Over a quarter of shoppers will avoid products under lock and key

Retailers are increasingly locking up the merchandise in their stores, and shoppers are noticing. 

A new survey of shoppers by data analytics firm Numerator revealed that almost two-thirds of shoppers (60%) have seen merchandise locked up on a regular basis, and more than a quarter (28%) report seeing it every time they go to the store. 

Mass merchandise retailers and drug stores are most likely to have their products locked up at 68% and 62%, respectively, according to survey respondents. 

Those stats were substantially lower for grocers, with 31% survey respondents reporting having seen items locked at supermarkets. It was even lower for dollar stores at 18%.

While shoppers were likely to see locked-up items at pharmacies, those retailers offered better assistance in accessing merchandise. 

CVS had the highest net rating for easy assistance at +16%, according to shoppers. The net rating stat shows the difference between those who say getting assistance is easy versus difficult. 

Walgreens and Target had the second-highest net rating for easy assistance, both receiving +12%. Walmart had the lowest net rating at -13%. 

Electronics were the most common item to be locked up with 58% of respondents seeing the trend, but items common to grocery, pharmacy, and mass merchandise stores also made the list. Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents said they have seen over-the-counter medications locked up, 34% reported personal hygiene products, and 33% makeup and cosmetics.

While locking up items is helping to prevent theft, more than a quarter of shoppers said in the survey that they’ll take their business elsewhere if they have to wait to purchase an item that is locked up. 

“Sixty-two percent of shoppers say they typically wait for assistance when they encounter locked up merchandise, and 9% say they order the item online from that same retailer. However, 17% say they will switch retailers (10% online, 7% in-store), and 10% say they will abandon the purchase altogether,” the report noted. 

Whether a shopper is willing to wait on a locked-up product depends on what type of product they’re attempting to purchase. Just over half of survey respondents (53%) said they’d wait on bath and body products, 56% for makeup and cosmetics, and 57% for personal hygiene products.