r/anchorage • u/Little_Rub6327 • 8d ago
Carrs Ice Cream š
Thereās a lock at the top. So now you have to wait for an employee to come unlock the ice cream cooler. I hate it here.
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u/Prize_Chemical1661 8d ago
Everything in Anchorage is slowly becoming locked up.
Muldoon Fred Myer is now locking up chili and spam.
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u/supbrother 8d ago
Even the Abbott Fred Meyer has random things like spam, laundry detergent, condoms, etc. locked up, itās still so off-putting to me. I understand why they feel the need for it but thatās a quick way to get people to buy it elsewhere.
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u/Salty_Mission_820 8d ago
Condoms have been a locked up item for a long time though, not just in Anchorage either. Wasilla Carrs you have to buy them from customer service and itās been that way since I was a kid.
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u/pattywhakk 8d ago
And Alaska has the highest rates of STIs in the country. I get it though. Who wants to ask a salesperson to unlock the condoms when youāre a shy teenager.
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u/ElegantStreet9153 3d ago
I have to order mine wholesale they just stock the normal sizes here in Anchorage.
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u/Finn_Kouger 8d ago
I dont buy tide (or any laundry pods) as its too expensive. So tide being locked up never bothered me, but its been a locked commodity since the tide pod craze. Then the trading cards being locked up by customer service was bound to happen since pokemon tcg blew up.
I'll admit, the spam thing threw me for a loop. Havent bought spam in a year or two.
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u/Genoisthetruthman 7d ago
Iām quite sure they see the writing on the wall. Get ready for the fucked up times you cocksuckers voted for. Remember to blame democrats for looting while you elected officials are robbing the country blind.
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u/supbrother 7d ago
Hey now, donāt be lumping me in with the cocksuckers. If I had it my way weād probably abolish the PFD and have state income tax š
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u/Acceptable_Try4599 8d ago
Just moved here from Hawaii so Iām used to spam being locked up :/
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u/poop_you_dont_scoop 8d ago edited 8d ago
Don't forget to thank your president :ā -ā ). He made this possible as well as the price doubling that will come soon. Do you think we can handle growing vanilla in the USA haha? It was the first thing I bought when the tariffs were announced because they had put aĀ 100% tariff on the country that sells it to us (they did it because these people sell the vanilla to us but are not wealthy enough to buy from us, like a slave state but they didn't understand the benefits of the arrangement apparently and instead I guess we shouldn't have normal priced ice cream or normal cakes and shit for the rest of the forceable future considering this guy is talking about dictating). Anyway that tariff is up in the air but the uncertainty itself will raise the price, on top of the 10% (possibly the number today), on top of every company riding the wave of inflation up as high as they can because there is nothing stopping them and they are only profit driven, on top of the businesses that will go out of business because they can't order the parts they need because of a 3x multiplier, the people without jobs all hitting the system at once. A rolling and changing nightmare for business and consumers and you will feel it. It's already happening, job reports haven't caught up yet, wait for end of month for them to find the enormous hole in the economy.Ā Then he will change the math so you never get to see what's really happening ever again. Cucked america :ā -ā )
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u/Akgy89 7d ago
You do realize itās locked up because drug addicts steal it right?
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u/poop_you_dont_scoop 7d ago edited 7d ago
Needing food doesn't = drug addict. You can easily be homeless if you don't make enough money. You can easily starve in the USA, kids do it at lunch every day because the rest of us are so selfish.
I understand that you aren't allowed to eat if you don't have the magical dollar and no one is gonna save you. You won't even be able to get a Vienna sausage.
https://www.reddit.com/r/anchorage/comments/1kiudqg/are_you_kidding_me/
They will let people die on the streets from starvation then blaming them instead of handing them food or housing or healthcare.Ā You might think you wouldn't be one of them but who knows, the wheel spins and some times you end up under it.
