Lowe's Combats Theft With Blockchain & RFID

[ClownLoach]

With the configuration of many of these stores, they could easily build a cage at the front wall for tools and other high value items. The pick up point could be past the checkstands and very easy for a customer to pay with a pull card, have the register send an alert to the cage of what item needs to be pulled, and as the customer is walking over there the cage employee retrieves the item and hands it off to them. Toys R Us used to have a set up like this for some items like video games a long time ago, it was basically a counter on the front wall and after you paid you took the ticket/receipt there and they got the item for you. Everything was in locked cases, it was not always staffed but they called someone over as you paid. Then if it was something bigger like a bike you had to go to the back door to pick it up.

What does it take to do a cage area, and inventory it so often like Circuit City did? It takes... LABOR. And these retailers do not seem to want to do anything that will cause them to use more labor*. So instead we get schemes like this.

*unless it comes to "buy online pick up in store" - then there are suddenly unlimited labor resources to make that work.

I think another issue with these home improvement stores is they display too much inventory on the floor. I know their model is basically not to have any backroom space so everything gets to the floor. This is a shoplifter's dream. The stores have way more inventory than they should have.

Prices at these home improvement stores are pretty bad. I buy various items every now and then and the pricing flat out does not make sense. It is clear they are operating on huge mark-ups and a lack of competition. For all the folks who went to Home Depot and Lowes as they were "cheaper" back in the 90's and it put the Payless Cashways, Ernsts, OSHs, and various other little hardware chains who were "so much more expensive" out of business, well, these two chains sure have all of us on prices now. I also find they often do not sell loose parts/pieces instead pushing "kits" that have more parts/pieces than you really need.

The Circuit City model with the backroom cage was actually lower payroll cost than the newer format stores where they moved to glass cases under displays on the sales floor. The older stores with backroom for all actually were more profitable to operate because of both lower payroll (no constant restocking, remerchandising, etc.) and lower shrink.

[arizonaguy]

I actually really like Home Depot and find it a fun store to browse.

My local Lowe's, on the other hand, gives me the creeps.

It's almost always empty (even with the Home Depot across the freeway is packed) and while I've found it sometimes has what I want when Home Depot doesn't, most of the time it just feels like a sterile and lifeless store that isn't all that fun to shop at.

I've started shifting more and more of my hardware shopping back to Ace Hardware. The pricing isn't really any worse than Home Depot / Lowe's and for a lot of items Ace actually seems to have better selections and/or better policies.

[storewanderer]

The Circuit City model with the backroom cage was actually lower payroll cost than the newer format stores where they moved to glass cases under displays on the sales floor. The older stores with backroom for all actually were more profitable to operate because of both lower payroll (no constant restocking, remerchandising, etc.) and lower shrink.

Let's hope some of these chains understand this. It sounds like Best Buy is on track.

Probably other overhead that can be saved as well; less space is needed as you squeeze stuff together better in a warehouse, lower insurance as you have less sales floor space open to the public...

[Alpha8472]

Anyone remember the Best Products and their catalog showrooms. The catalog was great. You could look at color photos of items and then order whatever you wanted. The items would come out on a conveyor belt.

[storewanderer]

Anyone remember the Best Products and their catalog showrooms. The catalog was great. You could look at color photos of items and then order whatever you wanted. The items would come out on a conveyor belt.

And Service Merchandise.