By MACKENZIE TATANANNI FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Shoppers are being forced to wait as long as 40 minutes to buy basic essentials like baby formula and body wash as major retailers lock up products to counter skyrocketing rates of theft.
Reporters from Inside Edition visited five Targets, five Walmarts and five CVS stores in New York and New Jersey and timed how long it took for employees to retrieve different products from glass casings.
‘Everything’s locked up,’ journalist Lisa Guerrero said as she stepped inside a Target in Manhattan where baby formulas, razors and cleaning products were kept under lock and key.
‘They locked up the underwear,’ she quipped. ‘And the socks.’
The camera panned past a row of customers waiting near one of the product cases.
The Inside Edition team pressed the help button three times as they tried to buy toothpaste. An employee showed up after seven minutes – only to find that her key didn’t work.
In a different aisle, the team waited over 10 minutes to buy vitamins.
A customer standing outside the store disclosed that he’d waited 13 to 14 minutes for assistance before ‘giving up.’
At a CVS in Manhattan, the wait time was much shorter – only 30 seconds for body wash and 30 seconds for razors.
However, at a Walmart in New Jersey – where the team requested help three times for baby formula – a manager was forced to apologize after a 15-minute delay.
This was followed by a 24-minute wait for an electric toothbrush, bringing the total to 40 minutes just to purchase three items.
People on social media have reacted just as strongly since retailers began locking away scores of products.
Earlier this month, a doctor from Boston took to TikTok to blast Target over the policies it has implemented in a bid to crack down on theft.
Emily Long claimed that $8 body wash was kept behind glass, even as more expensive items were left sitting out.
‘So while you could get like $40 La Roche Posay or makeup that was sitting out, my $8 body wash was locked away as was my deodorant and my husband’s body wash and his razors and the basic things that I went to Target to get,’ Long said.
In April, a Target spokesperson told DailyMail.com that organized retail crime was a concern for the company.
‘We’re taking proactive measures to keep our teams and guests safe while deterring and preventing theft,’ the spokesperson said.
‘These mitigation efforts include hiring additional security guards, adding third-party guard services at select locations, and using new technologies and tools to protect merchandise from being stolen.’
In late September, the retailer announced its plans to shut nine stores across the country, citing an uptick in crime and other safety concerns.
Just last week, two locations in Seattle, three stores in the San Francisco-Oakland area, three stores in Portland and one store in Harlem, New York closed for good.
‘We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,’ Target said in a news release.
‘We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all.’
Other companies are taking creative measures to counter theft, such as an Atlanta Walmart set to open in May 2024.
The location will include an on-site police substation or a mini precinct that will double as a deterrent to shoplifters and a working space for officers.
Concerns about theft have been an ongoing issue for the grocery giant. In December of last year, CEO Doug McMillon admitted that theft had become a major issue for the chain.
He said the company had been forced to implement new safety measures at different locations but stressed that he saw local law enforcement as the main solution to the growing problem.
‘I think local law enforcement being staffed and being a good partner is part of that equation, and that’s normally how we approach it,’ he said.
‘It’s store managers working with local law enforcement, and we’ve got great relationships there for the most part.’
In May, Target CEO Brian Cornell admitted that theft was costing the chain millions.
The company predicted $500million more in losses from theft this year on top of the $750 million in losses it incurred during its last fiscal year – meaning losses could top $1.2billion by the end of 2023.
When they let the shop lifters to walk, it was the start. I will repeat: shot these shop lifters in the leg and it will stop