Security Strips

Five Basic Types of Retail Security Tags

You probably already know that electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems typically involve the use of electronic and/or magnetic security tags. But did you know that there is more than one kind available? Let’s take a look at five of the most common ones below:

Plastic tags

This is probably the most identifiable kind of security tag. They may come in different shapes and sizes but they’re all made with hard molded plastic. They go well with pretty much anything that’s big enough to accommodate them.

Some plastic tags contain ink that gets released if anyone ever tries to tamper with or remove them by force, staining and making products like clothing practically unusable to shoplifters.

Security strips and inserts

Made with thin strips of paper that don’t look that much different from regular inserts, they are one of the stealthiest security measures you can implement. They work great in a bookstore or library setting because both books and bookshelves are not really designed to handle bulky plastic tags.

The fact that these strips are so inconspicuous also allows them to keep the visual appeal of any product that they are inserted in pretty much intact.

Source tags

These look like the traditional cloth tags and labels that get sewn into clothing. The only difference is that they are fitted with some kind of barely noticeable security strip.

These tags, as the name implies, get attached right at the manufacturing facility so you no longer have to worry about doing any in-store tagging whenever new stocks are delivered to your store.

Hang tags

Needless to say, this category involves any kind of tag that hangs from a product. They’re typically used with clothing and contain information such as the brand name and cost of the item.

Stickers and labels

Stickers and labels are just that: anything that you stick onto your products. And just like security strips, they’re pretty inconspicuous as well so you could also use them on a book or any other similar item. One could easily mistake them for an ordinary price tag or sticker label.

Of course, even though these tags come in a variety of configurations, all of them are designed to still do the same thing: to prevent losses due to theft.