Archived HBA LOCKUP CASES

[Endlessbackstock]

I have noticed an awful lot of theft comes from HBA/Beauty as is normal in most retail stores. However, the local Walmart and one grocery chain has begun to lock HBA in glass cases. To me, Target would greatly benefit from this. It would increase the customer service interaction, (when customers ask for the case to be unlocked on high end items) and it would cut down on the loss from stolen high priced items in small boxes. For example, using a $13/hr. wage, that person with a key could engage customers while deterring a lot more than $13 of theft per hour. In the morning when I used to stock and zone HBA occasionally, I would notice at least $100 of opened (stolen) merchandise. That’s only the packages I found as well!! I realize Target is worried about aesthetics of locked cases, but with loss prevention being basically non existent in our store, it seems to be a common sense move.

 

[PackAndCry]

Most guests, especially our guests, won't ask a TM to unlock the case, they just won't buy the item. Guests expect electronics to be locked up, they don't expect $3 deodorant to be locked up.

 

[Endlessbackstock]

I said high end items...not $3 deodorant

Women’s contraceptives are all unlocked
As is;
Pain relief- almost all over $5
Specialty shampoo aisle
Some razors are locked, some aren’t and the expensive ones aren’t all on lock hooks
Entire aisle of men’s specialty shaving is unlocked - these are almost all >$10
Toothpaste is 75% over $5 a tube
All this stuff is high theft at my store

 

[Endlessbackstock]

Most guests, especially our guests, won't ask a TM to unlock the case, they just won't buy the item. Guests expect electronics to be locked up, they don't expect $3 deodorant to be locked up.

If they don’t ask, they won’t get the item. Target guests most likely won’t go to Walmart, so where would they get it? I think if there was a team member staffed at the cases, they would ask.

 

[BoxCutter]

It would be inconvenient for the guest. The way the stores are being staffed these days how long would the guest have to wait for a TM to unlock the case? We keep our flea and tick treatments in Pets on locked pegs. Being in electronics, I am sometimes the only person on the floor with a key. If I'm with a guest, who knows how long it will take for me , or another TM who gets the key from me, to haul ass over to HBA to help the guest. Even if someone in HBA had a key, would that TM want to take away time from all their tasks they have to do just to unlock a case? Using plastic keepers on high priced items is more efficient and almost as effective then lock up cases. We used to have them in fragrances but switched to the keepers. We also use them on Plan B and other such items. I wish we used them in Pets, but that's our APs call.

 

[BoxCutter]

All this stuff is high theft at my store

Then your AP needs to really step up.

 

[SugarSugar]

I said high end items...not $3 deodorant

Women’s contraceptives are all unlocked
As is;
Pain relief- almost all over $5
Specialty shampoo aisle
Some razors are locked, some aren’t and the expensive ones aren’t all on lock hooks
Entire aisle of men’s specialty shaving is unlocked - these are almost all >$10
Toothpaste is 75% over $5 a tube
All this stuff is high theft at my store

I"ve seen Walmart lockup the most ridiculous, random things like gorilla snot gel and a bunch of other $3 items. I aint waiting 3-5 mins for that crap.

 

[Llamanatee]

We have keepers on plan b, razors, and some other high priced items or mostly stolen items in Hba.

 

[ShortTM]

Hair straighteners is another one at my store that AP has us put spider wraps on. Beauty section at my store recent went through a remodel and I feel like the blind spots have doubled, making it easier for theft

 

[mizl]

If there was a way to put spider wrap on hair straighteners in such a way that the guests couldn't open them but they could still be hung I would wrap everything in a heartbeat. I don't understand the need to pull everything out, look at it, and haphazardly shove it back in.

 

[Planosss]

I"ve seen Walmart lockup the most ridiculous, random things like gorilla snot gel and a bunch of other $3 items. I aint waiting 3-5 mins for that crap.

Its ASANTS at Walmart too. Please don’t drag the whole company into this.

