Why are the stocks of men’s underwear under lock and key?
I dashed into our Walmart to pick up a few greeting cards and noticed huge glass cases lining both sides of a nearby aisle.
My first thought was they had locked up hunting guns, but this Walmart doesn’t sell firearms anymore. Then I thought maybe they locked up power tools like big box hardware stores do. Wrong again.
The merchandise locked behind glass was menswear — T-shirts, underwear and socks — high-end designer brands like Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and Jockey.
If you want to buy a pair of men’s socks, the first thing you do is press your nose to the case. The second thing is to press the button that summons an associate. Finally, you whip out your cellphone and start answering emails as you wait.
Not only are shoppers frustrated and stores losing sales, but there is the matter of discrimination. Why are men’s undergarments behind glass while women’s undergarments swing from hangers and breathe free? There’s probably a lawsuit pending somewhere.
Not that long ago, shoplifting was something parents warned kids against. Stories abounded of children being marched back to a store to apologize and return something they had taken (stolen). Many a child was scared straight by age 4 or 5.
It wasn’t a bad system. I know this because everyone was able to buy socks and T-shirts without waiting for someone to unlock them.
Several years ago, our corner drugstore locked down hair products, shaving products, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Need deodorant? No sweat, you press the call button, someone eventually arrives with a key, removes the item you’d like, then carries it to the cashier as you follow behind, as though doing a shopper’s walk of shame.
The list of frequently stolen goods has grown so long it is almost hard to believe: cosmetics, small electronics, men’s underwear, packaged meat, over the counter meds, clothes, jewelry, purses, hats and baby things. Basically, anything and everything.
With the high cost of eggs, it’s surprising they’re not on the list.
Because men’s underwear locked in glass cases fell under the category of “Believe It or Not,” I snapped a few photos to show the husband.
When I turned around, I saw a twentysomething man not more than 10 feet away stuffing merchandise into a bag tucked under his arm.
He saw that I saw him. For a split second I thought he looked slightly embarrassed. But then he just shrugged and walked away.
He was probably headed to dairy to take a crack at the eggs.
Borgman is an author, speaker and columnist for Tribune News Service. She may be contacted at lori@loriborgman.com.
TNS