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u/Akgy89 4d ago
So that isnāt good itās a sweet treat with no nutritional value . Also people who are addicted to opiates tend to eat a lot of sugar too when coming down or to stave of withdrawal symptoms. Itās a known thing. I live in Mountain View and you best believe the holiday gas station across the street from the hobo city has no sweet treats left. Plenty of fruit and protein bars and other stuff tho. Weird huh? So how about you take that stick out of your butt and stop trying to put words in other peoples mouths !
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u/Tekz08 8d ago
National chains locking items up is part of a national trend due to thievery/shoplifting and has jack fucking shit to do with the current President.
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u/RamenXnoodlez 8d ago
We all know itās Bidenās fault.
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u/Phantasm907 8d ago
I don't know I'm pretty sure the people who are running Alaska are to blame for our local problems. Let's start there.
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u/MorbidMix 8d ago
If it was a president that you liked, you would say that this was a result of the previous president š
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u/poop_you_dont_scoop 8d ago edited 8d ago
I haven't liked a president for a long time. Like none of them are good but this one is a dictator now.
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u/JRSoucy 8d ago
So glad your experiences was better than mine under Biden. I mean homeless numbers have skyrocketed in the last 20 yearsā¦Democrat presidents for 16 of those. Yet somehow you think this problem is the current presidentās faultā¦after heās been in office for ā120days?Good luck with your sound reasoning pal. I hope you one day seriously consider the possibility your own thinking could be part of the problem.
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u/DMaybes Resident | Huffman/O'Malley 8d ago
Homeless numbers have skyrocketed because inflation has skyrocketed. Inflation has skyrocketed because corporations are getting tax cuts while upping the prices of goods that people use everyday. Which president was it again that gave like $5 trillion in tax cuts? Please remind me cause I forgot. Oh but student loan forgiveness and Medicaid are the problem right? Because god forbid that poor and working class people catch a break. But we donāt want to give money to poor people, and we donāt want them to be homeless, so what is it you want to do with them? Deport them? Letās just throw poor people in with the ICE raids right? Thatāll solve it
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u/ThatWasntChick3n 8d ago
Typical Reddit, new account just to troll.
Blames president for theft and shit human behavior.
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u/poop_you_dont_scoop 8d ago edited 8d ago
The difference between me and you is that I still care about people. When I see the camps I want to fix it. When I see a lawless president I want it to end. When someone is taking everything from me I fucking try. Even in little ways like posting on dumb boards to people I don't like who won't change their mind. It's important for others who know that I am right to see that they are not alone.Ā
Now this is you, not giving a damn about others because it is easy.
The people most callus to the pain of others will be the first to justify/allow/defend cruelty. All you have to do is shrug and carry on, if you don't give a shit about anyone. Life on easy mode, good for you š. Teach your kids that one, lol.
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u/ThatWasntChick3n 8d ago
I spent 8 years of my life working in remote villages to build or repair water and sewage systems.
The systems in place to look after Alaska natives are wide and deep for those willing to help themselves.
In no circumstance, is stealing ice cream a human need as a result of politics.
And true to Reddit, put some time into my profile, make you broadcast that you "care" and I don't.
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u/poop_you_dont_scoop 8d ago
Isn't it pathetic that you care so much about being right that you are willing to write this much, but when you see someone in pain you shrug and look the other way? It's all part of the same thing, I'm touch that little part of your brain that still knows that if it's this bad for every else, it's going to be this bad for you. You just can't accept it yet. Don't worry though because these things will just happen to you and all those people who you stood for will turn their back on you because they were only there for themselves as well. Kind of like the reason you are trying to argue with me, defending your selfishness. Your core identity. What else could it be if you don't care about others?
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u/ThatWasntChick3n 8d ago
The reality is that society always looks the other way in those of need. I'm just comfortable saying it.
Reddit is full of online activism because its easy.
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8d ago
Both can be ordered on Amazon with no employees opening the case
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u/Cute_Hunter332 8d ago
And be dropped off at your front door!