 

[Planosss]

If there was a way to put spider wrap on hair straighteners in such a way that the guests couldn't open them but they could still be hung I would wrap everything in a heartbeat. I don't understand the need to pull everything out, look at it, and haphazardly shove it back in.

Displays.

 

[mizl]

We have displays for hair dryers and other hair tools for certain brands, but not for a section of straighteners and curlers.

 

[Endlessbackstock]

So the alternative is to let everyone steal items <$300, which is only a misdemeanor if you are caught and prosecuted? This is another reason what brick and mortar stores won’t survive long.

Also another point, how long does it take from an employees work to apply individual cases or spider wrap to items? If things were behind locked cases you could eliminate all that. Sure it would take product restructuring, and aisle changes, but in the long run, one or two people manning a case with keys is only &25-$30/hr, which is a lot less than you can lose in theft with just one shoplifter. Hell, whitestrips are $30, Plan B is $40, 200 ct. Advil is $13, and those are just a few examples.

 

[BoxCutter]

If there was a way to put spider wrap on hair straighteners in such a way that the guests couldn't open them but they could still be hung I would wrap everything in a heartbeat. I don't understand the need to pull everything out, look at it, and haphazardly shove it back in.

Spider wraps should go around all sides of a box therefore making them very, very difficult to open them.

 

[Anelmi]

You want stores to put Advil behind cases? Are you nuts?

Why doesn't your store have Plan B in plastic cases? And how long does it take to put spiderwraps on stuff? It depends but it's not built into the box per minute strategy so they don't get wrapped and THEN it takes a lot of time to wrap everything.

edited to add clarity

 

[BoxCutter]

It takes seconds to put an item in a plastic keeper, and, after some practice, it only takes a few seconds more to spider wrap a small item. Also, companies take into account shrink when they price items. If your store is getting ripped off for that much, then AP at a store, district, and group level need to get involved and limit the impact shoplifters are having at your location..

 

[Endlessbackstock]

It would be inconvenient for the guest. The way the stores are being staffed these days how long would the guest have to wait for a TM to unlock the case? We keep our flea and tick treatments in Pets on locked pegs. Being in electronics, I am sometimes the only person on the floor with a key. If I'm with a guest, who knows how long it will take for me , or another TM who gets the key from me, to haul ass over to HBA to help the guest. Even if someone in HBA had a key, would that TM want to take away time from all their tasks they have to do just to unlock a case? Using plastic keepers on high priced items is more efficient and almost as effective then lock up cases. We used to have them in fragrances but switched to the keepers. We also use them on Plan B and other such items. I wish we used them in Pets, but that's our APs call.

But then you said you want team members to spider wrap things and place in plastic cases, but opening a locked case would take too long?? It takes one second to open a case of an employee was staffed there. Going to get and enclosing 6 Plan B cases takes at least 2-3 minutes.

 

[jenna]

But then you said you want team members to spider wrap things and place in plastic cases, but opening a locked case would take too long?? It takes one second to open a case of an employee was staffed there. Going to get and enclosing 6 Plan B cases takes at least 2-3 minutes.

:head tilt:

Team members have too much to do and Target is far too cheap to spend the payroll to make this work as you describe.

Spider wraps and cases are usually the best way to protect smaller, more expensive items.

 

[seasonaldude]

I think you're wildly underestimating the payroll that would be needed to handle putting HBA behind glass cases. There's a reason that HBA freight is always one of the worst to push. It's a quick sell through area in need of constant replenishment. Those glass cases would be opening and closing all day, every day. Everyone who pushes in the area is going to need keys. Everyone on flex fill is going to need keys because they will be coming through there all day. Then, you are going to need TMs who can more or less act as personal shopping assistants for guests as they need multiple items in multiple aisles. That's going to be more than one TM. You might as well give TMs who work in nearby sections keys too because guests will constantly ask them for help.

