# What is the point of keeping products in hard-to-reach cabinets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593 "2025-07-07T15:11:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/1 "2025-07-07T15:11:37Z")
In my drug store and grocery store some products (batteries, razor blades) are kept in these plastic boxes. But they’re not locked–you don’t need to summon a store employee to open it. But you can’t just take it off the shelf. You have to slide this over or open that door or whatever. I assume the point is to deter shoplifting, but I can’t figure out how it would do that. The only thing I can imagine is that it slows you down so they get a really good picture on the security camera. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/2 "2025-07-07T15:21:24Z")
My guess - and very much a guess at that - all of the stores in those particular chains merchandise that product in those cabinets, and in many areas, they leave them locked. In your area, they don’t perceive the level of theft to be worth the hassle so they don’t lock them. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/3 "2025-07-07T15:27:58Z")
Does the way they are stored prevent you from, say, easily swiping an armful all at once into your jacket, backpack, or (if so-inclined) purse? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/4 "2025-07-07T15:42:31Z")
^This. Those kinds of shelves largely prevent shoveling 25 items into a large bag then hightailing it out of the store. With the advent of many people making a business of shoplifting goods to resell on e.g. eBay, their economic model depends on being able to steal a lot of them per visit to the store. Not just one or two for personal use. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/5 "2025-07-07T17:40:45Z")
With shoplifting being such a problem on both sides of The Pond, I wonder if some places will revert to the old system of having most of the goods behind a counter. There is a store in the UK called Argus, which evolved from Green Shield Stamps. While they do have some items on display, the majority of the stock is kept in a warehouse behind the counter. Customers can check the stock number using a computer, either in the store or from a different location, and then submit an order to the clerk. After a brief wait, the customer is called to collect their item. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/6 "2025-07-07T17:43:32Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > In your area, they don’t perceive the level of theft to be worth the hassle so they don’t lock them. Agree. Those set-ups in my area are almost always locked. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/7 "2025-07-07T17:45:46Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Does the way they are stored prevent you from, say, easily swiping an armful all at once into your jacket, backpack, or (if so-inclined) purse? I’ve seen units like this that make a noise when you open them. I assume it’s so the staff can hear that someone has picked up an expensive item, so they can eyeball them and see if they’re paying for it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/8 "2025-07-07T19:06:18Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Does the way they are stored prevent you from, say, easily swiping an armful all at once into your jacket, backpack, or (if so-inclined) purse? Yes indeed. Hard to do anything except one at a time. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/9 "2025-07-07T22:15:21Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I wonder if some places will revert to the old system of having most of the goods behind a counter You certainly see that in scruffy high crime areas, but more in the context of kiosks or convenience markets attached to gasoline / petrol stations. General merchandise stores as you describe used to be niche methods in the US and may return. A interesting thought I just had is that e.g. Amazon warehouses probably suffer little shrinkage. Suggesting their absence of shrinkage is a competitive advantage that offsets the extra cost of individual item shipping. The net result of shipping and shrinking costs could go either way. But they definitely work in opposite directions. ---
**Author:** ![TheBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@TheBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBryan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/10 "2025-07-08T02:20:10Z")
Keep in mind that it’s a lot cheaper to build a single warehouse on the outskirts of town than it is to build several brick and mortar stores while making them attractive for consumers to visit. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/11 "2025-07-08T11:33:15Z")
Granted. There is a lot more to the total cost differential between an e-commerce model and a B&M commerce model than just shipping costs and shrinkage. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/12 "2025-07-08T11:42:27Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a store in the UK called Argus, which evolved from Green Shield Stamps. While they do have some items on display, the majority of the stock is kept in a warehouse behind the counter. Customers can check the stock number using a computer, either in the store or from a different location, and then submit an order to the clerk. I always assumed - but I don’t know for sure - that Argos evolved historically as a mail-order business with pickup locations: You’d order the product from a catalogue, but it would be shipped to a physical store for collection rather than to your home address. Then, later on, they started to store a stack of frequently bought products in some stores so you could get them straightaway instead of having to wait a day or two; but they retained the order-first-then-collect model. In other words, the purchase process is not an instrument to deter shoplifting but rather a holdover from how the business operated initially. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/13 "2025-07-08T14:11:40Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Argus That sounds a little like the defunct Best Products in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/14 "2025-07-08T14:24:06Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > That sounds a little like the defunct Best Products in the U.S And the old “[Consumers Distributing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumers_Distributing)” here in Canada. The current Lee Valley Tools use this method for most of their products. Some things like books they have on shelves out on the floor, but most of the tools and hardware are listed in the catalog, and you bring your order to the counter to have it filled. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/15 "2025-07-08T14:24:18Z")
Service Merchandise was another US 1960s -1980s incarnation of the Argus idea. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/16 "2025-07-08T17:38:01Z")
Lechmere’s in the Boston area also had a similar centralized pickup point model. The B&H Photo store in Manhattan has what seems to be their entire catalog on the sales floor, but if you want to buy any but the least expensive items you would need to get as associate to enter the order into their system and pick it up at the checkout area near the exit. Or they could add it to your account so you could complete the order when you got home and have it shipped. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/17 "2025-07-08T18:54:37Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > While they do have some items on display, the majority of the stock is kept in a warehouse behind the counter. Customers can check the stock number using a computer, either in the store or from a different location, and then submit an order to the clerk. So I could ask the shopkeeper for four candles, for example? Auto parts stores still follow this model, somewhat. Wiper blades and antifreeze are put on the floor, but you ask the clerk for anything like a starter motor or brake pads, and they go back in the shelves to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/18 "2025-07-08T20:52:08Z")
Stores like that used that business model because it allowed them to sell below the manufacturer’s suggested price, which normally wasn’t allowed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-keeping-products-in-hard-to-reach-cabinets/1020593/19 "2025-07-08T21:01:04Z")
Yes. But if commercial shoplifting continues to grow it might be re-adopted as a loss control measure.