Went to get toothpaste yesterday. It was locked behind plexiglass. Had to find an employee to unlock it. Waited 10 minutes. For toothpaste.
Deodorant: locked. Razors: locked. Laundry detergent at some stores: locked. I've even seen SOCKS locked up.
I get why stores do it. But the shopping experience is miserable now. And the prices haven't gone down despite all the "loss prevention" measures. So who's actually benefiting here?
I just order online now. If I need an employee to unlock 4 different items during a 15 minute shopping trip, I'd rather pay for shipping and skip the hassle.
Nobody benefits. Shoplifting goes up, stores lock everything, customers leave, stores close, and the neighborhood loses access to basic retail. It's a death spiral.
Stores in wealthier areas don't lock stuff up even though they get shoplifted too. It's a customer experience decision, not purely a theft rate one. Think about what that says.
I watched someone walk out of a store with a full cart last week. Employees didn't even react. They're told not to intervene. I don't blame them — not worth getting hurt over merchandise.
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The real issue is that organized retail theft rings are running operations, not random people stealing food. They resell on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. It's a business.