“This is a robbery!” the thief shouts aggressively while brandishing a weapon. This is the most terrifying situation that a bodega, convenience, grocery or other retail store owner can imagine. The feelings of fear and helplessness are unimaginable. Unfortunately, this scenario has become all too prevalent in small, mom-and-pop stores, especially in urban areas. In New York City, seemingly everyday, the news features yet another – or multiple – brazen and sometimes violent robberies.
Small to mid-sized, independently owned shops are especially vulnerable to having more than just their registers emptied. They are often open late and manned by just one or two employees. Perpetrators are known to go after cash, equipment, food and other products – anything worth street or personal value – emptying shelves along with POS register drawers. Unfortunately, Mom ’n’ Pop shops, unlike chain stores, are less likely to have robust insurance coverage.
Many small to mid-sized independent business owners may have panic buttons and/or surveillance systems installed, but that’s not enough. Video cameras don’t deter unabashed thieves, and robbers continue to become bolder, especially if they keep their faces covered or simply break or cover the cameras.
Usually panic buttons are located behind the register or along the counter, easily recognizable to the perpetrator that then warns cashiers to keep their hands clear at all times. At worst, an employee reaching for an emergency alarm can cause a thief to panic, which can lead to tragedy.
Unless a shop hires a private security company or happens to be in very close proximity to a police station and/or regular patrolling officers, they are at the mercy of the bad guys. With the increased prevalence of crime in urban neighborhoods, combined with a decrease of police presence and less stringent repercussions for perpetrators, owning and managing a small, independent store can carry high risk.
Luckily, National Retail Solutions (NRS) has introduced its exciting new, patented theft deterrent feature: The NRS POS Panic Alarm Button. The button is secretly, craftily located among the feature buttons on the POS merchant touch screen. A storeowner or employee simply holds a certain button for a designated number of seconds and the register opens while a silent alarm inconspicuously alerts the police while the thief remains totally unaware. Just as the robber exits the store, maybe even while he is still inside, the police arrive.
The NRS Panic Alarm Button doesn’t just prevent crime, it also deters future robberies. As word gets out around neighborhood criminals that thieves failed in their attempt to rob a certain store and/or were caught, future incidents are deterred, as those become the stores that thieves avoid.
News of store robberies can deter the public – even the most loyal customers – from patronizing a shop, for fear they’ll be caught in the middle of an incident. Once a store is out of the crosshairs of the bad guys, customers will have as strong a sense of relief as the storeowner.
In addition to the Panic Alarm Button, the NRS POS offers local law enforcement the ability to flash “Wanted” ads, featuring local perpetrators, on the customer-facing screen. In a few seconds, the NRS POS can help a retailer contact the police, and within minutes, NRS can deploy emergency notifications onto its POS customer-facing screens in any city, broader region or nationally.
NRS knows the needs of urban-based, mom-and-pop businesses better than anyone. The company is the leading provider of point of sale (POS) systems to small to mid-sized, independently owned bodegas, convenience, grocery, alcohol, tobacco, hardware and gas station c-stores nationwide. Our customers are our number one priority and we strive to present innovative technologies to help protect the safety and well being of our retailers, their staff and store patrons.
Panic Alarm Button is a subscription Premium Feature available for the NRS POS. For details, visit nrsplus.com/panicalarm or call 833-289-2767.
Small to mid-sized, independently owned shops are especially vulnerable to having more than just their registers emptied. They are often open late and manned by just one or two employees. Perpetrators are known to go after cash, equipment, food and other products – anything worth street or personal value – emptying shelves along with POS register drawers. Unfortunately, Mom ’n’ Pop shops, unlike chain stores, are less likely to have robust insurance coverage.
Many small to mid-sized independent business owners may have panic buttons and/or surveillance systems installed, but that’s not enough. Video cameras don’t deter unabashed thieves, and robbers continue to become bolder, especially if they keep their faces covered or simply break or cover the cameras.
Usually panic buttons are located behind the register or along the counter, easily recognizable to the perpetrator that then warns cashiers to keep their hands clear at all times. At worst, an employee reaching for an emergency alarm can cause a thief to panic, which can lead to tragedy.
Unless a shop hires a private security company or happens to be in very close proximity to a police station and/or regular patrolling officers, they are at the mercy of the bad guys. With the increased prevalence of crime in urban neighborhoods, combined with a decrease of police presence and less stringent repercussions for perpetrators, owning and managing a small, independent store can carry high risk.
Luckily, National Retail Solutions (NRS) has introduced its exciting new, patented theft deterrent feature: The NRS POS Panic Alarm Button. The button is secretly, craftily located among the feature buttons on the POS merchant touch screen. A storeowner or employee simply holds a certain button for a designated number of seconds and the register opens while a silent alarm inconspicuously alerts the police while the thief remains totally unaware. Just as the robber exits the store, maybe even while he is still inside, the police arrive.
The NRS Panic Alarm Button doesn’t just prevent crime, it also deters future robberies. As word gets out around neighborhood criminals that thieves failed in their attempt to rob a certain store and/or were caught, future incidents are deterred, as those become the stores that thieves avoid.
News of store robberies can deter the public – even the most loyal customers – from patronizing a shop, for fear they’ll be caught in the middle of an incident. Once a store is out of the crosshairs of the bad guys, customers will have as strong a sense of relief as the storeowner.
In addition to the Panic Alarm Button, the NRS POS offers local law enforcement the ability to flash “Wanted” ads, featuring local perpetrators, on the customer-facing screen. In a few seconds, the NRS POS can help a retailer contact the police, and within minutes, NRS can deploy emergency notifications onto its POS customer-facing screens in any city, broader region or nationally.
NRS knows the needs of urban-based, mom-and-pop businesses better than anyone. The company is the leading provider of point of sale (POS) systems to small to mid-sized, independently owned bodegas, convenience, grocery, alcohol, tobacco, hardware and gas station c-stores nationwide. Our customers are our number one priority and we strive to present innovative technologies to help protect the safety and well being of our retailers, their staff and store patrons.
Panic Alarm Button is a subscription Premium Feature available for the NRS POS. For details, visit nrsplus.com/panicalarm or call 833-289-2767.
