I have gone to a local electronics store, Best Buy, several times in the last few years because I wanted something immediately only to be stopped at the last moment by a locked shelf and no one around to unlock it. What the fuck are you even supposed to do there? Scream and shout until someone arrives? Quietly stalk an employee until you find your moment to strike? I just fucking leave, I’ll wait for shipping.
I honestly wonder, is it illegal to simply unlock those things, if you have no intention of actually stealing from them? It’s not like they use particularly high security locks. You can probably buy some simple lock raking or cylinder lock tools.
Is it actually violating a law to unlock one of those cases if you don’t have any intention of actually stealing something?
Took me 25 minutes to buy a $4 brake light bulb at wal mart one night. After tracking down an employee to track down another employee to meet me by the glass door. I’ll never buy car bulbs there again. That portion of store is dead to me.
I went to a Walgreens to buy nail clippers since I was nearby and had a bad hangnail.
Had to push a red button to wait for an employee to unlock the cabinet. After 10 minutes, I ran to find a random employee who was stocking and they got me what I needed.
That was the first and last time I ever went to Walgreens.
Yeah, I end up still using their pharmacy because the pharmacist is just a great guy and he takes care of people. But the rest of the store can fuck right off.
It was never about “theft.” That hyped “theft” up as a cover to hide their own inept management.
Last time I went to cvs (competitor to Walgreens), 3 different things I wanted were locked up. It took me too long to get someone 3 fucking different times to unlock it. On the last one I told the employee next time I’m just going to order online and might not be from cvs. Treat me like a kid or a criminal and I’ll take my business elsewhere
article is paywalled. I found a similar article with no paywall: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/walgreens-shoplifting-retailer-james-kehoe/
Reminder, using the reader function in Firefox skips almost all pay walls.
More and more sites are only partially loading the reader function info so that it cuts out at the same place as the preview part.
Used to be very helpful though!
I’ve noticed some will truncate if you scroll before entering reader mode, can you provide an example that didn’t work?
The store in my neighborhood thought it wise to lock up the fancy Italian coffee beans. I’m absolutely sure it will not stem theft and will absolutely decrease sales. The bags are big - these are the 1kg bags - so I’m fairly sure most of the theft that is happening is internal anyway.
Yup. My local Safeway has 2 security guards on duty at all times and one by one the aisles are starting to get locked up.
We started shopping elsewhere.
It’s not just a convenience thing. Although it’s really shitty to wait for a person to unlock it and then feel pressured while they stand there as I’m reading the labels and comparing items. It also just feels icky. Like I’m being punished for something. Probably for not being rich.
What do you suggest the stores do to curb theft? I’m being serious too? Just ignore it?
You’re gonna roll eyes on the answer or already know what needs to be done. We need to change the system so people are less inclined to shoplift.
Okay, change it how? Give people homes? Give them more money? Better education? Hold their hands and guide them in life? How exactly do you think we should change everything so that it benefits criminals?
hey the definition of criminal is set by fallible people so don’t pretend it’s the be all end all!
“criminal” is such an encompassing term that seems to put murderers, rapists, drug peddlers who sell to children vs. some weed smokers, falsely accused people, white collar criminals, petty criminals including shoplifters, jaywalkers, etc.
You can’t seriously think someone who steals an apple from a shop needs the same treatment as a violent unrepentant murderer?
I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that this “soft on crime” and “it’s not their fault” victim mentality isn’t working… I’ve seen retail workers CRY because people are constantly stealing and berating them if they try and get involved… it’s a very frustrating issue.
Now do one about the overworked pharmacists
I wish the pharmacy was still owned by the pharmacist
I wish doctors’ practices were still owned by doctors.
Exactly - you see the little lock thing on the display and you’re like, aww shit I have to go find an employee, nevermind.
edit: Urban Anarchy idea - get some of those locks and randomly stick them on display cases!
My Walmart has a little button to summon an employee. The last time (as in, both the most recent time and the final time) I went there at night to try getting diaper rash cream for my baby I pressed the button, and waited.
And waited.
Pressed the button again.
And waited.
Sunk cost fallacy. I’ve already waited so long, what if as soon as I walk away to find an employee somebody shows up?
After 10 minutes I went to find an employee stocking the shelves and told them what I needed. Their answer was “yeah, we saw you buzzed but we don’t know who has the key. If we find out we’ll have them open it for you.”
So I left .
I hate Walmart so much.
How much of this shit is managers embezzling goods from their own stores and labelling it stolen or being barcodejacked at the self checkout? They also didn’t note the cabinets successfully reduced thefts
Despite all the effort spent prosecuting it, there’s virtually no concrete evidence that retail theft — organized or otherwise — is on the rise. Data on retail theft provided to law enforcement and lawmakers comes exclusively from corporate retailers, or organizations funded by them, and is not independently vetted. Last year, the National Retail Federation was forced to retract its claim that organized retail theft cost its members “nearly half” of the $94.5 billion in lost inventory in 2021. One researcher put the actual figure closer to 5%.
No shit. There was briefly an electronics store in the 90s where literally everything was priced low, but it was allllll locked up, either behind glass or held to the countertop with a security wire. I can’t even remember the name of it. It was like grand opening, grand closing.
The wiz?
Man this might have been it. It fits with the time, and I remember the place having a red trade dress. I looked at some pictures of The Wiz but it didn’t strike me as I remember this place, with like everything being under lock and key. Google searches didn’t help.
Didn’t we finally realize that the whole “shoplifting epidemic” was all bullshit to cover up inept corprate management?
Yes. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/briefing/shoplifting-data.html
I have the same reaction whenever i find what i need… Locked away…
I leave
Has absolutely nothing to do with prices being too high
There’s a retail strategy of putting products at your fingertips in the checkout aisle in order to entice you to buy it. Candy right next to you, so you’re munching on it when you leave the store. You feel good, they get money, no additional load on the staff.
This is, effectively, the opposite strategy. Make getting your hands on anything annoying and difficult, increase the number of floor clerks you need to constantly unlock the shelf, and generally make the retail experience slower and more unpleasant.
Both are correct. It’s too expensive AND it doesn’t help sales. There are no reps around to unlock the doors, why would you wait to buy?
I wonder if anyone considered installing a camera and a remote-triggered lock so a cashier, manager, or security person could just buzz someone in. All that crap is SUPER cheap now.
I’ve seen convenience stores that have a buzzer that turns on (very, VERY annoying buzzer) whenever someone opens up the liquor fridge in their store. This signals that someone is picking up some beer. It cannot be avoided. You want to be quick to get what you want and not have your ears buzzed off, but shoplifting alcohol is really hard that way. You can get it quick anyway.
e a buzzer that turns on
I’ve seen that before, but it was a LONG time ago. Very effective for small stores.
I only know one guy who does it. The selection is weak so I don’t go there much.
