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Packaging security: in-store measures remain essential

Responding to retailer needs, clamshell blisters answer theft threats. Yet some packagers look for less costly alternatives.

A full-body shrink sleeve label on Sun-Maid Raisins brings packaging security in the form of tamper evidence.
A full-body shrink sleeve label on Sun-Maid Raisins brings packaging security in the form of tamper evidence.

RFID and anti-counterfeiting may be “hot” packaging security topics, but the front lines in the daily battle of security are still at the store shelf. There, retailers expect packages to deter tampering and theft.

The shrink band, which emerged as one of the first tamper-evident techniques, is still a mainstay in the battle against tampering. But in some cases it’s evolved into a full-body shrink sleeve that brings terrific shelf impact while still fulfilling its role as a TE device.

A recent example is the new package from Sun Maid Growers. Designed originally for export to Europe, the package is a plastic tub that holds 500 g of raisins and incorporates a friction-fit closure. The package uses a full-body oriented polystyrene shrink label from Alcoa that extends up over the closure to provide tamper evidence.

Packaging technology that deters theft is also highly prized, especially by retailers who know that significant profits walk out of the front door each day under somebody’s coat.

“Theft is a major problem for retailers,” offers Mark Doyle, vice president of Jack L. Hayes International. The consulting company advises retailers on loss prevention and asset protection. “A retailer’s net profits are small, about three cents on the dollar. What that means is the retailer has to sell more than 20 items to make up for the one that was stolen.”

That may appear to be the retailer’s problem, but Doyle points out that consumer packaged goods companies lose, too, if theft remains unchecked.

“One of the final steps a retailer takes when faced with theft is to put the package into a locked case,” says Doyle. “Then, sales go down because in today’s retail environment there is no store help to open the case for customers. When the sales go down enough, the store stops carrying an item.” It’s a downward spiral, says Doyle, and theft is the first step.

Changes in retailing are amplifying theft problems. Superstores—retail outlets with more than 175ꯠ square feet of floor space—are both fast-growing and a target for thieves. According to University of Florida statistics, those stores are experiencing higher loss rates than traditional supermarkets. The stores carry higher-value, non-food items, and they are seeing higher shoplifting rates.

Clamshell blisters are emerging as a central packaging tactic against shoplifting, especially in larger stores. In areas such as hardware, auto accessories, tools, and home improvement items, clamshell blisters are readily apparent. Their goal is to defeat one of the most common shoplifting tactics—removing the product from the package by tearing the package open. Blisters, as most consumers will testify, are hard to open.

Club stores love clamshell blisters

Clamshells are highly visible at club stores, where they help sell product and deter shoplifting.

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