August 2013 Newsletter
From our newsletter archive. Prices, specials and stock mentioned below were current when it was written and have since changed; see the shop for today’s prices or call 812-201-5900. Sections that repeat an earlier newsletter are left out.
Labor Day is a couple of weeks away. Our office will be closed Sept 2nd (Monday) for the holiday. We hope, if your store is open for Labor Day, that you have some awesome sales.
Once again, if you have not changed your contact info for us, note the new email addresses and the new phone numbers. Our physical address remains the same.
I have decided to dedicate this newsletter to much of the details about using paper labels. Of course your tower type/frequency dedicates what labels you can use so note 4.6 MHz, 1.8 MHz, & 2.0 MHz towers cannot use paper labels. Checkpoint 8.2 & 9.5 MHz uses the flat paper stickers and Sensormatic 58 KHz uses the Chiclets that are raised up. I will put a separate section for each type of label but you only need to read the one that applies to your system type. If you are not sure which frequency you have, contact our tech support department and we can let you know what you have.
Mark & Mary Fouts
Disposable Labels
8.2 MHz is used commonly for most retail stores while the 9.5 MHz is used exclusively for video stores. These labels are completely flat and are generally blank or bar-coded fooling most shoplifters into thinking they are for scanning a price or for branding. Blank ones can easily be imprinted in smaller quantities with an ink stamp. Some stores use them for branding their store name and phone number while others use them for pricing by putting smaller stickers over the top or using a felt pen to write a price ( Do not use an ink pen as it can break the circuitry ).
Look at the back side of one of these labels and you will see the wires that make the tag ring. Some general rules:
1 Do not crease or sharply bend a label as it will deactivate (a gentle curve, like on bottles, is ok).
2 Do not place labels directly on metal (Rf frequency can detect through most everything except metal... it is a radio wave so place the sicker in a different location on the product away from the metal).
3 Labeling DVD cases: There is an arrow on one corner of the tag that is to be facing the corner on a DVD case. DVDs have metal in the groves and placing this on the corner of the case toward the hinge gives it more of a chance to be picked up by your system.
4 Do Not tag over metal. Watch that silver or gold shinny fabrics or shinny metallic paper as these are also metal and do not ring with a paper label right on top of them.
What to do when your labels arrive: You should test to see if they ring your system properly. Putting the whole roll close to the tower will not ring the tower as one tag blocks the next when they are on top of each other. Take a tag off of the roll, put it on a piece of paper and run it through your towers to check it. If it does not ring then unroll the labels and pick one further into the roll to test. Also check to see that they are deactivating (Ring the tag first then deactivate then try to ring it again). All deactivatable labels have an indent in the middle of the tag on the back (looks like someone poked it with an ink pen).
Non-deactivatable labels will not deactivate and are used for libraries and movie rentals only.
Non working labels are marked so that you do not use them. Only the good ones are counted so although your rolls may be different sizes, they always have the correct count of good labels. On blank labels, a black line is placed on the side of a bad label.
On bar-coded labels, a dot usually red or black, is present to indicate that the tag should not be used as it did not pass inspection.
Acousto-Magnetic labels
These labels will not work on any system except a 58 KHz Sensormatic like system. The advantage of 58 KHz is that the labels can be placed directly onto a metal surface.
These labels are raised up like a piece of Chiclets gum. Some customers like these labels because they are narrower than the checkpoint labels, however the raised surface makes them a bit easier for a shoplifter to spot.
These labels cannot be curved or creased and must be totally flat on a box or item. These have a series of razor blade like metal pieces inside them that allow them to vibrate when they near a system. The system picks up on this vibration and rings the tag.
These tags come in white, black, and bar-coded. Some tags are marked LE which means Low Energy and can be deactivated by a low energy deactivator while others may be marked DR which means dual resonance (more metal inserts in the label so it rings better). Some of the smaller labels are not marked at all.
Follow SensorTags on Facebook
Sensortags is now on Facebook. We would like for all of you that are on Facebook to follow us so that we can keep you updated with special deals. Sometimes we get small closeouts that go quickly and are not available for the newsletter, but we will post them on Facebook.
If you like us on Facebook, we will give you free shipping on your next box of tags ordered this month. Please remind us when you order that you liked us to receive the free shipping. We have also set up a twitter account that you can follow. Instagram, & Pinterest coming soon.
3 alarm tags
There is now available on special order 3 alarm tags.
1. Triggers the Security System Alarm
2. Tag itself rings if pin is tampered with or lanyard is cut
3. Tag itself rings if taken past security system outside the store on a grab and run causing most shoplifters to drop it rather than being identified by a beeping tag.
These tags are very specialized and a bit pricey but well worth it if you have a few expensive items you want to protect. These are known as 3 alarm tags and can run from $4.99 to $7.99 each depending upon the frequency and if a lanyard is needed or the style of the tag.
If the tag incorporates a lanyard, the tag will also alarm if the tag is cut. This is great news for the shops carrying designer handbags that can run in the hundreds of dollars. Contact Susann if you are interested in knowing more about these tags for your store. 100 pc minimum
Trick for finding false alarms caused by security tags
If your mono tower is on a moveable baseplate and you are having false alarms, this trick will help. As seen in the above photo, turn your tower 90 degrees so it is facing the wrong direction. If the false alarms stop then you know the problem is something to the right or left of the tower causing the interference and false alarms. You can then turn the tower back the correct way and move it right or left to see how far from where it was that it stops false alarming. That distance is approx. how far away from the original tower location the interference is, but in the opposite direction.
Sensortags.com is one of the few companies that manufactures baseplates to fit your security tower so that you can test for false alarms easily and also install yourself saving $500 to $1000. No holes in your floor means you can easily take the tower with you should you move as well. Note many leases state that if you bolt it to the floor you have to leave it for the owner of the building when you leave.
Facebook = Free Shipping on 1 case of tags this month.
Like SensorTags on Facebook and let us know when you order from now til the end of this month, and we will give you free shipping on one case of tags!