Have you noticed the trend of stores locking up health and beauty products such as toothpaste or deodorant? In that particular department, there seem to be as many glass cases as in a jewelry store.
The problem is that those same stores make it difficult to buy something from behind the glass. Unlike jewelry stores where clerks are waiting to serve you, in department stores finding help is elusive. I tried to buy a $1.97 item that was inexplicably behind lock and key. This required locating three different people to find someone who could access the case, and then the precious cargo was taken to the front and locked up again, necessitating yet another clerk interaction before I could purchase it.
Stores complain about their business being diverted online and fail to recognize that their own actions drive customers there. Sure, the case ensured that a 65-year-old woman didn’t risk jail time to steal an item worth less than two dollars, but it also ensured that my next purchase would be via Amazon. Before you add restrictions, consider the unintended consequences of taking freedom away.
