Rampant retail theft has led to stores locking up products like toothpaste and underwear, frustrating many customers, but delivery workers are now reportedly starting to avoid such stores.
Delivery drivers for apps like Instacart and Walmart Spark have to fulfill in-store orders within deadlines, so they don’t have time to press a button and wait for a worker to help them buy a bar of soap. Business Insider reported.
“Drivers get paid by the order, not by the hour, so every second counts for us,” a Sparks shopper from Ohio told Business Insider.
Spark employees said they have waited as long as 10 minutes for a staff member to unlock a cabinet containing baby formula — a wait time that could reduce the chances of receiving a tip.
Meanwhile, a Sparks, Idaho shopper got tired of waiting for someone to unlock their items and “ended up ripping open the cardboard packaging… [it] “It’s great.”
Shoppers were filling orders, including fresh groceries, but worried that if they took too long, Walmart would cancel the orders and they wouldn’t get paid.
“I really hated the idea of waiting forever for someone to come and unlock it for me,” a Spark buyer told Business Insider.
An Instacart shopper in Nevada told Business Insider that the situation has gotten so bad that she’s refusing to order from her local Walgreens, which is known for stocking up on a lot of products.
An Instacart spokesperson told The Post that shoppers can use the messaging tool to text customers to let them know if they’re experiencing a delay.
The spokesperson added that the time an order takes will not affect a shopper’s base pay.
Theft from retail stores has plagued many businesses since the pandemic began, forcing retailers to take the drastic measure of locking up everyday items.
Retailers are projected to lose $121.6 billion to retail theft in 2023 and up to $150 billion in 2026. According to Capital One Shopping Research:.
Losses have skyrocketed during the pandemic, with retail sales losses due to theft jumping from $61.7 billion in 2019 to $90.8 billion in 2020, according to data from Capital One.
Shopping barriers have led some customers to turn to e-tailers like Amazon, where they can click a button and avoid waiting 20 minutes for a toothbrush.
A CVS spokesman said the decision to lock down items is based on factors including theft rates for each item and store location.
“It’s important that we keep products in stock and available for customers to purchase,” a CVS spokesperson told The Post in a statement. “We take a variety of measures to deter or prevent theft, and locking up merchandise is a last resort.”
A Walmart spokesperson told The Washington Post that “some items have additional security measures in place at each store.”
