubs of diapers and dressers filled with shampoo bottles.  Apartments are beginning to look like mini-marts with the amount of stolen household goods being stored in them.  So protect yourself for today and tomorrow’s robbery trends by investing in sound security options for the high-risk items in your retail store.  You never know what the next “Liquid Gold” could be.