I was in Walgreens tonight and they had the Head & Shoulders shampoo behind the plastic case, you know where you have to get someone to unlock so you can get the item.
OK I may see this but it was the ONLY shampoo behind the case. All other, even more expensive shampoos were freely open and not behind a case.
Any ideas why H&S would be a high theft item.
I mean other than crooks have dandruff problems
Because people are more embarrassed about buying it (it targets people who have dandruff, versus the other shampoos which are general use) and so more likely to steal it. Same deal with “intimate” items like condoms, lubes, and even stool softeners/laxatives.
My first instinct was maybe Head and Shoulders had something in it that lent itself to be used as an impromptu homemade explosives component, but I can’t turn up anything on Google related to that. So no clue.
In my experience, Head and Shoulders is also one of the more expensive shampoos.
Am I the only one who saw the thread title and hoped that someone’s actual head and shoulders had been stolen?
(I dunno, it could have been from mannequins or something…)
It’s part of the conspiracy. The aliens in the movie Evolution were killed by the Selenium in anti-dandruff shampoos. I never saw or heard of Head and Shoulders being locked up before that movie. The aliens have obviously become aware of their vulnerability and are taking steps.
The part that bothers me most is that we’re about to be colonized by aliens who’ve been drunk and bored enough to have watched Evolution.
It’s especially embarrassing when you’re buying all 4 items simultaneously.
[hijack]
I used Head & Shoulders off and on for years. It would give temporary improvement but soon those pesky flakes would be back. And when I stopped using it the dandruff was worse than ever.
I forget where I heard about it, but apparently Milk of Magnesia is supposed to be a better remedy. Eventually I got fed up enough and gave it a try. It was pretty much like dumping mud in my hair. I left it in for a few minutes and then washed it out with regular shampoo.
Two applications and it looks like I’m cured. I might even be able to wear a black sweater again. From which I conclude that H&S is yet another consumer scam, and I’ve foolishly made a yacht payment or two for the dirtbags who manufacture the stuff. Every year my opinion of the pharmaceutical industry slips even lower.
[/hijack]
The pharmacy near here keeps the enemas behind the counter. I can see condoms and lubes. Sure, ok, maybe laxatives. Head and Shoulders? Is the Selsun Blue behind glass as well?
I think they were talking about the ones like Biolage which is like 20 dollars a bottle.
Small items that are easily concealed and have a high price are often moved. By high I mean $5-$10 as opposed to $1-$2. It is not for the embarassment factor. Professional shoplifters look to grab these items because they can sell them to bodegas for $3-$5 at a pop. Enough to get them crack or their drug of choice. Items most often stolen are razors and blades, condoms, pain killers such as Tylenol, and vitamins. These items have the advantage of being relatively expensive for their size and also items that are commonly available in bodegas. I have not heard of dandruff shampoo being a high theft item but it would not surprise me that some enterprising crackhead found it to be profitable in your area and the store started to see a lot of shrinkage.
Someone I know used to buy condoms, lube, duct tape, and a zucchini from Wal Mart (I know of this one veggie… I think he would chose other random objects each time). He got the idea from that webcomic… xcyxadayadayada.com something or other.
And to relate to the OP… I don’t think that there’s anything dangerous that you could turn that into… But I’m no explosives expert.
I think it must be the cost… You realize you need it and there’s no option other than having it (the other option being a walking snow globe).
Showing up in line and purchasing that and maybe almost only that because its the only thing you need in a convenience store would be slightly embarassing.
Reminds me of an old Not the Nine O’Clock News sketch where chubby greasy nerd goes into the pharmacy and says something along the lines of:
Can I have a tube of hemmoroid ointnment?
And some anti dandruff shampoo - for extra greasy hair.
And some halitosis mouthwash - extra strength.
Some deodorant for problem sweat.
And acne cream.
Oh, and a packet of condoms: I’m feeling lucky tonight!!!
We get oddly specific thieves at our store.
We sell 5 or 6 name-brand “male enhancement” supplements, but people only steal the Extenze brand.
They steal the vibrating rings from Trojan and Durex, but they leave alone the Lifestyle vibrating rings, and rarely steal the condoms.
They steal the generic pregnancy tests, and they always open the 3-packs and take one, rather than opening the single packs and taking the single test. Which costs us more in the long run.
We lose 2 or 3 boxes of Prilosec 42 ct. a day, never the smaller boxes. We lose a box or 2 of 30 ct. Zyrtec a day, never the larger boxes.
We don’t even bother stocking the Vicks Vapor Inhalers or Robitussin Cough Gels. At all. We lose 100% of shelf stock of these items to theft. We’re getting ready to pull Delsym, the liquid Robitussins, and the generic Tussins. (Mo’ Tussin!). DXM and Vapor Inhaler abuse is rampant, and the theft level is ridiculous.
In the 15 years I’ve worked there, we’ve never had a theft problem with Preparation H, which has always been touted as the most stolen item in pharmacies.
Most stolen, yet least expensive herpes balm: Herpecin. Least stolen, yet most expensive: Abreva. Not sure if it’s the name, or the impenetrable theft-prevention clamshell Abreva comes in, but it’s pretty bad that we can put hundreds of $20 herpes medicines out without fear of theft, but the $3 product has to be watched.
Rumor has it, Head & Shoulders will take paint off walls. A beautician instructed me to use it for a couple of weeks to help alleviate a hair color disaster. She claimed it would reduce some of the unwanted color rather quickly. This is purely anecdotal, but it did seem to do just that. She explained that she went to a hair styling seminar during which an instructor put some Head & Shoulders on a wall and came back a day later to demonstrate that it had, indeed, stripped paint.
Of course, I have no idea if other shampoos might do exactly the same thing. But maybe interior designers are stealing the stuff to help with remodeling projects?
I LOVE your stories about stolen stuff! Why do I find myself oddly fascinated by this? I guess I never gave much thought to what most commonly disappeared from drugstore shelves.
Hell, I’ve thought about stealing razor blades. Those things are obscenely expensive. I get sticker shock every single time I buy them.
I’ve always thought that the makers of Head & Shoulders shampoo should make an anti-fungal soap called Knees & Toes
Recently they began locking up the infant formula. It is very expensive and to be honest, once you are on that train, it isn’t like you have other options. I guess in my mind, if I knew stuff was going to be stolen, I’d much rather them steal formula.
Excuse me, I think my bleeding-heart liberal is showing.
Oh, that’s an easy one.
You’ll need 5 bottles of H&S, a pressure cooker, and 8-10 of the copper pan scouring pads. Plain, no detergent.
First you [Content removed by DHS]
I recently heard a news item that someone had stolen $210 worth of baby formula from a local store. My first thought was exactly what you said. If I was in charge of security, I’d take these people into the back room and ask them what else they needed.
Dang, I think MY bleeding heart has ruined my shoes.