ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN / ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Walking into the Mission Valley Target, I had one goal: pick up a new deodorant and make it back to campus for my afternoon class. When I went  to the  aisle, I was met with a plastic wall separating me from the deodorant  I  longed for. Although I was annoyed, I sucked it up, and pressed the button on the case so an employee  could  come  and  unlock  the door that was in between me and my products. 

In the time that I waited for the overworked Target employee to come to the case, I realized I could have ordered my product on Amazon, saving  a trip for both myself and the Target employee. Once the employee unlocked the  door from me, I had the uncomfortable experience of selecting a deodorant scent with the pressure of someone looking over my shoulder. “Nurturing Coconut” or “Light Ocean Breeze?” Should I ask the employee what he thinks?

USD students and citizens across the country have been faced with the same issue the past few years. Products  in  many stores, especially in large cities, have become increasingly locked up.  What used to be a simple task — shopping for hygiene products — has turned into an awkward and time-consuming event. It’s not just deodorant. Oral care, hair products, lotions, contraceptives and more have been locked behind plastic cages in stores such as Target, CVS and Walgreens. 

I understand that stores do this because of shoplifting, which is a real problem that can harm a store’s revenue. The products that are locked up are probably the ones that are most commonly stolen. 

However, I believe that almost everyone  who feels the need to steal hygiene products, deserves free access to them anyway. There are too many people,  especially  in   San Diego, who struggle to afford housing  and food. I doubt  that spending money on  hygiene  products is  at the top of their concerns. While there are a few places in San Diego that  offer free  hygiene  products,  the city needs  to  do  a  better   job  of taking care of people who  struggle  to afford basic necessities. 

According to good360, 34% of teachers have seen at least one student skip school due to hygiene issues. This statistic rises to 42% students in 9th  grade and  higher.  Lack  of  access   to hygiene  products  is a  real issue, which may  cause people to shoplift  because they  lack  better options. Besides the occasional teenage kleptomaniac, the majority of people who risk arrest to steal deodorant or soap, really need them.

I try not to funnel all of my money directly to Jeff Bezos, but the locking up of hygiene products at stores has led me to start buying almost everything from Amazon. I’m not alone. Since the pandemic, brick-and-mortar stores have struggled to stay in business. In 2021, CVS announced that it would be closing 900 stores. Target, Walgreens and the like have also shuttered many of their buildings. 

If brick-and-mortar stores want to stay in business, they need to stop alienating their customers. Releasing products from their plastic cages, especially the cheap essentials such as deodorant and toothpaste, is just common sense.

Opening  up the  shelves would  likely  cause the  occasional theft. However, there are worse things happening in the world than a huge company like Target losing out on $7 so that someone can feel more clean. 

I’m not condoning shoplifting, but I think that stores need to reevaluate their priorities. Freeing the hygiene products from stores might actually make the world a better place, or at least, a less smelly one.

Locked cabinets at Target in Mission Valley hold basic necessities. Photo courtesy of The USD Vista