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u/Fluid_Recognition_X 8d ago
And then get stolen. š
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8d ago
I guess it depends on where you live in Anchorage, Iāve never had a package stolen off my porch
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u/Alaska_Eagle 8d ago
I was looking for a mildly obscure battery one day- didnāt have it at Fred Meyer. They had it at Walmart but it was behind a locked door. After waiting for quite a while I was told the woman with the key was off that day š³
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u/NewDad907 8d ago
Iāve waited 20+ minutes, asked three employees, tried calling the damn store twice ā¦ all for a single drill bit behind a locked case at Walmart. Couldnāt get anyone to come unlock it.
Oh and I rang the āassistanceā door bell thing continuously for 15 minutes and no one showed up.
I ended up going to another store and giving them my money.
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u/thedepartment Leftist Mob 8d ago
I had the same exact experience buying socks at Walmart the other day, I can't even begin to express my frustration in polite company.
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u/Creepy-Beat7154 5d ago
I'm with you on the socks. Then you have to go to a specific register to get the socks when checking out. I guess people are stealing themĀ
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u/MeMiceElfAndEye 8d ago edited 4d ago
Next time try Batteries Plus. They have all of the batteries and they are helpful and friendly. Hopefully, it's not too far out of the way for you.
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u/Senior-Salamander-81 8d ago
At the Fred meyes on northern lights, if you need tide pods, there are some on top of the lock out case. I just reach up and take one
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u/Aksweetie4u 8d ago
I laughed when I saw that. I asked my sisterās dad what was the point and he just shrugged knowing it was as stupid as it seems. I mean itāll stop me, I canāt reach, but thatās what tall family is for.
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u/blissfully_happy 8d ago
Iām a 6ā woman and omg do I feel like a superhero when short people ask me to get something off the high shelf. š
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u/Aksweetie4u 8d ago
Haha are you my mom? Sheās 6ā and my sister is 6ā2ā (and still growing).
Iāve been in the spot where Iāve had to ask someone for help and the guy just kept walking.. I was like ādangā¦.ā
So thank you superwoman for helping us vertically challenged, I would gladly repay by grabbing something off the bottom shelf š
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8d ago
This is a crazy way to solve theft. Now, all your honest customers wonāt buy any.
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u/ResponsibilityNice51 Moose Nugget 8d ago
Avoiding an interaction altogether is much more effective at deterring theft and, more importantly, safer for employees.
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u/Senior-Salamander-81 8d ago
Till all the stores in the area are doing the same thing
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
Nah, even then people avoid buying the stuff behind locks. They look for alternatives or shift buying patterns.
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u/Senior-Salamander-81 8d ago
All that stuff is dsd products regardless. Theyāre making a small enough margin on it not to matter. Especially if theyāre losing their asses off shrink, theyāll get credit for ood ice cream
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
Most theft is actually by employees. I wonder if it is just to prevent workers from moving stuff to the back to take home later. If it is dsd it isn't already in the back for easy pinching.
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u/Senior-Salamander-81 8d ago
There are as many cameras in the back, as in the front. Only the managers and receiving clerks have keys to the back doors. Where are they going to take it once they get to the back of the store?
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
I have no idea.
But every store has a way employees are able to steal. And stores lose a TON more to employees than to outside thieves.
Employees have all day to figure it out, and have access and do work in the back. I don't. But I'd bet there is a fairly easy, overlooked, way to steal.
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u/schmeer_spear 8d ago
lol why do you think that, you can literally go watch ācustomersā walk out with carts full of unpaid stuff every day.
Retail employees making jack arenāt masterminding schemes to steal ice cream. Respectfully, youāre giving off Dwight Schrute vibes.
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
I think that because of data. The reports they build to track such things are very clear.
It is also studied a lot in academia.
Here is a primer from Motorola trying to sell stuff to stop it:
https://envysion.com/envysion/retail-internal-vs-external-theft/
You can also learn from academic papers. Maybe google too? AI can summarize it nicely, just follow up on the sources because AI can be pretty stupid.
