Industry Vertical
Raising the Bar
Security equipment helps limited staff keep watch over entrances, parking and more
- By Larry Chay
- Jun 01, 2017
The Beer Cellar, located in Glen Ellyn Park, Ill.,
recently transitioned to a new storefront that not
only provided expanded business opportunity but
also required added safety and security measures
in a busy and highly functional space. A retail beer
store and added taproom, The Beer Cellar has a small staff in
charge of watching over entrances, cash registers and parking
lots, all while maintaining a smooth operation.
Covering the Bar
Axis Companion Specialist ATD deployed a selection of Axis
Companion cameras both inside and outside of the shop in order
to cover heavy traffic areas and where money and products may
be exchanging hands. Covering the bar, general storefront, delivery
door and parking lot, owner David Hawley keeps his business
in check by using the mobile application while he is away from
the facility.
If crowds pick up on a busy night, Hawley is a click away
from seeing that help may be needed and he can run down to the
store and assist his staff. The cameras are a general deterrence for
shoplifters and help employees keep peace of mind knowing that
they can focus on their tasks at hand while the cameras will back
them up should an incident occur. In one case of a stolen piece
of apparel, cameras easily caught the individual in the act and
helped Hawley understand the situation with ease.
Thirsty for Security
Following a recent move to a larger retail storefront and taproom,
The Beer Cellar realized a need for a stronger video security
system compared to the previous analog solution in place at
its initial location. Spanning about 1,200 square feet and varying
crowd sizes, the shop contains a small staff and needed a solution
that was easy to use and gave a clear-cut image of key chokepoints
in and around the store.
The majority of The Beer Cellar’s business is bottles and cans
bought to take home, though the facility maintains eight taps in
house to allow customers to get a drink or two before departing
with their purchases. A space that can hold 40 to 50 people on
a busy weekend evening requires added attention to many areas
while staff are required to stay focused on providing a positive
customer experience.
Total Solution for Small Business
The Beer Cellar uses the full spectrum of Axis Companion camera offerings paired with the proper software,
giving it a total end-to-end solution
with tight integration.
To monitor the on-site bar and coolers,
the Dome V is deployed to handle
complex light conditions and keep an eye
on cash flow behind the counter. An Axis
Companion Eye L is used as an overview
camera in the middle of the retail floor
while the Cube L monitors the back door
to spot deliveries and record audio of
those transactions while keeping an eye on
that entryway. An Axis Companion Bullet
LE rounds out the system with a steady
image outdoors of the parking lot.
ATD took the lead on specifying the
system for The Beer Cellar with a focus
of covering target areas such as the cash
register, bar area and parking lot. Employees
can look at the cameras on a computer
in the store while the owner, David Hawley,
also views footage and live feeds from
home on the mobile client.
“They are just as easy to use remotely,”
Hawley said. “I may be back home with
my family and can check in and look back
at recordings from my couch. From an operational
standpoint, that means if I see a
busy crowd picking up, I can jump in my
car and come assist my staff. The app is
easy to use, especially compared to our
previous software which was cumbersome
and not intuitive. You click a button and
you’re there.”
With heavier crowds at peak hours,
staff can only do so much to keep alert and
watch out for mischievous activity. From a
liability and safety perspective, the cameras
provide Hawley peace of mind should
footage be needed in a reactive manner.
The outdoor camera, for instance, confirms
if people mislead employees about
driving under the influence and can help
Hawley and his team, make decisions accordingly
on who to serve.
In an instance where a frequent customer
stole a piece of apparel from the store,
Hawley was able to check by the video for
confirmation of a suspect. When that same
individual came back in a week later requesting
a return of the item at large, Hawley
put the pieces together to discover that
this was actually the original thief.
Steady Tools to Keep
Business Flowing
Operating a small business comes with
countless concerns and priority items. Security
and safety are backed up by the companion
solution and allow Hawley and his
staff to stay engaged with their customers
and keep focus on running the business.
“The cameras are so intuitive; they just
work,” said Philip Rode, operations manager
for ATD. “I couldn’t understand why
at first. Why were they working so well
without any major setup efforts? We expected
a lengthier installation but the applications,
speediness and ease of installation
blew us away. You plug this thing in,
add the cameras to the recorder and you’re
done. I could not believe how easy it was
made to deploy.”
This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of Security Today.