Ladies and gentlemen, you’re welcome. I know you now have Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got to Do with It stuck in your heads.

The 1980s aside, I do believe parts of our society have deteriorated to an all-time low. There is a new trend in theft prevention; lock up your razor blades.

I went to buy razor refills the other day, and I had to ask a store associate to unlock the cabinet. Yes, my friends, apparently razor refills are a hot commodity these days.

But, I give kudos to this establishment that recognized and put safe guards in place to protect their inventory. They realize theft prevention is something they must actively think about, or merchandise, no matter how seemingly insignificant, will walk out the door and cost them thousands of dollars.

The good news is there are lots of different lock options that can aid in theft prevention. Today I want to focus how to make sure your cabinet and drawer locks do what they need to do and keep your products secure.

Theft Prevention: Cabinet & Drawer Lock Considerations

The Right Fit

First things first, make sure you have selected the right lock for each specific cabinet or drawer.

There are a number of different cabinet and drawer locks available. If you use the wrong one, your merchandise will not be as secure as it should be.

You also need to pay attention to things such as bolt length. Sure, at first glance it may look like your drawer is secure, but if you jiggle the lock a little bit, you may find the drawer can easily be opened. This was the case for one of our customers who struggled mightily with theft prevention. We recommended drawer locks with longer bolts, and the shoplifting instances were drastically reduced.

It’s All About the Materials

So I’m no karate guru, but I like to think I could kick a piece of particle board in half. I’m not superwoman, but surely I’m strong enough for that. However, if I kicked a piece of solid wood I would likely be hobbling around for days.

The same goes for the material that makes up your drawers and cabinets. If you have cheap materials, the most secure locks in the world will only help so much. If enough force is applied, the material itself will give way.

Bottom line? Be sure your drawers and cabinets are made of durable materials, or you will struggle with theft prevention.

Audit Trails: The All-important Paper Trail

I’ve worked in corporate America, and the paper trail was and is a big deal. Why? Because it is extremely helpful to look back and see what was done, when, and by whom.

The same goes for theft prevention. If something goes missing, it makes loss prevention’s job much easier if they can look back and see when that product was last accessed and by whom.

So, how do you get this audit trail you ask? eCylinders.

eCylinders are a great way to restrict access to high-value items. They are special locks that use electronic keys. When they lock is accessed, many eCylinders will store the data unique to that user key and log the date, time, and key that was used.

Think about it, if you knew your manager would be able to tell you were the last person to access a secure cabinet, would you steal an item stored in the cabinet?

There are a number of different cabinet and drawer lock options out there. Before you select one, make sure you think through these elements to ensure you have the right product to help with theft prevention.

If you need help selecting locks that best fit your needs, let us know. We’re happy to help guide you through the process.