Of course, you've now made the shopping experience for guests that much more awful. You'll lose a lot of them to other stores that are easier to shop, such as pharmacies. You might prevent loss and that will make AP happy. The real cost to the store is going to make everyone from the SD and above heads explode though.

 

[mizl]

Spider wraps should go around all sides of a box therefore making them very, very difficult to open them.

The tops of the boxes are pretty... slim? The spider wrap would have to go to the side of the built in hooks, and I was imagining that puts it close enough to the edge that guests would be able to rip open the top anyway. But that might be pessimistic of me. It'd be a deterrent, at least. I'll mention it to my APTL!

 

[ShortTM]

The tops of the boxes are pretty... slim? The spider wrap would have to go to the side of the built in hooks, and I was imagining that puts it close enough to the edge that guests would be able to rip open the top anyway. But that might be pessimistic of me. It'd be a deterrent, at least. I'll mention it to my APTL!

I only pushed this area once and it was 2 months ago but I dont think ours are hanging. I'll take a look tomorrow and let you know

 

[Endlessbackstock]

I think you're wildly underestimating the payroll that would be needed to handle putting HBA behind glass cases. There's a reason that HBA freight is always one of the worst to push. It's a quick sell through area in need of constant replenishment. Those glass cases would be opening and closing all day, every day. Everyone who pushes in the area is going to need keys. Everyone on flex fill is going to need keys because they will be coming through there all day. Then, you are going to need TMs who can more or less act as personal shopping assistants for guests as they need multiple items in multiple aisles. That's going to be more than one TM. You might as well give TMs who work in nearby sections keys too because guests will constantly ask them for help.

Of course, you've now made the shopping experience for guests that much more awful. You'll lose a lot of them to other stores that are easier to shop, such as pharmacies. You might prevent loss and that will make AP happy. The real cost to the store is going to make everyone from the SD and above heads explode though.

Well they have resorted to doing the opposite anyway. Having a skeleton crew, accepting <$300 theft as “normal” and making team members barely keep an area looking full for a few hours until it is trashed again.

Pharmacies may be easier to shop but their prices are sometimes 20-30% more

 

[NightHuntress]

Target has to look at the cost of having a team member staff that department vs our loss from theft. Some stores go too far with theft management and it deters the honest guest from buying items. Will Target guests shop Wal-Mart- sure. Some will, some won’t. But Wal-Mart isn’t the only other retailer out there. Many people can just as easily pick up their HBA products from whatever grocery store they shop at. Locking up some “high dollar” items definitely makes sense. We lock up fragrance and Chi straighteners are spiderwrapped and such. To lock up Advil- ridiculous. To put it simply “there are bigger fish to fry” then a guest stealing Advil. We also intentionally let some guests steal because AP is building a case against them.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

But then you said you want team members to spider wrap things and place in plastic cases, but opening a locked case would take too long?? It takes one second to open a case of an employee was staffed there. Going to get and enclosing 6 Plan B cases takes at least 2-3 minutes.

Opening a locked case requires a TM with the right keys to do it AND a patient guest who's willing to find and ask a TM for assistance (not always for the emergency contraceptives!). Then multiply that by 6 for the whole case pack. We used to have a glass case for certain fragrances at my store, but now we put them in plastic cases.
Using plastic cases for boxes of Plan B takes a few minutes, but then 6 of them are done and boom, on the shelf. (Or, I'll put them in back stock already wrapped, so it's ready to go out on the floor when it comes out in an auto-pull.)
I wrap things all the time in my area - power shavers and toothbrushes, contraceptives, some fragrances - and I'm pretty quick with the spider wrap by now.
Our AP person requisitioned a few tote/shower bag things, zip-tied them to certain u-boats, and filled them up with wraps. Every so often, I'll throw a few spider wraps into the one on my u-boat. Very handy to have a few right there as I go along. The only time it doesn't work so well is when they're not yet unlocked or someone else put a lot of stuff on the shelf without wrapping it first. There have been days when I've had to fetch a couple dozen wraps; hoping the DBO thing will make that problem a thing of the past.