HEALTH & SCIENCE

MILWAUKEE STORES PUTTING CONDOMS BEHIND THE COUNTER

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL - Many convenience stores in Milwaukee have
again placed condoms behind the counter to keep shoplifters from
pocketing them, and some major pharmacy chains have placed them in
locked glass cases along with other frequently stolen goods such as
costly replacement razor blades. The difference, some advocates say, is
that making it more inconvenient to buy razor blades is not a matter of
public health. . .

Brad Clifford, a 27-year-old Milwaukee man, said he was surprised to
find condoms locked behind a glass door in the pharmacy at the
Jewel-Osco at 1100 E. Garfield Ave. After finally finding a store
employee with a key to the case, the employee watched over Clifford's
shoulder as he nervously made his selection. "There are a lot of them,
and I am trying to figure out what to get and he's just standing there,"
Clifford said. "I just decided to get the family pack so I wouldn't have
to go through that again.". . .

Other stores, such as Walgreens, mostly keep condoms in a highly visible
area in the store where thieves would be more concerned about employees
catching them in the act of stealing. Several Walgreens that had placed
condoms behind their counters have since been instructed to return them
to the sales floor, said Carol Hively, corporate spokeswoman for the
pharmacy chain, based in Deerfield, Ill. "It's our policy not to lock up
condoms," Hively said. "Shrink can vary from store to store, but in
general it is in the interest of public good and safety to keep the
condoms unlocked."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=547996

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