Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

retailbrew.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 115 posts

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#71

Post by neilv »

wccrawford wrote: post #50
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #18

It’s near impossible to buy those things. I live in a region of the world where condoms are locked up at the local mega chemist. Absolutely no embarrassment here on buying them of course. It’s just that pressing the button does nothing. None of the minimum wage staff give a fuck (can’t blame them). You’ll just be standing there waiting in an almost empty store. The sole clerk at the counter can’t really leave their p…

I think this gets to the real reason of why people say they won't buy from the locked cabinets. As someone whose job was to carry that key in an office supply store, I can say that it's awful . We have other things to do, and even if you're acknowledged, you have no idea when that clerk will get to you. (And the clerk doesn't know either.) Aside: I once had a customer snap their fingers at me while I was walking anot…

Good coworkers, standing up for each other and dignity.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#72

Post by williamstein »

abeppu wrote: post #48

Also in the 'solution to shop-lifting makes me shop elsewhere', there are two locally-owned independent hardware stores in walking distance from my home. One has a 'buzz to enter' vestibule with two doors whose locks are controlled by the cashier. You ring the exterior bell, the cashier buzzes you through the first door, and only after it closes will they buzz open the second door -- so you're trapped. The same is tr…

If they really trap you (and there is no manual override, which could have an alarm), this would be a violation of fire codes in the US.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#74

Post by OptionOfT »

coolspot wrote: post #12
josefresco wrote: post #2

Talk about a downward spiral of terrible decisions. Cut staff and add checkout machines to save money. Customers start stealing (legit or not) so they lock down items behind glass, but have no staff to help customers so they see less sales! Wild. I hope the shareholders who accepted these changes feel pain.

In civilized, high-trust societies self-checkout works well and is very convenient. Of course if you refuse to prosecute crime you will have everything locked.

The problem with self-checkouts is that (1) it shifts the work to me without any benefit to me. I don't get a % off (and often asks you to tip [0]). And (2) it actually presents a legal risk. If I genuinely forget to scan I can still be banned from a store, or worse, charged, because I am doing a job I am not trained for, or because of a glitch in the system.

[0]: https://nypost.com/2023/05/15/self-checkout-machines-now-ask...

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#75

Post by OptionOfT »

abeppu wrote: post #48

Also in the 'solution to shop-lifting makes me shop elsewhere', there are two locally-owned independent hardware stores in walking distance from my home. One has a 'buzz to enter' vestibule with two doors whose locks are controlled by the cashier. You ring the exterior bell, the cashier buzzes you through the first door, and only after it closes will they buzz open the second door -- so you're trapped. The same is tr…

> but they often don't actually know where stuff is, whether they carry X

That's the standard at all of the Home-Depots / Walmarts / Lowe's around here. If you ask the location of something the associate just looks it up on their devices.

If you ask a question about an item the associate reads the description on the website and can't provide an answer, because I just read the description... and couldn't find the answer. That's why I asked the associate.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#76

Post by simoncion »

vel0city wrote: post #51
simoncion wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If there wasn't any shoplifting, would they still put things in cabinets? If your insurance company tells you to do something in order to retain your nice rates, (or your policy) you do that thing. So, yeah, there totally can be a disconnect between the situation on the ground and what the suits think is going on. Also, you might not be aware of how out of touch C-level employees can be with what's actually going o…

> If your insurance company tells you to do something in order to retain your nice rates Yeah because insurance companies never actually look at real data and just go by their gut feelings on everything. If insurance rates are increasing in areas which don't have these cabinets, it's probably because there are more claims due to shrink in those areas from stores which don't have cabinets. If it truly is because of in…

> Yeah because insurance companies never actually look at real data and just go by their gut feelings on everything.

Just like company execs never go by their gut feelings and always actually go look at real data?

Even companies that you'd think would have everything straight sometimes don't. Assuming that a company that should be a sophisticated actor is ALWAYS doing the correct thing is no less foolish than the converse.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#77

Post by dzhiurgis »

vel0city wrote: post #52
etempleton wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have little sympathy for many of these big box stores because their policies have indirectly lead to an increase in shoplifting. Their official policy in many stores is to do nothing when spotting a shop lifter other than report it to police after it has happened. For a while some of these big box stores would hire a security guard whose only job was to stand next to a shoplifter in the hopes it would intimidate th…

I mean, what should they do? Attempt to detain alleged shoplifters? Assault them? Shoot them? What do you think should be done?

Charge $200 bond to enter store

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#78

Post by vel0city »

simoncion wrote: post #76
vel0city wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If your insurance company tells you to do something in order to retain your nice rates Yeah because insurance companies never actually look at real data and just go by their gut feelings on everything. If insurance rates are increasing in areas which don't have these cabinets, it's probably because there are more claims due to shrink in those areas from stores which don't have cabinets. If it truly is because of in…

> Yeah because insurance companies never actually look at real data and just go by their gut feelings on everything. Just like company execs never go by their gut feelings and always actually go look at real data? Even companies that you'd think would have everything straight sometimes don't. Assuming that a company that should be a sophisticated actor is ALWAYS doing the correct thing is no less foolish than the con…

Company execs aren't writing the policies, actuaries are. Actuaries which spend their days analyzing all the minutiae of data and trying to quantize risk.

If anyone knows the real risk/reward of putting merchandise in cabinets by zip code it's some actuary at some insurance firm.

Arguing insurance companies don't follow the data and usually behave irrationally is ignoring reality.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#79

Post by simoncion »

vel0city wrote: post #78
simoncion wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yeah because insurance companies never actually look at real data and just go by their gut feelings on everything. Just like company execs never go by their gut feelings and always actually go look at real data? Even companies that you'd think would have everything straight sometimes don't. Assuming that a company that should be a sophisticated actor is ALWAYS doing the correct thing is no less foolish than the con…

Company execs aren't writing the policies, actuaries are. Actuaries which spend their days analyzing all the minutiae of data and trying to quantize risk. If anyone knows the real risk/reward of putting merchandise in cabinets by zip code it's some actuary at some insurance firm. Arguing insurance companies don't follow the data and usually behave irrationally is ignoring reality.

> Arguing insurance companies ... usually behave irrationally is ignoring reality.

Arguing that I claimed that insurance companies usually don't follow the data and usually do behave irrationally is ignoring what I wrote, which is reproduced below.

> Even companies that you'd think would have everything straight sometimes don't. Assuming that a company that should be a sophisticated actor is ALWAYS doing the correct thing is no less foolish than the converse.

Re: Two in three shoppers won't buy products in locked display cases

#80

Post by vel0city »

OptionOfT wrote: post #75
abeppu wrote: post #48

Also in the 'solution to shop-lifting makes me shop elsewhere', there are two locally-owned independent hardware stores in walking distance from my home. One has a 'buzz to enter' vestibule with two doors whose locks are controlled by the cashier. You ring the exterior bell, the cashier buzzes you through the first door, and only after it closes will they buzz open the second door -- so you're trapped. The same is tr…

> but they often don't actually know where stuff is, whether they carry X That's the standard at all of the Home-Depots / Walmarts / Lowe's around here. If you ask the location of something the associate just looks it up on their devices. If you ask a question about an item the associate reads the description on the website and can't provide an answer, because I just read the description... and couldn't find the answ…

Meanwhile my experience at the Lowe's and HD's around me they'll know what you're asking down to the bay. Often even "bottom right of bay x on isle y".

And the kids love the kits on the first Saturdays at HD.

Post reply on HN