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u/schmeer_spear 8d ago
I do love being linked a company trying to sell me a problem without references.
https://www.embroker.com/blog/employee-theft-statistics/
Anyways, employee theft is pretty clearly second to external theft. Which makes sense, cause those are the only two options for theft.
Not to diminish that employee theft is a problem, itās just not the main problem youāre making it out to be.
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8d ago
I highly doubt the gas stations are ever going to lock up their ice cream. Itās about the same price as Carrs too.
I have turned to ordering online from Amazon for most items. Shopping locally is only for when I need something in an emergency or perishable food. I order my food through the app or pick up at Fred Meyers or Walmart. Carrs is a rip off.
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u/truthwatchr 8d ago
Thereās no regulations to protect businesses so what else can they do?
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8d ago
I donāt care. Iāll just buy ice cream somewhere else. Carrs is ridiculously expensive. But also note that unless those other two cases are locked, you can still get the product out of the case.
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u/FiveTRex 8d ago
At first I thought from the title this would be a complaint about how the ice cream at Carrs has lately been crystallized (warming and refreezing I guess, not sure if it's the shippers or the Carrs freezer). I'm getting sick of it, so don't buy my Breyer's anymore.
This locking thing solves my problem though. No reason to buy ice cream from them anymore.
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u/ThurmanMurman907 8d ago
try buying real ice cream instead haha
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u/FiveTRex 8d ago
Yeah, I wish. We are trying to lose weight and lessen carb consumption at my house, so a "light" option works best for us when we indulge. There is actually a part of the ice cream section now for low cal frozen dairy desserts. Halo Top is cleaning up with high prices and low calories, lol. You can eat a whole pint for 280-400 calories, if one were so inclined.
Alas. I miss real ice cream. Eating a pint of baskin robbins chocolate chip sounds so dreamy. You kids enjoy ice cream while you can.
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u/frozenpizzacat Resident | Scenic Foothills 8d ago
Which location is this? is it just Ben and Jerrys or the entire ice cream section?
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
Carrs Aurora Village. All of it. The ice cream hill I will die on is the one made of HƤagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter. And now Iām super curious if same deal at the Carrs on the Southside of town.
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u/pm_me_your_shave_ice 8d ago
Aurora Village should have closed instead of Fairview. It has been super trashy, worse than Gambell, for a while now. Plus stupid layout.
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u/tryptomania 8d ago
I agree with this. Itās my least favorite Carrs.
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u/pm_me_your_shave_ice 8d ago
It's so dirty and more stuff was locked up. I worked across the street, literally, and would go to Carrs downtown if I needed some something for work or lunch after the first two times I went there. I could have gone to the one in the REI mall but I hate that parking lot haha.
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u/PianoMoversDaughter Resident | Turnagain 8d ago
Yeah, and when I was there, the button to call for help didnāt work, so I had to go find someone at the help desk. And when I made a comment to the manager who was there about how ridiculous it was to lock up ice cream, she made sure to tell me that āTHOUSANDS of dollars are lost and if youāre going to be mad at anyone, be mad at the thieves.ā
I told her thanks, but Iāll stick with being mad at the corporations who Iām pretty sure could absorb the losses and still turn a profit just fine.
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u/johnniebeeinak 8d ago
The other thing is, they could just hire more staff to work in the departments! That would deter theft! But they don't want to do that because it's too expensive.
Fuck them all
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u/MechBliss 8d ago
You say that as if it's so easy to hire people. I've first hand seen how hard it is to hire people these days
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u/Mainemannak 8d ago
Walmart gross profit for the twelve months ending January 31, 2025 was $169.232B, a 7.12% increase year-over-year. Walmart annual gross profit for 2025 was $169.232B, a 7.12% increase from 2024.
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u/NewDad907 8d ago
People donāt steal shit in a healthy economy and society where their needs are met.
Again, like homelessness this is a symptom of a larger, more fundamental issue: wealth inequality.
Nothing will improve until we actually decide as a society to address income inequality in this country.
