BOB items are frequently overlooked or forgotten at checkout. Many factors contribute to this problem:

• A long line of impatient shoppers
• Pressures on cashiers to increase throughput
• Distracted cashiers or customers
• Customer intent or cashier collusion

And, recent data from the 2003/2004 Supermarket Shrink Study, produced by the National Supermarket Research Group, indicates cashier dishonesty and errors account for 35% of total in-store shrink.

BOB shrink is particularly hard on a store's gross margin since a single BOB item can often run $10 or more - for example, a 12-pack of paper towels, a 26-pack of diapers, or a large box of laundry detergent. Just a single loss per lane per day can drive millions of dollars of annual profit loss for a large grocery chain.

Numerous attempts have been made over the years to combat this problem, from cashier training, lane redesign and mirrors to video and IR sensors. The common problem with these efforts however, is that they can't integrate with the POS. They can't recognize what the BOB item is and link it to the item's UPC. That means they can't ring up items before they're lost, they can't deter collusion, and they can't stop cashiers from ignoring that an item is on the bottom of the cart.

To find out how to get started with LaneHawk, receive a LaneHawk demonstration video or brochure, or make an appointment for an onsite demonstration, please contact us at sales@evoretail.com or (626) 229-3197.