In the anti-theft pharmacy
Where I live, I sometimes see certain products under lock and key in pharmacies and supermarkets. But it’s not too many things, and it hasn’t really impacted my shopping much.
But visiting relatives recently in certain cities where the practice is widespread was a sobering experience. It seems to have gotten worse in recent years, to the point where at least half the products in a drugstore are displayed locked behind hard see-through plastic, with little buzzers here and there for calling the attendant to open the magic doors.
It’s a depressing environment that changes the entire shopping experience and made me think twice and three times about whether I wanted to buy anything, or just order it online. Talk about low-trust societies! And it does no good to go to another store; they’re all like that in these municipalities.
It’s also strangely random in terms of what products are chosen for this treatment. For example, in one store the vitamins and supplements and hair ornaments were mostly out in the open, despite being relatively expensive. Only one brand of vitamin was locked up, and it didn’t cost more than the others. At the same time, many low-cost items like my toothpaste (about two dollars per large tube) and those little cotton pads for removing makeup (two dollars for a package of eighty) required the attendant to be summoned to unlock the case and get out the precious commodity.
Go figure.
I think we’re morphing into a society in which brick and mortar store shopping is a thing of the past.
I count myself fortunate that I live in an area where the only item routinely locked up in the stores which I patronize is spray paint – Hobby Lobby and Lowe’s have them behind locked plexiglass panels, and Home Depot does an ID scrutiny when you take them to the cash desk.
I’ve been told that the choice of items being locked up depends very much on what specific items are being shoplifted in huge quantities.
At our new location in small-town western NC, the local Ace Hardware has locks on all sorts of things, like paint brushes. Really?? Do people steal paint brushes? The helpful hardware man said, yes, they do.
How unanticipated, that when politicians decide that theft below some arbitrary amount isn’t crime you get more theft.
Street level reparations?
The Internet of stolen things.
Hobbes, once called ‘the state of nature, where life is nasty brutish and short,’
to ward off this state, was why Government was devised, or so we were told,
Here in lovely western WA some stores lock up all kinds of things. A Fred Meyer (a Kroger store) not far from me closed up a couple of months back and they cited increased security costs as a big reason.
I used to go to that store somewhat regularly and first they added security guards at each entrance then they installed mobile security camera towers in the parking lot and then they started locking stuff up like Nyquil then that led to other things like Advil and the like then came laundry detergent and then eventually socks and underwear.
So what group might steal these items? The homeless obviously but all these counter measures deter law abiding people from going there. I mean who wants to call someone over while they shop for underwear?
And in this particular store this has all happened since 2020.
It’s easy for politicians to claim that “crime is down” after they pass laws de-criminalizing theft below a certain dollar amount.
The products that are locked up are likely those that are stolen most.
Brick and mortar shops are a thing of the past, they just haven’t yet realized it. Other than groceries there are very few things I need or want that cause me to visit a retail store.
Portland Maine has a surplus of empty retail shops along what once was its main retail thoroughfare. One of the biggest and most popular, Renys, just closed their downtown store. Lack of foot traffic made it impossible for them to remain open.
The drug store that we patronize only locks up Sudafed-type products, and that only because it is required by law. They have one self-check register, about 10 feet from the door, and it is not monitored by the staff. There are advantages to living in a small-to-medium size city, in flyover country.
During Covid I noticed one of the first items to put behind plastic in my local Walgreen’s was the more expensive beef jerky.
I have a friend who has a hobby of those little slot cars. At Hobby Lobby they cost like $20 or so and I’ve gone with him looking for them there and one time we went all of a sudden there was a sign on the shelf to ask a clerk to see the slot cars. So we asked a clerk and they rolled a rack out from the back with slot cars and we asked the clerk why this was being done and he said they would have homeless people come in and scoop up all the slot cars on the shelf and just walk out the door and since Hobby Lobby tells employees not to confront shoplifters and has pretty much no security presence that I have ever seen it’s an easy mark so now customers have to ask to see them. Then of course they don’t sell as many because not everybody is going to go the extra step of asking a clerk so now apparently they aren’t carrying as many of this product as they once were.
Could probably cite dozens of other examples of this type of thing with many products.
It would be interesting to compare the cities where this is common with the political party distribution and what percentage of the people regularly attend churches or synagogues.
I live in the Texas Congressional District that previously produced Congressman Louie Ghomert. I see very little locked up, although admittedly there are parts of town that I do not shop in.