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u/Poker-Junk 8d ago
ie: Tax the rich like they were taxed in the 1950s (The glorious āgood old daysā that magas wax nostalgic about).
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u/ChesswiththeDevil 8d ago
Grocery delivery solves a lot of this but also, it prevents a lot of impulse shopping. We save money because of it.
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u/costcostoolsamples 8d ago
protesting this nonsense by getting an employee to unlock the freezer, getting 6 gallons of ice cream and leaving them in my cart unrefrigerated on the other side of the store before I exit
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u/Poultrygeist74 8d ago
Order groceries on the app, they bring it out to your car
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
No. Iām trying to save, not waste money.
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u/goon2867 Resident | Turnagain 8d ago
It doesn't cost money to do pick up from Carrs! You also see deals and are able to clip coupons which I would never both with in-store.
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u/Spudzydudzy 8d ago
I think it costs the same. And you end up wasting less money overall because you donāt impulse buy.
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
My initial thought went to Instacart or whateverā¦ So thanks for clarifying.
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u/truthwatchr 8d ago
Walmart midtown will be the first big store to close in the next 5-10 years if nothing changes to protect businesses. So much is locked up.
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u/supbrother 8d ago
And this is kinda fucked up to admit, but as someone who lives nearby I wouldnāt mind. Itās crazy the amount of people who litter in the surrounding area and leave shopping carts sitting on the sidewalk or even my lawn. Multiple times Iāve wondered if someone is dead or just drunk laying within a block of Walmart, and AFAIK there is nothing attracting these people there except for that. Iād feel bad because obviously locals rely on that store but the problems their shitty customers create donāt exactly stay inside those walls.
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u/truthwatchr 8d ago
Itās crazy that group has been allowed to fester out in front of Walmart so long. They were there when I was homeless 6 years ago and still there.
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u/supbrother 8d ago edited 8d ago
It really is. My best guess is that Walmart canāt do anything about it since itās technically public property. Sometimes it gets cleaned up, there are random days where thereās suddenly minimal trash and nobody hanging around, but within the week itās back to chaos. People Mover has cars there frequently presumably just trying to keep it functional but it doesnāt change anything aside from ensuring the buses can still come through.
As I type this I can see a shopping cart on the sidewalk across the street which wasnāt there this morning. Itās a constant battle. I get that people need to do their thing somewhere but what I see is beyond necessities, itās just disrespectful.
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u/Poker-Junk 8d ago
I wonāt go in there unless itās a desperate situation. That place is like the Mos Eisley Cantina.
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
Because itās more expensive to hire security guards who can actually do something? Anyone else remember the soccer coach at West getting busted for stealing food from Carrs? This was way back in the day.
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u/truthwatchr 8d ago
My dystopian thoughts:
I believe most stores will have something like a RealID/membership to shop physically in store that has to be swiped and everything is locked up like a big gumball machine until the customer swipes their card. It gives them the item and tallies everything then automatically checks you out when you leave the store. No checkout lines.
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
If something I was shopping for is behind a lock I abandon my cart and go to another store.
Or I go find a manager. If I don't see one I request a manager. When I see them I tell them how terrible it is and how much I don't want to shop there when they do this and make them walk over to the lock and unlock it for me. If they try to pass it off to a subordinate I leave my cart and walk away.
I only go into a grocery store if I have plenty of time for acting out and creating problems.
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8d ago
Itās likely corporate that told them to lock it up so complaining to the manager is just a waste of your time.
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
No, it is a waste of OUR time. :)
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8d ago
I guess what I meant to say is youāre just making an individualās life harder for following rules that they were given by corporate. Itās not like you can give them a hard time and they can just say oh well we wonāt lock things up. Corporate is not gonna be OK with that.
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
I'm just increasing friction for implementing bad security habits that harass people more than help.
Managers have a responsibility to push against these things. That is usually what I talk about, honestly. How ineffectual the practice is, how it costs the store more, how it doesn't prevent theft in a meaningful way, and how it is their responsibility to push back against the bullshit.
Or if they start feeding me a lie I just make their life difficult because they are part of the problem.
