A WALGREENS shopper is taking to social media after finding “bizarre” anti-theft measures.
The customer shared a photo of the toothpaste aisle and most of the products were locked behind plexiglass.
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Popular brands like Colgate and Crest were locked down, but two top-shelf brands were strangely free for the taking.
The image revealed that products for sale for $5 were behind glass, while two products were available to take away.
One of the products was Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste, on sale for $8.79, and the other was Burt’s Bees Charcoal + Whitening Toothpaste, available for purchase for $5.99.
“We’re in a Walgreens where all the toothpaste is locked up except the Tom’s of Maine toothpaste we want,” said the tweet to read.
Read more anti-theft news
“Is expensive toothpaste free for tall people?” one comment read.
“Why wouldn’t the most expensive toothpaste be included in this bizarre toothpaste package?” another questioned.
A third speculated: “My best guess is they think people familiar with bougie toothpastes can afford it?”
TOOTHPASTE BLOCK
The measure has also been implemented at some Target locations and customers are taking notice.
“The target in Lancaster locked everything down, that pissed me off. Like toothpaste?!” a customer he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A Duane Reade customer recently shared your frustration with anti-theft measures on social media: “It’s disgusting how drug stores like Duane Reade are forced to put virtually all of their HBA items behind locked barriers because if they don’t, shitty thieves will steal them blindly.”
“I can’t even buy a tube of toothpaste without calling an employee to unlock the box.”
Anti-theft measures can impede customer service and even impact what customers decide to buy.
A survey carried out by WSL Strategic Retail found that 22% of shoppers choose to just buy a similar product off the shelf rather than wait for an employee to unlock the items behind plexiglass.
Molly Burke, a retail analyst, previously told The US Sun that customers don’t want to ask for help and would rather “get in and out as quickly as possible to get back to their busy lives.”
“I understand the balance retailers are trying to strike in preventing theft and ensuring a good customer experience,” Burke said.
“But I think when you take away opportunities for the customer to have a sensory experience with a product and establish a relationship with the brand through the product, it will always make the customer experience worse.”
US stores locking shelves to combat theft
Retailers have begun locking shelves to combat the rise in theft.
- Wal-Mart
- Target
- Walgreens
- CVS
- Duane Reade
- Help ritual
- dollar tree
- The home deposit
- Sephora
INNOVATIONS AT WALGREENS
The customer complaints come just months after Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth spoke about how the company was innovating.
He spoke to CNBC in March about Walgreens’ progress and how they would compete with Amazon.
“We will beat Amazon because of the human interface we provide in communities and neighborhoods,” he said.
“[That’s] There are now 8,600 places you can go if you’re actually buying a medication that you want to talk about, if you have a health problem, if you want to get an over-the-counter product to go with your medication.”
Despite Walgreens’ new strategy, customers may have difficulty feeling the human interface with increased anti-theft measures.
“When customers encounter these loss prevention strategies that are very sterile, almost inherently accusatory, it takes away from the feeling of shopping somewhere where maybe you’re more of a friend or family member than just an anonymous customer,” Burke previously told The US Sun.
The US Sun has reached out to Walgreens for comment.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