Well, the guns for sale at stores are locked up.
And of course there are some over the counter drugs available only after you sign for them .
And of course cigarettes and chewing tobacco are behind the sales counter so people have to ask for them.
Some ammo is behind the counter, but not all of it.
The problem is that, in big cities ate least, there’s not much the stores can do even if they catch someone in the act. I was in a somewhat high-end local store that sells ceramics, glassware, and similar such items. The proprietor keeps the door locked to limit the number of people who can be in the store at once. Suddenly someone in the store yells to the owner, “Hey, that lady just stole some coasters! She put them in her pocket and walked out.” The owner just shrugged her shoulders and said “There’s nothing I can do. If I was able to stop her, I’d have to wait 20 minutes for the police to come, and they might just let her go. Even if I caught the whole thing on video it wouldn’t make a difference.”
It’s tough because it’s a one-person operation, and she’s often helping customers and can’t mind the entrance. I presume it’s illegal to keep the door locked from the insider. My wife is friendly with the owner, and apparently she’s said that she’s started selling online and might end up closing the store. Too bad, because it’s a popular local shop, and not just for shoplifters.
Welcome to California!
Walmart began locking up AA hair products. “That’s racist”, so they locked up all hair products.
Next, baby formula, supposedly used to cut heroin? , or, likely because it’s expensive.
Next, hit and run theft with no prosecution, locked up easily re-sellable stuff.
Home D, lock up power tools, copper pipe fittings , and other stuff.
Drug stores, cosmetics, otc meds.
Lack of prosecution and denial of security intervention contributes.
“I think we’re morphing into a society in which TRUST is a thing of the past.” FIFY.
When political leadership is CLEARLY criminal, what other outcome is possible?
The local drugstore chain I used to shop in all the time went out of business last year. When it did, I realized I hadn’t been in one for months. Even though they had comparatively good sale prices, they had cut back on staff, so lines were long and it was nearly impossible to get assistance when you needed it. Over time, I found that buying the same items online was more convenient. I doubt I’m the only one — and if you combine decreased consumer interest with increased problems like shoplifting, I think more of these “brick and mortar” stores will cease to exist. We’ll still want to shop in-person for things like fresh food, clothes (so you can try them on) and items you might need right away. But people will find that a tube of toothpaste or bottle of shampoo isn’t worth the trip.
And in many places, even if you order online, your goods are safer if you have them delivered to a nearby locker.
Our grocery stores don’t have anything locked up, but Home Depot, Lowes, and hardware stores do.
Where I live the Lowes and the Home Depots have rolled out locking cabinets in the last couple of years. We’re over 100 miles from a huge Texas city, and that’s the reason why: Long distance shoplifting, they drive up to soft targets and can be back home within a couple of hours. Because we let them, that’s why.
I can see a future where they don’t let you in, until they know who you are. Costco already does it.
Don’t be where “they” are.
I live a little bit north of Portland ME and still do all of my shopping in local brick & mortar stores. We have nothing locked up, but visiting my daughter near NYC recently I had to call over an associate in Target to unlock the laundry detergent. I wanted to compare prices and take some time deciding what to get, but having someone standing at my elbow was pressuring and I ended up grabbing a bottle of Zazzo!! Not what I wanted at all
I live a little bit north of Portland ME and still do all of my shopping in local brick & mortar stores. We have nothing locked up, but visiting my daughter near NYC recently I had to call over an associate in Target to unlock the laundry detergent. I wanted to compare prices and take some time deciding what to get, but having someone standing at my elbow was pressuring and I ended up grabbing a bottle of Zazzo!! Not what I wanted at all
We do not have to live this way. THEY insist we live this way.
Where I live, none of the stores lock up their merchandise behind plexiglas. Where I live, people are cordial and polite to each other, friendly even. Where I live mailboxes are located alongside the road and, with the occasional (but very rare) hallowe’en prank involving firecrackers aside, are left unmolested with mail inside. Where I live, the bank branches don’t have security guards. Where I live, you can put your wallet down on the counter while helping the clerk bag your groceries, and nobody will even think about trying to steal it. Where I live, people leave their homes unlocked, whether they are home or away and leave their keys in the cars they park in their driveway. Where I live, we mostly look alike, talk alike and think alike, and if you think that’s a bad thing, you know nothing about what it’s like to live around good and decent people. And I’m never gonna reveal the whereabouts of the place where I live because I and the people who live where I live like things just the way they are.