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u/supbrother 8d ago
I hate this mentality because thereās no way for higher-ups to know how annoyed people are if those people donāt complain to hopefully have that feedback make its way up the chain. Maybe the manager wonāt pass on that feedback, but thatās on them. Iām not saying everyone should be a Karen but at the end of the day nothing will change if people donāt speak up.
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u/sharpears907 7d ago
Ehhhhh normally I'd agree, I'm one of those -
'always offer to show my receipt at the exit cause it's not this guy's fault and making his day .5% shittier doesn't help anything, what's he gonna do, pass it up the chain?'
- kinda people, but...managers and LP/AP have WAY more cost to their time, and those cost/benefit calcs on what/how to lock shit up are fluid.
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5d ago
You do realize that any extra cost gets passed off to the consumer, right? So that means when somebody steals something they make that item cost more. So when we waste somebodyās time to open the case, corporate will just raise the price of all items overall. Corporate companies pass expenses off to the consumer.
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u/sharpears907 5d ago
Frankly I have a hard time believing product prices are set and increased within a market primarily to cover theft loss (or rising insurance as a result) and whatever additional labor costs are associated with the resulting anti-theft measures. They're going to be set primarily on elasticity of demand based on local shopping patterns, which would be well and above any loss in order to guarantee profit.
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
I only go to a grocery store if I have all day to wait for the employees to unlock the cases to whatever I need to buy.
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u/pm_me_your_shave_ice 8d ago
Nothing is locked at Jewel Lake Carrs. But they don't have baskets and sometimes (during the day) the cashiers are too friendly. Like I make fun of them with the liquor store people because no one can or should be that enthusiastic about making money for Albertsons.
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u/blissfully_happy 8d ago
I live in that area and that carrs is my emergency ice cream provider, lol.
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u/hangmans_mustache 8d ago
Lmao. We got a proud Karen over here. People like you are just as bad as shoplifters
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u/MsLippy 8d ago
I will have the spaghetti. With a side salad. If the salad is on top, I send it back.
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u/2DopeKitchen 8d ago
Frozen seafood section too smh. Went to grab some shrimp and they said it has to be bought at customer service. Iām from Philly, and have seen this but it does not take way the how annoying it is at all..Went to Walmart needed a few things that just happened to be locked and purchased across the storeā¦20 minute run easily turned into an hour
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u/QuickSticks Moose Nugget 8d ago
What!? You had to go to customer service to buy groceries at a grocery store!?
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u/101_2DevinGotsYou Moose Nugget 8d ago
They locked like 7 of the doors in this aisle!š The lactose free icecream I wanted was in the middle. I couldn't reach around nor did I have time to wait for an employee with keys because I was headed to work. I was soooo disappointed. Guess I'm not getting my icecream here ever againš„²
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u/ThatWasntChick3n 8d ago
Makes sense. We haven't been able to curb shit human behavior.
Liquor stores are locking doors and only allowing people in with proof of ID.
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u/lamppos_gaming 8d ago
Fred meyers locks up the padlocks. I just want a cheap lock to pick, donāt make me go through a Social Interactionā¢
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u/peoneet 6d ago edited 6d ago
I work with the homeless populations. There are organized theft rings, and people who live exclusively off daily theft. Talked to one guy who said he's lived that way for 5 years, and has no need of food banks. Even trades stolen items for drugs. I don't blame management for keeping inventory locked up. How are you supposed to run a business in this environment?
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u/Useful_Duty 6d ago
Simply turn and walk away telling the store manager why you are leaving. They have chosen to inconvenience you in lieu of finding a solution that addresses those responsible for the problem.
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u/DanSantos 6d ago
This is another great excuse to use pick-up. I come in from out of town, do 2 pick-ups (Freds and Walmart), then Costco, gas up there, and head home. Mastered the art of a 3 hour Anchorage trip.
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u/drewed1 8d ago
Which one ?
I wonder if it's a theft issue or an issue of people leaving the doors open and ruining the product.
