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With an average loss of 25% ~ 35% due to shrinkage and wastage, combined with one of the greatest exposures to civil liability, it's no surprise that bar owners have a lot to gain by investing into a quality CCTV system. Digital CCTV systems, such as the PC-Witness Pro series, allow bar owners and operators the opportunity to dramatically reclaim lost profits by cutting dead weight, curbing poor work habits, and reducing civil exposure in addition to maintaining a more secure environment.

Bars, taverns, nightclubs... the problems are mainly the same, and typically involve employees who are outright greedy or may simply just have a sense of entitlement. Given such, the greatest source of profit loss is due to employees that intentionally over pour, give free drinks, or free brand upgrades to satisfy friends, generous tippers, or simply someone they wish to barter services with (free drinks = new brake job, repaired PC, sex, etc).

You don't have to be a criminal to be a big problem. Rounding off the next source of substantial profit loss is “wastage.” Typically involving employees that simply do not understand the negative impact of their behavior, wastage typically involves unintentional over pouring due to carelessness. An amazing stat, many surprised bar owners who recently purchased a digital CCTV system reported a discovered lost of 1 in every 5 to 7 kegs of beer due to careless bartenders that allowed themselves to be sidetracked after placing a pitcher under the tap.

In the bar industry, not only can problem employees cost an organization and exorbitant amount of money, but they can create major legal hassles while endangering minors and the general public. Digitally recorded surveillance video is the perfect tool for bar operators to prove to law enforcement that IDs are being checked at the door or helping to prove that an individual was already drunk when entering the establishment.

With a multitude of video surveillance cameras and DVRs on the market, the next question is what works best to address the problems of the bar industry. Here's a run-down:

Windows vs. Non-Window's DVRs:

For family run bars and taverns that do not employ outside the family, a non-windows based stand alone DVR will provide crystal clear video in the event of a robbery. Units such as the 1304-NET cost very little, are operated by a VCR style remote, require no maintenance (records to internal hard drive and auto erases the oldest video and replaces with new video), and may be viewed via the Internet.

Larger bars and nightclubs should always protect themselves with a quality Windows-based DVR featuring strong archiving capabilities. When considering your budget, it's almost always a good idea to sacrifice recording frame rate (if need be) with greater storage capabilities in effort to assist with exposure to law suits. Windows-based DVRs, such as the PC-Witness Pro series, feature rock solid reliability, point and click ease of use to promote everyday use, and extremely advanced functionality. Make sure that your next DVR allows you to view live and recorded video via the Internet, and that you can see multiple business locations via a single screen to assist with current needs or future expansion.

For the ultimate in positively adjusting your pour cost, nothing beats a Windows-based DVR with POS (Point of Sale) integration. With POS integration, you can watch what your bartender pours, and see what he charges on the register. This allows you to easily identify cases of theft and shrinkage.

B&W vs. Color Cameras

Above, we addressed much about internal related problems involving wastage and shrinkage. When selecting cameras, be practical while considering the even more immediately dangerous problems ... robbery, fights, and drugs. Typically, we find that bars and taverns have enough ambient light to allow quality low light cameras such as the KG-230EX to provide a superb picture. At the very least, you want to have a color camera on each entrance to capture a full and accurate clothing description of everyone entering. Provided that color cameras are placed at all entrances, either color or B&W cameras should be placed in common areas (pool tables, seating areas, etc) as well at each pour station to monitor employees.

Considering the combination of exceptionally dim lighting, black lighting, multi-colored lighting, and strobe lighting of nightclubs, greater care is required in selecting the proper camera for these venues. High-quality is the absolute key. Again, color cameras on all entrances is of paramount importance. For high-energy dance floors with lighting effects, you may intentionally wish to use B&W as the lack of color may be less distracting to the eye. As coolness is key in popular nightclubs, we recommend a low-profile box style camera such as the KG-830EX which is not only extremely low light capable, but blends well into the décor.

You may already know our take on IR emitting cameras. If not, please see our article on why IR emitting is most likely not a good choice. This is especially so for nightclubs, as high-energy light displays can reek havoc on IR emitting cameras by tricking the camera's photo electric cell to rapidly turning on and off the IR emitters.

My overall suggestion: A video surveillance system is worthless if not used, or not capable of recording quality video for the environment in which it was purchased for. Invest in a good system, and it will quickly repay you in kind. Great features is good... but having great features and being easy to use is much better! Don't use it just in the event of an emergency... help it reduce your pour cost and raise your bottom line. Let it help you correct unwanted behavior, and always... always, archive important video that may be used to prove your case in a wrongful termination, workman's comp, or injury suit. Above all... make sure that your next CCTV vendor has qualified in house personal to help you with any questions you may have about your system. Vendors claims of free tech support mean absolutely nothing if they do not employ quality technicians who can help you when you need it.

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