mhg83

The flea market i go to on the weekends has at least two guys that have a crap load of dvds in a giant cd holder. Never has the cases for any of them.

Travis McClain

When I started working at my family's consignment shop, one of the first things I did was bring in a CD binder of mine. I put a sticker on each and every pocket, and numbered them 1 through whatever the last pocket number was. 192 or something, maybe? Anyway, when we put out CD's, DVD's or disc-sized video games, I would find an empty pocket, put the disc in it, and then write down on the ticket for the item in which pocket number its disc could be found. Then, the cases were all in plain sight and could be handled by our shoppers; they could see the price and everything but the discs themselves (which we gladly showed anyone who wanted to see them before paying).

What sparked this measure with used CD's and DVD's, that were rarely priced above $8 (CD) or $10 (DVD)? Someone ran off with the DVD for the copy of Star Trek: Insurrection that I personally brought in to sell.

milo bloom

This is how all the used places around here do it, but they move so much stock they have large filing cabinets with the numbered sleeves and whatnot.

Even if you didn't catch them, I think they received their punishment when they went to watch it...

DeepSleep

I live in Los Angeles. There are many bad areas in the city. Here is a rundown on stores and what they do:

Target - Spider cables on the big DVD sets and clear plastic security boxes on high value/popular DVD sets.

Kmart - DVDs locked up in a showcase.

Walmart - Selected DVDs in clear plastic security boxes.

BestBuy - Went with a friend last week and my friend bought a dvd. This particular Bestbuy now stops everyone as you are leaving the store and stamps your receipt. He asked why is this being done. The Bestbuy employee said it prevents someone coming back into the store and grabbing the item off the shelf again and then use the original receipt to walk out of the store with the 2nd item for free.

Fry's - They mark the receipt as you leave the store. (for the same reason as the above Bestbuy.)

Supermarket chain - I know a major supermarket chain here in Los Angeles that puts the sensor tags in high priced cuts of meat at bottom of the foam tray . (New York steaks, etc). People will come into the supermarket with a big purse or a baby stroller and tuck the meat packages under the baby/blanket and just stroll out of the store. Now at least they will beep as they leave...

I think there is a trade off, the store may lose some sales, but they will still have their merchandise, otherwise the store looses the merchandise to theft and they got zero revenue.

Lastdaysofrain

What kind of scumbag buys DVDs not in the case?

RM811

I went to Blockbuster to pick up Hellboy II on Blu ray and the gal working there could not get the key to work so they couldn't open the case. I had to go to another blockbuster to make my purchase. What a pain in the ass?

toddly6666

These guys do that all the time, Omar, Tony, and Willie - those dirty scumbags!

BuckNaked2k

Who in the world wouldn't want the packaging???

matome

A device like this will cut through the shrink wrap and three security stickers in about two seconds.

milo bloom

Seriously? I know plenty of folks that actually pay for their DVDs and videogames new from the store, everything legit and all that, but they'll leave the discs in piles on the shelf and everywhere. So, I imagine there's folks like that, or the kind that will put them in a big binder.

ben12

But who is going to buy something they can't sample? I want to flip through the pages, look at the art, etc.

jjcool

Why do you say that? Because their skin appears brown?

Maxflier

I'm not taking up for Borders because if the one here locked up DVD's then I wouldn't bother either, but for those complaining about having to get someone to unlock the case just so you can check the price: does your Borders not have the computers all over the store where customers can look up info/prices?

asianxcore

I think the obvious point some of us were making to the OP were that people steal. It sounds silly but a corporate/retail store is going to put their monthly/yearly shrink totals above most else.

DeepSleep

I was just browsing at a few on-line sites that have individual sellers hawking newer/popular dvd titles with "without case/artwork" or "DVD shipped in a paper sleeve" kind of listing.

I guess it is the new "bad economy business model". Steal the discs only from a retailer that just leaves the merchandise out on the shelf without the plastic security boxes or spider cable wrap. Offer the discs on-line and ship in a paper sleeve. Seems like a high profit margin $$ operation. No wonder retailers are trying to slow down the theft of dvds.

ernestrp

I tried to buy an ink cartridge that was locked up once. The only person around was the woman at photo counter. She call on the store loudspeaker for someone several times and no one ever came back. I waited about 15-20 minutes since she kept apoligizing and was cute. I finally left though and bought the PC at Target down the street

Then there was the time they started locking up razor cartridges up by the check-out counter. I figure go to the register where the RC are locked up and this person will have the key......NO! They kept calling for the manager/whatever to come to the front. After about 10 minutes she appears. She has a key chain with lots of keys and it takes her like 5 minutes to open it up.

BKenn01

Maybe if we cut off the hands of the thieves caught stealing that causes the practice?....Just saying.

Xbox69

I'm sure Blockbuster appreciates your business -- no matter what location you choose.

SethDLH

I think the best way to go about it is to have the large clear security shells over the case. You can't get the disc out, but you can still handle the case to look at it, and see the price. The lock and key is really a pain.

fujishig

Then you need people to continually put new stock into the plastic cases, though... and then you can't scan them anyway. And they'll take up a lot more shelf space.

Personally, I kinda liked the old Toys R Us method of tickets with a wall of laminated sheets, showing the front and back covers of each game (though I'm sure updating that and keeping them in alphabetical order was also a pain).

asianxcore

Yup. Also would like to add that many stores are using different kinds of security cases/protection because of the various sizes of DVD's nowadays. Many are very pricey, including stores that have Blu-Ray security cases as the Blu-Ray cases are thinner than your normal DVD cases (obviously).

Also from personal experience, it's a pain in the ass to un-sticker and sticker Sale prices on DVD's with security cases on. Trust me it's something employees don't really want to do but obviously we can't control how often people decide to steal.

tofferman

I use to shop at a Walmart in the Oakland/San Leandro, CA area, and knew the manager of their electronics department. After an audit (back in 2005), they discovered they had shrink, mainly of dvd's and cd's, totaling $150,000! After that audit, they installed locking cases for their electronic media.

The manager also told me of a particular incident whereby one thief took a baby seat out of the box, filled it with dvd's and then went to pay for the baby seat. They were caught (I believe), but it is no surprise that stores like Walmart uses locking cases nowadays.

jjcool

So, because they didnt unlock the cabinet that ink cartridges were in fast enough, you bought an new computer at a different retailer?

You must really hate waiting.

Travis McClain

Several of the used media businesses I frequent have done that for years, as well. It's actually where I got the idea. We rarely had enough discs to even fill half the binder, and most of the time they were mine anyway.

You know, this is what makes the whole thing bizarre for me. I would never have suspected a Trekkie of thievery. It just seems antithetical to the whole storytelling point of the franchise.

calhoun07

I know of one store that puts the price stickers on the spine. Would it kill all stores to do this?