Yes, we have no EAS tags

[theducks]

Yes, we have no EAS tags
Originally uploaded by theducks.

EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) tags are what makes alarms go off when someone tries to take the item out of the store without de-activating it.

In this particular case, they've helpfully put a trolley full of books with a label saying they don't have these tags in them. Brilliant.
--
Susie and Matt's engagement party last night was great.

Went into the city today and picked up a guide book to San Francisco (omg 26 days) and a new fan for a PC PSU we have.

Comments

[greteldragon.livejournal.com]

It's not like the ones in stores are really dodgey anyway, and have a fifty-fifty chance of going through without beeping anyway. Or just not deactivating or working properly. Oh god how I hate those things.

[luyer.livejournal.com]

I walked out of stores a couple of times with Amaray Red Tag DVD security devices that the staff had forgotten to remove from the DVDs - complete with EAS device installed (the 'red tag' device itself has no EAS device, but has a section where one may be placed).

Of course they're pretty easy to remove yourself without damaging the DVD or cover art, but causing some damage to the plastic box, so it's cheaper to just do that than return to the store to get it removed - I had the instructions as to how to do it online until receiving a nice letter from Amaray's lawyers.

[luyer.livejournal.com]

(when I say "cheaper", I'm of course making some assumptions about having bought the DVDs some distance from where you live, which aren't true in many cases)

[theducks.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've had that happen a few times too. Yay hard drive magnets :)

[luyer.livejournal.com]

My solution uses a pocket knife and causes a small amount of damage to the plastic cover (but not to the DVD or the cover art). If someone slightly less honest wanted to, it would be pretty easy to do this in the store, too. It's just a case of knowing how to remove it (basically, push tag in, disengage internal lever, pull tag out).

You could also do it with a sufficiently strong magnet and cause zero damage, in theory.

[theducks.livejournal.com]

I actually did my final year thesis on the effectiveness of EAS in coles :P

I got permission from coles loss prevention to do this.. I got about 20 tags, put them (and a letter of permission :P) in an otherwise empty backpack, and walked in and out of 35 different coles supermarkets in Perth. It only set off the exit alarms in 25 of the stores, and of them, I only had one person ask if they could look in my bag, and that was only after I'd set off the alarms.

Two of the loss prevention guys came along to my final presentation.. I suspect to make sure I kept up my agreement not to mention which supermarket chain it was :P

[velithya]

25 days now! :D