Understanding Risks of a Retail Business
Perhaps of all the types of facilities and business’ covered in this guide, retail presents some of the highest risks and the toughest problems to solve. If the product you’re selling is highly desirable- for example, small consumer electronics; then the problems are multiplied many times.
For the sake of clarity, let’s divide our retail business into segments by the types of merchandise we carry- small electronics must be treated quite differently then large consumer items like refrigerators. Let’s begin with the easiest and work our way up to the really difficult high risk situations.
TIP: One aspect of any type of retail business which must be of concern to all managers and owners is record keeping. Always keep a copy of your business and financial records at home or another safe location other than your business!
Before we go into the specific retail classes let’s look at intrusion and fire alarms:
Burglar Alarms
The intrusion market is very competitive so there is no need to spend a lot of money to get a good system. Beware of being talked into buying too much protection however. Typically, the alarm company will lease the system to you and roll the equipment cost into the monitoring fee. They will usually require you pay the installation fee up front and then the monitoring fee annually. Full service during business hours should be included in this cost. The fee should cover all maintenance including labor and equipment replacement.
The only exception to this would be emergency after hours service calls and damage to equipment caused by negligence or unforeseen circumstances like lightning or water leaks. Always get it in writing however, and make sure you’re clear on what is covered and what isn’t.
Alarm contracts generally are for FIVE years so make sure you understand what you’re signing. The long contract length is required so that the alarm company can recover their equipment investment. You can try to negotiate a shorter length but expect the price to go up considerably. An alternative is to pay the entire cost of installation labor and equipment cost up front and then simply contract for the monitoring only which should be considerably less- often as little as $10 per month.
So what should you get in a simple intrusion system? A typical system consists of a control panel, a keypad for arming and disarming and detection devices. The system communicates to the central monitoring station by phone lines. Most of the time you can use a phone line you already have but many alarm companies prefer you install a dedicated phone line just for the alarm. This is not bad advice. Although it increases your total monthly cost, a dedicated line reduces the chance the alarm control won’t be able to get through to the central station. Obviously, if the intrusion system can’t dial out and deliver the alarm message, the central station won’t be aware you have an alarm condition.
Newer systems (and more advanced monitoring companies) now offer “internet” monitoring. Instead of the traditional phone line they use broadband internet access such as DSL or cable. Some systems continuously monitor the condition of the line and can warn if the connection is lost. These are highly recommended because of their speed and security. The cost is usually very much in line with dedicated voice phone lines. Plus if you already have internet access, the alarm transmission is essentially free.
We would like to invite you to an opportunity to take advantage of a couple of FREE GIFTS….
First – I have a Free Guide to Loss Prevention. This a 160 page Guide on things you can do to help prevent crime.
Second – We can provide you a FREE Security AUDIT of your Home or business.
Take a minute and fill out the form on this screen so you can take advantage of these FREE GIFTS. There is no obligation… Don’t be a statistic. Fill the form out now…. We will see you soon.
Edge Security Systems
909-660-3343
http://www.edgealarm.com/
Fontana Access Control systems, Fontana alarm contractor, Fontana alarm systems, Fontana biometrics, Fontana CCTV systems, Fontana employee recognition, Fontana fingerprint, Fontana id badge, Fontana id card, Fontana identification card, Fontana keyless entry, Fontana Remote Video Monitoring, Fontana rfid, Fontana Security Cameras, Fontana security door, Fontana security software, Fontana Video Verification, keyless entry system
For the sake of clarity, let’s divide our retail business into segments by the types of merchandise we carry- small electronics must be treated quite differently then large consumer items like refrigerators. Let’s begin with the easiest and work our way up to the really difficult high risk situations.
TIP: One aspect of any type of retail business which must be of concern to all managers and owners is record keeping. Always keep a copy of your business and financial records at home or another safe location other than your business!
Before we go into the specific retail classes let’s look at intrusion and fire alarms:
Burglar Alarms
The intrusion market is very competitive so there is no need to spend a lot of money to get a good system. Beware of being talked into buying too much protection however. Typically, the alarm company will lease the system to you and roll the equipment cost into the monitoring fee. They will usually require you pay the installation fee up front and then the monitoring fee annually. Full service during business hours should be included in this cost. The fee should cover all maintenance including labor and equipment replacement.
The only exception to this would be emergency after hours service calls and damage to equipment caused by negligence or unforeseen circumstances like lightning or water leaks. Always get it in writing however, and make sure you’re clear on what is covered and what isn’t.
Alarm contracts generally are for FIVE years so make sure you understand what you’re signing. The long contract length is required so that the alarm company can recover their equipment investment. You can try to negotiate a shorter length but expect the price to go up considerably. An alternative is to pay the entire cost of installation labor and equipment cost up front and then simply contract for the monitoring only which should be considerably less- often as little as $10 per month.
So what should you get in a simple intrusion system? A typical system consists of a control panel, a keypad for arming and disarming and detection devices. The system communicates to the central monitoring station by phone lines. Most of the time you can use a phone line you already have but many alarm companies prefer you install a dedicated phone line just for the alarm. This is not bad advice. Although it increases your total monthly cost, a dedicated line reduces the chance the alarm control won’t be able to get through to the central station. Obviously, if the intrusion system can’t dial out and deliver the alarm message, the central station won’t be aware you have an alarm condition.
Newer systems (and more advanced monitoring companies) now offer “internet” monitoring. Instead of the traditional phone line they use broadband internet access such as DSL or cable. Some systems continuously monitor the condition of the line and can warn if the connection is lost. These are highly recommended because of their speed and security. The cost is usually very much in line with dedicated voice phone lines. Plus if you already have internet access, the alarm transmission is essentially free.
We would like to invite you to an opportunity to take advantage of a couple of FREE GIFTS….
First – I have a Free Guide to Loss Prevention. This a 160 page Guide on things you can do to help prevent crime.
Second – We can provide you a FREE Security AUDIT of your Home or business.
Take a minute and fill out the form on this screen so you can take advantage of these FREE GIFTS. There is no obligation… Don’t be a statistic. Fill the form out now…. We will see you soon.
Edge Security Systems
909-660-3343
http://www.edgealarm.com/
Fontana Access Control systems, Fontana alarm contractor, Fontana alarm systems, Fontana biometrics, Fontana CCTV systems, Fontana employee recognition, Fontana fingerprint, Fontana id badge, Fontana id card, Fontana identification card, Fontana keyless entry, Fontana Remote Video Monitoring, Fontana rfid, Fontana Security Cameras, Fontana security door, Fontana security software, Fontana Video Verification, keyless entry system
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