A to Z Pets, a family owned pet store in Portland, Oregon, is just such a store. A father and his two sons run the store, and they’ve been noticing that for some reason, they’ve been coming up short when doing inventory. As much as a thousand dollars a month sometimes. That’s a lot of money by any standards. The only logical explanation was that somebody was stealing from them. "In one case, somebody stole a $500 Terrier," their friend Rian said.

Rian, who also helps them out whenever he can, tried to help them find a solution. He checked into several surveillance possibilities, "but they were all so expensive," he iterated. Then he learned about X10’s inexpensive solution through a banner ad while he was clicking through sites on the Internet. Quick as a bunny, they hooked up 6 Anacondas throughout the store to keep an eye on things. What they found was amazing.

According to Rian, they found that people were taking the craziest things. People were not only stealing toys for cats and dogs, but in some cases the cats and dogs themselves. They stole fish tank accessories, and pet accessories and food. Collars, and anything else they could get their hands on. Now most of these are small things (except maybe the dog), but they add up quickly. Very quickly. And it was becoming costly.

But now that customers know that they are being watched, things have changed radically. The store is no longer losing a thousand dollars a month. That number is actually way down, to almost nothing. And if there is a problem, all they have to do is play back the tape, and they have proof should they need to bring in outside intervention.