How Grocery Stores Are Adapting New Packaging To Prevent Shoplifting
Shoplifting isn't new. For as long as stores have sold goods, people have been stealing — and places like Whole Foods reportedly almost never stop shoplifters. However, several factors have contributed to a rise in shoplifting cases throughout the United States over the past few years. According to the Wall Street Journal, store thefts are happening more often, with CVS reporting a 300% increase in shoplifting situations since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
CNBC reported that since the pandemic, retailers in places such as New York City and San Francisco have actually had to close their doors due to such an extreme rise in theft — especially because for small retailers, frequent shoplifting incidents can mean a substantial loss of product, which can hurt their bottom line to the point of no return.
As a result of the crime wave, business owners have taken to various measures to try and protect their stores from falling victim to shoplifters.
Grocery stores are taking packaging to a new level to prevent shoplifting
Stores are taking matters into their own hands by creating more complex packaging for some of their items. According to The Independent, store owners have started to go as far as to add security tags to some of their common items, including cheese, as a way of deterring potential thieves. Inflation, which is at its highest point in decades, has likely only contributed to the reason shoplifting is on the rise.
Other methods are being implemented, too. CNBC reports that some stores have even started charging "crime spike fees" on regular transactions as a way of trying to make up for the losses. Other stores have opted for increased security as another deterrent. And the Wall Street Journal says that store owners have started encasing more products in lockable plastic cases, such as shampoo, shaving cream, and dish detergent.