Now even instant coffee is being stolen – Stores installed alarms

Nakkeja is equipped with burglar alarms in Aleppa, Helsinki. Reader’s photo

More and more often in the grocery store you can see products with a burglar alarm. The reason is clear, shoplifting has increased. According to the trade association, shoplifting is done in Finland worth about 500 million annually.

Kesko’s communications manager Otto Heinonen says that each merchant assesses the need for a product alert on a risk-based basis as well as the need to take one or some products to the cash register for sale.

On a general level, it can be stated that alarms are typically attached to more expensive products such as fish, meat and cheese.

In addition, alarms can be placed as needed on products that are estimated to be more susceptible to theft than average. These have traditionally been, for example, some natural products and instant coffee.

The prices of instant coffee packages vary from a few euros to more than 10 euros.

– According to the information we received from our merchants, it seems that the need for product protection has generally increased in recent years. The reason is the increased number of shoplifting incidents, Heinonen tells Iltalehte.

Janne Ahtoniemi SOK’s risk management says that the use of alarms in food products and product display solutions are based on store-specific theft loss information.

Perishable foodstuffs include alcohol, vitamins, coffee and meat and fish products.

– With product protection for cheaper products, control is made more widely visible in the entire range, and the products may vary even in the short term. Alarms reduce the number of thefts – just the knowledge of their use raises the threshold for shoplifting. In addition, alcohol products are placed in locked cabinets or behind blinds in some of the stores, Ahtoniemi states.

According to him, product protection is primarily aimed at consumer products that are susceptible to loss, for example consumer electronics, phones and game consoles.

Development manager of S Group’s grocery store Minna Jakonen says that alarms are usually used for products with a higher risk of loss.

– Pikakas automatically selects the purchases to be checked, but we do not open the automation in more detail.

Jakonen states that the express checkout system performs automatic monitoring, whereby the express checkout asks the seller to check the scanned products to ensure that the transaction is error-free.

– Inspections are performed randomly for all customers when requested by the system, and being subject to an inspection is not a sign that the customer is suspected of misconduct. Inspections are carried out daily, in accordance with the system’s automatic monitoring.

According to Jakonen, express cash registers are not a particular problem in store thefts, because searches made at express cash registers are no different from, for example, searches made at regular cash registers.

– We receive good feedback from customers about the express checkouts, and the absolute majority of our customers use the express checkouts honestly and properly.