Walgreens: Locking up the competition?

Here’s something odd. I went to Walgreens to pick up my favored brand of antacid/acid reducer. I found it in a locked cabinet, along with several other name brands each in their own locked cabinets. There was a notice saying the rather pricy name brands were secured for the protection of Walgreens’ customers.

The “house brands” were all displayed nearby, unlocked. They were lower in price but the highest-quantity packages were in the same price ranges as the lower-quantity name brand products.

Stymied, since my particular brand didn’t have a Wal-clone, I wandered off looking for someone to open the case.

Turned out I needn’t have bothered. As I returned to the aisle, I spotted a “sale items” shelf right behind where I’d been standing. And there was the large size expensive name brand product I wanted. Unlocked, and unprotected.

So: is Walgreens locking up the spendy name brands and leaving it’s cheaper store brands out, reasoning that shoppers will grab the handier brand and go?

Examine the photos and decide for yourself. Apparently my brand had discontinued the particular quantity packages, which may be why they were on sale and easy to grab.