Lock it up: The frustrating trend of locked merchandise in NJ

🔐 Retail theft is forcing more merchandise to be locked up
🔐 Frustrated consumers are revolting
🔐 The crazy items listeners have found under lock and key

Before a recent vacation, I needed to pop inside my local pharmacy to grab things like shampoo, deodorant and a razor.

It should have been a quick stop, but when I went inside, every one of those items was secured behind a locked plexiglass case.

I had to find a store employee to unlock the case so I could grab what I needed. There was no one to be found.

When I finally did find an employee, he told me to wait in the aisle, he would be with me in a moment.

Five minutes later I was still standing in the aisle. A few minutes more, and I was out the door.

In the car, I ordered everything I needed from Amazon, and it would be delivered to my door before dinnertime.

Combating theft, frustrating customers

Look, I get it. Retail theft has skyrocketed in recent years. Drugstores, Target, Walmart, Costco, Dollar General and other retailers have started putting high-theft items behind lock and key and pulling back on self-checkout lanes.

It may be better for a store's anti-theft efforts, but it is extremely frustrating for consumers.

Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said on a recent earnings call that the strategy cuts down on theft, but also hurts sales.

“When you lock things up, you don’t sell as many of them," he said. "We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively."

The sales drop can be dramatic. Joe Budano, CEO of anti-theft technology company Indyme, told Axios that keeping items locked up can cause sales to drop 15% to 25%.

Many New Jersey 101.5 listeners told me they won't shop where retailers lock stuff up.

Kam, from Princeton, says this practice drives him nuts.

"Whenever you need the guy to unlock it, he doesn't have the right key and then I'm standing there waiting for a different guy to come with the correct key," Kam said.

Jane, from Springfield, said: "It was super annoying!"

"I won’t make the purchase then if what I need is locked up," she said. "I’ll just leave the store because it takes forever for an associate to show up. It’s sad, though, that they feel like they have to do this to stop theft."

It's not just high-value items locked up

One of the most surprising things to come out of our discussion was the variety of items you are finding under lock and key.

Items you wouldn't think would be the frequent targets of thieves are often the hardest to get your hands on.

Kris, from Marlboro, said the Walmart and Target near her have almost everything she needed locked up.

"To get deodorant or face wash, I have to hit the doorbell, and it's always 10-plus minutes until they come, and then they are annoyed," she said. "Then, they check your receipts before you're allowed to leave. Its infuriating"

Writing on our app chat, Joan, from Plainsboro, said it's not just a Jersey thing.

"My husband went to Walmart in Pennsylvania yesterday. The socks were locked up! behind glass doors! Crazy! P.S. The socks were $10 for 12 pair!!!!!"

Another caller was shocked to see men's underwear under glass and others said they saw toothpaste and car air fresheners locked away.

Lockups are driving sales online

In the era of online shopping, driving customers away can be devastating.

GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders warned, "Locking up products worsens the shopping experience, and it makes things inconvenient and difficult."

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says his company is benefitting from the poor experience many customers are having at brick-and-mortar stores.

"It's a pretty tough experience with how much is locked behind cabinets, where you have to press a button to get somebody to come out and open the cabinets for you," Jassy said last year in an earnings call.

There has already been a wave of retail shop closures in New Jersey in 2025. If they can't figure out a way to stop theft while making shopping easy and convenient for their customers, expect that trend to continue.

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