Dear Market Street Creatives Vendors,
After receiving a few recent concerns from vendors regarding possible product theft within their stores, Rob and I decided to consult with a company that specializes in retail anti-theft systems.
As a result, we will be upgrading our current security system to a new 8.2 MHz digital retail security system. This will replace the current system located at the top of the main stairs, and we will also be adding a second security system at the back door near the handicap ramp.
We like to believe that people come to Market Street Creatives to enjoy and appreciate the creative, unique, and amazing products throughout the building. Unfortunately, theft is something every retail environment has to take seriously. Even a couple of concerns are a couple too many, and we want to be proactive in protecting our shop owners and their products.
Last year, we installed our first security system at the top of the main stairs and made security labels available to vendors at a nominal cost to cover our expense. Several vendors participated at that time, but with so many new shop owners now part of the MSC family, I wanted to reach out again and explain our updated plan.
In addition to the new anti-theft system, we currently have more than 35 closed-circuit security cameras installed throughout the shopping floor. While these cameras are helpful and serve as a deterrent, we also understand that MSC is a large space. If someone is determined to steal, they may try to find a blind spot or a clever way around the cameras.
This is one of the reasons we allow all vendors to install their own cameras inside their individual shops. Having your own camera can help you monitor potential theft, but it can also be a valuable tool to see what customers are looking at, picking up, and showing interest in within your space.
I also want to mention something important. In the past, vendors have occasionally reached out because they believed something was stolen after seeing a customer touch an item, move an item, or because the item was not checked out at the register. In many cases, the item was not actually stolen. Sometimes customers place items back in a different location, leave them in another storefront, or decide at checkout that they no longer want the item and leave it with the cashier.
The point is, more often than not, missing items are misplaced rather than stolen. That being said, we still want to have the right systems in place when theft does happen.
With the new security system, vendors will be able to purchase adhesive security stickers that can be placed directly on products. When a customer brings the item to checkout, our staff will deactivate the security sticker so the customer can leave the store without setting off the alarm. If someone attempts to leave with an item that has not been deactivated, the alarm will sound as they pass through the security gate, alerting our cashier.
Please keep in mind that we will not ask or allow any employee to chase a customer into the parking lot if the alarm sounds. Our staff will politely ask the customer to return to the register so we can verify the receipt and make sure the security tag was properly deactivated. If a customer refuses, runs out, or becomes difficult with our staff, our entrance and parking lot security cameras will help us obtain video, photos, and vehicle information that can be submitted to the police if necessary.
The safety of our employees will always come first. We will never ask our staff to put themselves in harm’s way over an instance of possible theft.
If police involvement becomes necessary, we will file a formal police report and provide a copy to the shop owner for their accounting and insurance records.
The security stickers, shown below, will be available for purchase at the checkout counter beginning July 20. The adhesive security stickers will be $0.08 each. We will also have clothing security tags available, also shown below, for $0.32 each.
We recommend using security stickers or tags on higher-value items, small, easy-to-pocket items, frequently handled products, and products priced over $20. Each vendor can decide what makes the most sense for their own merchandise, but this is a simple way to add an extra layer of protection to items that may be more at risk.
We expect the new security system to be fully installed and active by the last week of July. We will notify everyone through the Vendor Connect app and in the Vendor Hub Facebook group once the system is up and running.
This is a sizeable investment on our part, but we believe it is an important step in helping protect our vendors, their products, and the overall shopping experience at Market Street Creatives.
If you have any questions, please email me at erick@marketstreetcreatives.com.
Thank you,
Erick