The law abiding must pay a price for those among us who were encouraged to take what they need to feed themselves by politicians without a moral compass.
Very interesting to compare the different mentalities:
1. In Israel soldiers and civilians regularly walk around with pistols and shotguns – but the idea of walking into a hardware store and buying ammo off the shelf, or buying a gun without a license…. nope.
2. In Israel shoppers are inured to bag and parcel checks on the way into a mall, train station, or other public area – much more than in the States.
3. All the larger supermarkets have self-checkout lines – but shoplifting of the kind I have seen in various “progressive shopping experience” clips would simply not be tolerated… passers-by and fellow shoppers would quickly, firmly put an end to it.
4. Only a handful of items are locked up in most mega-stores – mostly electronics. The clothing has the shoplifting beeper tags.
My wife and I had a great trip to Las Vegas last year. We had to stop at Walmart and Walgreens and almost every item that was small enough to be pocketed was locked up. At Walmart needed some Icy Hot and had to ask someone for help.
Here in Baton Rouge I see plexiglas in just a few sections in the Personal Care and Pharmacy area.
We’ve moved from a high trust society to a low trust society thanks to the Dems.
We’d have more trust if shoplifting meant you’re collared by a store dick and held until the police get there and they take you and deposit you in the county jail. You might be granted bond or bail, if you’re not an illegal alien. (If you’re discovered to be, you’re left there). You’re assigned a public defender, who may negotiate a plea for you which is ratified within 75 days. You always receive a jail sentence or corporal punishment, its just a question of how long or how much and that will be determined by formulae. If your sentence is short, you receive a supplementary fine which will at this time not exceed $200 and is formulaic. If your time in detention exceeds your sentence, you receive an indemnity calculated according to a standard rate. You also make restitution to the merchant for whatever you stole or destroyed. If you welsh on your restitution or your fine, you are collared for labor services and given unpleasant outdoor work of sufficient hours to work off the balance due. If you receive corporal punishment, you’re beaten with a rattan cane or put in the pillory for a specified time. If you’ve had priors, you get a longer sentence. If you’re under 25 at the time of the offense, you get units off in inverse proportion to your age. If you’re an illegal alien, you’re not allowed at liberty but receive a supplementary period in federal detention to punish you for being in the country illegally, then taken to a transportation hub, deported, and debarred from re-entry for a term of years. If you’re a legal alien, you’re also not allowed at liberty at any point. You’re indemnified for any excess time in preventive detention and when you’ve served your term, you are taken to a transportation hub, deported, and debarred from re-entry for a term of years. When the term is over, you can apply for your right of domicile to be restored. For a submisdemeanor violation, that might be four months. For a low grade misdemeanor, that might be two years. For a high misdemeanor, five years.
I like the way Art Deco thinks!
And so we return to the general store of the late 19th early 20th century where you go to the store and ask the clerk for various items and if the clerk thinks you can afford them you will be shown them under supervision. The first stores with merchandise displayed openly were an absolute fascination when they appeared. That depends on a high trust society. Through a lack of training of many of our own people and importation of large bodies of folks from low trust societies we are returning to the older tradition. Except the Middle and upper class see little of that as much of their commerce is done online and all they have to do is deal with porch thieves.
This observation is from downtown Chicago where I work.
Once “migrants” started being shipped to sanctuary cities, I had noticed they were on just about every corner with assortments of candy and chocolates for sale you would find in the checkout lane of most grocery stores. Being an economist, I was curious how the candy was making it into their posession. I’m sure there are some local charities and other support groups helping. At some point I walked in to a Walgreens and saw a couple of guys with garbage bags just clearing off the shelves in the candy aisle as employees looked on – what could they do? The guys walked out, with full bags and not a care in the world. So, that answers that question.
I came in to buy something pretty small, maybe hand sanitizer to keep at my desk and it was locked up. Took a while to find someone with a key, so a real PITA for something so trivial. Guessing this was about 2 years ago.
Prior to 2020 and for as long as I can remember, there were Walgreens almost every 2 blocks in the Loop/business district often with a line even with 8 registers going. Looks like there are now around 6 left.
Tregonsee314: And so we return to the general store …
That’s a lovely image. Thank you very much.
Steve (retired/recovering lawyer): You might be a neighbor. Or maybe, hopefully, there are still a multitude of places like this still in existence scattered around. I have to change my thinking when I travel.