A Rite Aid store in Compton, California, has placed nearly all of its merchandise under lock and key to combat rampant shoplifting plaguing the state.
Every aisle at the Long Beach Boulevard location now features glass cases. Because of this, employees must retrieve items for customers, according to a recent ABC 7 report.
Shopper Eduardo Ramirez described what it is like being inside the store. He said, “It feels weird when you walk in there. Really uncomfortable. The only thing that’s not locked up is the drinks, but that’s it. Everything else is locked up.”
NBC Los Angeles reported on Wednesday that two Rite Aid stores in Los Angeles have taken such measures, and video footage shows soft drinks, paper plates, candy, and cereal boxes behind glass barriers.
“I think it’s a good idea for them to put all this stuff in here. Hopefully, I don’t see too much crazy things anymore with it,” one shopper told the outlet.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) recently signed a “smash and grab” bill into law, tacking on harsher penalties for large-scale felony thefts to help curb problem.
Breitbart News reported in February that Newsom said he was shocked when a worker at Target, who apparently did not recognize him, blamed him for the rampant shoplifting across California after the adoption of criminal justice reforms he supported.
“In addition to backing Proposition 47, Newsom has also supported radical left-wing prosecutors like George Gascón, who is backed by left-wing billionaire George Soros, and who have refused to prosecute many minor offenders, which critics say has encouraged the wave of petty crime now plaguing California’s major cities,” the article said.
Per the ABC 7 report, a man named Roy Barocio, who frequently shops at the Rite Aid store in Compton, shared his customer experience after the security measures were put in place. According to him, those measures have not put smiles on the employees’ faces.
“Now I’ve got to press the button and wait about 10 minutes to seven minutes for them to come and help me, and they come moody,” he stated.
In January, two Target stores and a Walmart in California’s Bay Area began locking up their socks and underwear to deter shoplifters, Breitbart News reported.
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