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By Greg Bartlett

Most people, when they go to a store, see something they don’t have but want. In fact, stores usually aim for exactly that – convincing the buyer that they have something the buyer wants or needs so that he or she will purchase it. Many of the buyers do go ahead and purchase the item, while others may save up for it, and some don’t buy it at all. And a few, unfortunately, take the item without paying for it. Every year shoplifting and theft of merchandise cost American companies over $50 billion.

Of course there are precautions that every store can take. Security cameras, lighting, arrangement of store aisles and merchandise, and having employees visible throughout the store are a few ways to help protect merchandise and decrease theft. Another option to supplement these methods is using GPS systems to monitor your merchandise.

By using GPS systems, you can monitor your merchandise without directly keeping visual contact with the items, and if they are stolen, you can recover them. The tracking system will follow your merchandise and lead you or law enforcement authorities to it, enabling you to recover your items and save money. This is especially helpful for higher value items that tend to attract shoplifters.

For instance, say you sell flat-screen TVs that are worth about $1,500 each. Most GPS systems are fairly inexpensive, perhaps as low as $7 a month. If you prevent the theft of or recover even one flat-screen TV, you have equaled approximately 200 months’ worth of service, saving far more money than the tracking system cost you. Other expensive items, especially small electronics, which attract shoplifter interest can likewise be protected and tracked with GPS surveillance.

Since you want your company to be as profitable as possible and yet be able to serve the consumers without undue hassle, you need to be able to decrease shoplifting and the expenses involved with stolen merchandise. You want to go ahead and take all the precautions you can, but some of them may not be affordable to you. For instance, you might not be able to lock up all your electronics so that only your staff can access them. But with GPS systems, you can affordably and efficiently serve your customers while reducing shoplifting and theft costs. So let your customers see an item they want, but now you can make sure they don’t take it until they pay for it.