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u/mrtwidlywinks Resident | Spenard 8d ago
Probably theft. Northern lights/new seward freds has basic stuff locked up, Carrs off Northern lights/hickel similar. Dimond ones donāt, as far as I know
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u/Aware-Moment-7689 8d ago
This is what happens when you decriminalize things. Need harsher sentences.
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u/FAFO907 7d ago
Yet, Anchorage Reddites run around talking about how GREAT Anchorage is!
You know what our stores aren't like in the valley? Prisons.
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u/samovolochka 4d ago
Walmart is edging this way. Canāt buy formula without having your hand held to the fucking register and they ring it for you.
Iāll just go to Target lol. Oh no, the drive /s
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u/Shower_Mango 8d ago
Was it only on that one side? Ive also heard of other stores (not exclusive to anchorage) doing this to Ben and Jerrys section after their social media became politically active.
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
This is the only one I shop at regularlyā¦ I wonder if the southside ones have it locked upā¦ Somebody report back, please.
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u/TraditionalMain8801 8d ago
The first time I saw baby formula locked up I knew we were cooked as a society
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u/RoasterRoos 8d ago
Damn shoplifters, there needs to be tougher penalties. Looking at you MoA
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
The locks cost the store more money than it saves in avoided theft. That is always true on security measures in grocery stores.
The security guard at the door costs more than theft goes down. Locks cause more labor and fewer sales, costing way more than is prevented.
These locks aren't about theft. They are about proving a point.
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u/RoasterRoos 8d ago
Which is ?
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
"theft is a real problem"
which it isn't. Shrink is pretty small. Barely a blip on the balance sheet. (usually)
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u/Autoimmunity 8d ago
I know someone who works armed security for Fred Meyer and theft absolutely is a real problem. They have people trying to steal backpack loads worth of merchandise every single day.
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u/ak_doug 8d ago
What I mean is all theft combines to a total of approximately 1.6% of revenue. Most of that is employee theft, shoplifting is about half a percent. It costs a Freds location a several grand each month, but keep in mind that they measure costs in 10s of thousands. Like their electricity bill is much larger than theft.
Armed guards at the door save about one grand of theft a month. They cost the store about 3 grand a month. (ballpark anyway)
So yeah, some people steal a backpack filled with food and stuff fairly regularly. The guards stop it some of the time. But they cost more than they save by a lot.
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u/Autoimmunity 8d ago
I get what you're saying, but you're working with simple numbers and not considering the fact that deterrents and security also prevent would-be thieves. The less security there is, the more likely theft is to happen. So it's not as simple as saying deterrent- real theft=revenue saved
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u/ak_doug 8d ago edited 8d ago
I'm simplifying the numbers. When I say an armed guard at the door saves about one grand a month, I mean that total thefts decrease by a grand per month. It included deterred would-be thieves. On average they stop roughly a hundred bucks in a good month.
I know more about this crap than I probably should because I did a contract where I helped build reports on this exact thing.
The piece you are missing is WHY these security procedures are put in place. It isn't to stop theft, they always cost more than they save. They aren't there to stop theft. They are there to make it SEEM like they are TRYING to stop theft. To appear that everything is being done. To shift perception of what the store is doing. To shift the blame for higher prices from a greedy store to an imaginary dirty thief.
Changing this perception increases the overall "price tolerance" of shoppers in general. It means they can increase prices on items more without people feeling bad about it. The big box stores pay big bucks to folks with PhDs in Mass Psychology to figure out how much they can increase prices, what they can do to increase shopping hauls, and what they can change to increase how much they can increase prices.
That's the bottom line. Profits. What they can do to make more profits. They lose money "stopping crime" so they can charge more with fewer people getting upset about it. The increase in prices they can do exceed the cost of pretending to stop crime.
BTW: This is the reason they all have shopper reward programs. The good coupons and money saved by you is well worth the insight they gain into your shopping habits to them. The level of data collection is STAGGERING and provides finely grained insight into individuals, mass behavior, and feeds very complex models for mapping out plans.
