New Jersey Stores Could Be Hurting Themselves By Continuing to Do This

It seems to be happening more and more frequently.

You walk into the local store, and start shopping for that item - maybe razor blades, vitamins, or even a food product - and find it locked up.

What do you do?

More stores are locking up products on the sales floor

You have two choices: find an employee to unlock the display, or you can simply leave, going somewhere else.

What do you do?

According to a new study by Consumer World, more and more people are turning around, walking out of the store, with the idea they'll just go somewhere else.

Why lock up items?

More stores - especially New Jersey pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens -  are locking up items on the store shelves to prevent thefts.

The question is - are they doing more harm than good?

Do consumers want to take the time to search for an employee to come over and unlock the display?

If you haven't noticed, many stores are understaffed, so finding an employee is not easy.

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What the survey says

Interesting findings from the Consumer World survey. Most of those surveyed say they would choose to simply walk out of the store, rather than wait for someone to open the locked display.

In the survey of 1,100 people, the survey found that while stores are trying to prevent shoplifting, what they're doing is chasing away potential customers.

32% of respondents say they'd find someone to unlock the case. 13% say they would try to find an alternative product not locked up. A big 55% say they'd just go buy the product somewhere else.

What do you do?

SOURCE: Consumer World