There’s several threads about shoplifting and how bad things are or aren’t getting in San Francisco / the west coast. I thought it would be interesting to have a thread about what kind of items the stores where you live tend to keep locked up.
I’m from Corpus Christi. The drug stores have the cartridge refills for razors locked up, and of course the drugs are behind the counter. Everything else is on the shelves without any kind of lock. The big box stores keep small high dollar electronics (video game consoles, laptop computers, cameras, headphones, that sort of thing) locked away, as well as the already mentioned razor refills. What I haven’t seen are stores like some of those linked to in those other threads, where things like food, laundry detergent, and other everyday type items are locked up. Are those stores rarities which are getting blown out of proportion by the media, or have you seen those in person? Maybe something in between, where medium dollar stuff is locked away with the high end merchandise, but everyday stuff isn’t? Please share what you all see where you live.
ETA. And please mention if there’s any stores building spiked walls and such around them. I’ve never seen that either, and I suspect it’s a one of that the media is blowing out of proportion.
What I usually see locked up in drug stores are the expensive, relatively small items so I haven’t seen the laundry detergent locked up. Cosmetics, OTC medicines, razor blades , certain types of baby formula etc. are locked up. But many more items are behind plastic doors - customers can lift up the doors and get the product, but lifting the door makes a sound.
Copper wire in any size package smaller than a huge 500ft. spool is locked up at the Lowes. Nothing at my local pharmacy except the drugs. I would assume the CVS has moved more stuff behind the counters than before but I avoid the place. Shoplifting is not a major concern here in the hoity-toity exurbs of Providence.
only the drug stores around here seem to be locking stuff up. Things like laundry soap (the pods); batteries; razors and blades, OTC meds like Zyrtec; Body wash (such as Axe), etc. If you want to get those things you need to get an employee to unlock them and give them to you and walk with you to the checkout.
First time I noticed products being locked up was the local art supply store had the spray paint in a wire mesh cage with a big padlock. Graffiti guys, I assume.
I’m intruiged by the stores that have products locked up that you’d never expect. Can’t think of one right now, anyone else have examples?
They keep small valuable items locked up at the Harbor Freight, sometimes. They may be reacting to what ever item was last noticed going missing but their cheap non-contact voltage testers were once locked up behind a cage along with some other small but slightly more valuable than their usual junk. I haven’t seen all that much locked up around here even in Providence. I think the potential shoplifters are too busy leaving free electric scooters and bikes all over the sidewalks.
I forgot about spray paint. Yes, that’s locked up, but that’s due to drug abusers huffing spray paint. The regular paint is also locked away, but I think that’s because they don’t want the general public trying to mix their own colors or opening up the cans and making a mess if the paint should spill.
Finger Lakes New York. All I usually see locked up is small expensive electronics. Groceries etc. that are still selling cigarettes have had them behind the counter for years; I don’t know what specialty smoke shops do as I haven’t been in any. Prescription drugs of course are behind the pharmacy counter. I haven’t been looking for razor blades, but I don’t think they’re locked up; if I think of it I’ll look next time I’m in an applicable store.
I don’t know about the bigger cities, I don’t usually shop there. It might vary by neighborhood.
Baby formula?! What on earth is going on with baby formula? Is it being locked up due to shortages?
Baby formula has been locked up since at least the 90s. Drug dealers commonly use it as a cutting agent. Addicts steal it to sell it. And to a lesser extent it prevents tampering. The shortages are a fairly recent thing.
At some point you have to wonder when it will become easier to just go back to the old general store model, where you gave the employee a list of what you need, and they go get it all for you from the stock room. I can’t imagine this “walk everyone to the checkout” model being sustainable if they keep adding more things to the list of “Stuff locked up”. What happens when someone wants an Xbox, razor blades, baby formula and spray paint all at once?
Toys R Us used to have a wall of video games and electronics with just the boxes set out. To buy one you took a ticket for the item and you brought it to the register. You paid for it then picked it up at the service window on your way out. Seemed to work fine for them.
Cold medicine like Sudafed used to be locked up - it was a precursor to some homemade recreational drugs. I haven’t seen that in 20 years or so; I assume they stopped using the desired ingredients. Model glue also used to be kept behind the counter.
My first year in the town where I live, I was surprised to see that supermarkets had attached antitheft devices to boxes of 24 chicken bouillon cubes. I haven’t seen it since then, so I think it must have been an improvised solution to deal with shoplifting.
That’s the Sudafed with pseudoephedrine. They locked it up, and came out with ‘Sudafed PE’, a crappy pseudoephedrine-free version that didn’t seem to help with decongestion at all. You could still get the high-octane version, you’d just have to ask for it at the counter, could only get a limited quantity, and had to sign your info into a book. As far as I know they still offer ‘the good stuff’ behind the counter, at least as of a year or so ago, which is the last time I bought some.
One odd thing I saw locked up at Home Depot was electric mowers. You know, very large boxes that weigh quite a bit are locked up. Are they worried someone is going to stuff one into their pocket and sneak out? I don’t get that one.