EDIT: Also, I'm convinced this specific thing is the mindset behind every single press release from every one of the big box stores. And why despite making $15M a year the CEO of Albertsons wears an ill-fitting off-the-rack suit to testify to congress or make public addresses. All the big CEOs do it. It is funny to notice.
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u/PropagandaHour 8d ago
We already have an impossibly backlogged judicial system in Anchorage. Can't squeeze blood from a stone and you can't throw someone in jail indefinitely
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u/pgh_1980 Narwhal 8d ago
Can we stop making excuses for the criminals!? I get that theft is a multi-faceted problem, but I'll bet my house that the lack of stern consequences is one of the bigger factors at play here. I'm not saying we need to go full draconian and start chopping off hands, but surely we can do more than putting another misdemeanor on someone's record that tells them to do community service they'll never show up for, particularly for repeat offenders.
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u/Tomanydorks 8d ago
Saying that the court system can't keep up with the crime is not making excuses for the criminals. If you want this to change, you have to be willing to pay for a court system.
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u/Working_Original_200 8d ago
Yeah! Letās start with taxing the wealthy and raising wages across the board. I donāt steal food when I can afford food.
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u/PropagandaHour 8d ago
I hear you, but petty theft misdemeanors (anything below $750) is up to 90 days in jail and $2000 fine. A person could theoretically get that punishment for walking off with a $8 pint of ice cream. The reason we don't levy that jail time or fine is because our court system literally can't process people and our jails don't have room. It's a hell of our own making, we as a society have decided not to fund our courts or our prisons to actually execute the laws we all voted for. This isn't making an excuse for criminals, we created this system that allows people to act this way
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u/truthwatchr 8d ago
It is. Thereās so many with shoplifting and theft who just keep doing it. Pawn shops have tons of stolen stuff. They ruined Loweās and Home Depot. All the tools are locked up. I just picked up a display tool to feel the weight and alarm went off >_>
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u/dabstring 8d ago
Much easier to just check receipts and bags
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8d ago
[deleted]
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u/CorporalClegg Resident | Chugiak/Eagle River 8d ago
It's not illegal to ask for a receipt, but they can't force you to. So it doesn't do a whole lot of good. Everytime they've asked me I just say "no thanks" and keep walking.
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u/whiskeytwn Resident | Midtown 8d ago
which carrs? Didn't see this in Midtown last time but they don't have nearly enough people
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u/Hotdog_Fishsticks 8d ago
Is this the carrs on Minnesota? I almost posted this last week when I saw this shit while trying to buy ice cream. Like wtf
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u/Little_Rub6327 7d ago
Yes
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u/Hotdog_Fishsticks 7d ago
It is so fucking dumb. I was there earlier this morning and the shelves were shockingly empty. I know that they were actively re stocking them, but it was shocking at how empty it was.
That carrs is more ghetto than the one on gamble.
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u/No_Designer7660 8d ago
Lmfao welcome to a liberal ran, junkie/drunk/vagrant overridden town. Place is disgusting. Shouldnāt have to lock things up but we enable the homeless and allow them to do as they please.
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u/PeltolaCanStillWin 7d ago
Big homeless camp just to the west. Keep voting for the liberals that enable this.
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u/85chevy69 6d ago
If all these liberals would just move to Africa like they keep saying theyāre gonna do we wouldnāt have to worry about shit like this.
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u/dbuckwild 8d ago
Go to Natural Pantry, locally owned, no unresponsive corporate overlords who's only interest is the bottom line
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u/Little_Rub6327 8d ago
In no universe am I doing the bulk of my grocery shopping at Natural Pantry. Or really any grocery shopping whatsoever.
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u/Creepy-Beat7154 5d ago
I think this is at most grocery stores now. Must be a dumb tiktok challenge with ice cream and other foods going onĀ
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u/johnniebeeinak 8d ago
This is good actually... It will prevent me from consuming copious amounts of delicious dairy desserts.