Everyone knows when you walk into a Big Box store like Target or Walmart a few items are going to be locked up behind a counter or behind glass on shelves. Mostly you can make this assumption about anything that is over 20-30 dollars that could fit into a pocket and walk out. Electronics have been locked up forever. Baby formula is something relatively new to this list. As I was looking for any product containing pseudoephedrine (also behind the counter) to overcome my worst flu like symptoms in years, I stumbled a crossed something almost comically not locked up. What was it? The various gums and patches to help people quit smoking. Logically, these would seem to be a target for thieves due to some of the prices being upwards of $80 for a tiny box, and containing the same things/stimulants that people smoke cigarettes for.

Of course, these items wouldn’t be flying off the shelves because there is probably little to no black market created for selling aids to help quit smoking. Because most people that steal things are looking to feed some sort of habit not quit one. This does show one interesting point that there is very little extra curricular enjoyment to these various patches and gums probably making them harder to use if you actually would like to quit the nasty habit of smoking.

Do you find it funny what stores decide to lock up and the reasons behind the decision? Are you impressed that stores don’t NEED to lockup items that have the same ingredients as habits you are required to be 18 to start?