Home Depot stores in the Bay Area have started to lock items behind cages due to rampant theft.

Workers told The Standard that the stores locked high-value items such as power tools behind the cages starting around January, but since then, even laundry detergent has been locked up.

“It used to be big-ticket items, but now even the detergent is locked up,” said one worker at the Emeryville Home Depot store, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Items behind lock, key and cage vary, from expensive power tools, spools of copper wire and lawn mowers to more mundane items like phone chargers, work gloves and shower drain covers.

READ MORE: Downtown San Francisco Target Plagued by Thefts, Workers Say

Laundry detergent, just across from the store entrance, is locked up at the Emeryville Home Depot. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

The workers said the cages are an effective deterrent for most thieves, but more savvy criminals can work around the cages, especially to access more lucrative scores, like items in the power tools section.

“A month ago, I saw these two guys just muscle off one of the cages, bare hands,” the worker said.

‘Very Inconvenient’ 

In the power tools aisle, which workers say is the most sought-after by thieves, all of the bottom shelves are under lock and key at the Oakland Home Depot on Alameda Avenue. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

But cages can also irritate customers trying to get basic items that are now locked up.

“I can’t unlock hardware because I don’t have the code, and they can’t unlock plumbing because only I have the code,” one worker said. “It’s very inconvenient.”

Another worker said the Home Depot stores in El Cerrito, San Leandro and Oakland stores have cages, but some Bay Area stores do not.

Staff at the Oakland Home Depot on Alameda Avenue said the cages were installed in December due to spiking theft.

Phone chargers, earbuds and backup batteries are under lock and key at Home Depot in Emeryville to stop potential thieves. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

“It just became a nuisance,” said a worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Scott Glenn, vice president for asset protection at Home Depot, told ABC News in a June 1 article that organized retail theft gangs were the reason the company chose to install cages on high-value items nationwide.

Glenn said Home Depot investigated more than one case of organized retail theft per day nationally in the past year as the company recorded around 400 cases of suspected organized retail theft. The thefts amount to losses of “billions of dollars a year,” according to Glenn. 

Power tools, some costing nearly $1,000, are locked up at the Emeryville Home Depot to deter thieves. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

Home Depot tells its staff not to confront suspected shoplifters but does employ trained asset-protection guards to challenge thieves. In April, a Home Depot employee was fatally shot in a Pleasanton store after confronting shoplifters.

A Home Depot spokesperson said locking items away is a common retail theft deterrent and the company is always looking for new ways to balance theft prevention without inconveniencing customers.

“As [organized retail crime] continues to be on the rise, we’ve incrementally increased the amount of products that are locked up. Power tools and other high value, high-risk products will always have multiple layers of security involved as they are some of the most desirable to bad actors,” the spokesperson said. “Most shoppers have expressed that they do not mind waiting on an associate to unlock the boxes because it means the product is consistently available in store.”

Homeland Security officials say dangerous groups like the Aryan Brotherhood, drug cartels and gangs from South America and Eastern Europe are sometimes to blame for organized retail thefts.

A Homeland Security Investigations report published in June 2022 said the average U.S. family will have to pay more than $500 a year extra for goods due to the impact of organized retail theft. 

The post Bay Space House Depots Locks Up Gloves, Cleaning soap Amid Rampant Theft appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Home Depot stores in the Bay Area have started locking items behind cages due to rampant theft.

Workers told The Standard that stores began locking high-value items like power tools behind cages from around January, but even laundry detergent has been locked up since then.

“It used to be high-priced items, but now even the laundry detergent is locked,” said a worker at the Emeryville Home Depot store, who spoke anonymously because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the press.

The items behind the lock, key, and cage vary from expensive power tools, coils of copper wire, and lawnmowers to more mundane items like phone chargers, work gloves, and shower drain covers.

CONTINUE READING: Workers say target in downtown San Francisco is hit by theft

Detergent, directly across from the store entrance, is locked at the Emeryville Home Depot. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

Workers said the cages provided an effective deterrent for most thieves, but more savvy criminals could move near the cages, particularly to gain access to more lucrative items such as items in the power tools department.

“A month ago I saw these two guys get out of one of the cages with their bare hands,” the worker said.

“Very uncomfortable”

In the power tool aisle, which workers say is the most sought after by thieves, the Oakland Home Depot on Alameda Avenue has all the bottom shelves locked under lock and key. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

But cages can also confuse customers trying to get hold of basic items that are now locked.

I can’t unlock the hardware because I don’t have the code, and they can’t unlock the plumbing because only I have the code,” said one worker. “It’s very uncomfortable.”

Another worker said Home Depot stores in El Cerrito, San Leandro and Oakland have cages, but some Bay Area stores don’t.

Employees at the Oakland Home Depot on Alameda Avenue said the cages were installed last December due to frequent thefts.

Phone chargers, earbuds, and backup batteries are locked away at the Home Depot in Emeryville to deter would-be thieves. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

“It just became a nuisance,” said one worker, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Scott Glenn, vice president of asset protection at Home Depot, told ABC News in a June 1 article that organized retail theft gangs were the reason the company chose to attach cages to high-value items nationwide.

Glenn said Home Depot has been investigating more than one organized retail theft case per day nationwide for the past year, as the company has registered about 400 cases of suspected organized retail theft. According to Glenn, the thefts amount to “billions of dollars a year in losses.”

Power tools, some costing nearly $1,000, are locked up at the Emeryville Home Depot to deter thieves. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

Home Depot instructs employees not to confront suspected shoplifters, but employs trained asset protection officers to challenge thieves. In April, a Home Depot employee was fatally shot in a Pleasanton store after confronting shoplifters.

Home Depot was not responding to requests for more information about incidents and safety procedures in the Bay Area at the time of publication.

Department of Homeland Security officials say dangerous groups like the Aryan Brotherhood, drug cartels and gangs from South America and Eastern Europe are sometimes responsible for organized retail thefts.

According to a Homeland Security Investigations report released last June, the average US family is paying more than $500 a year more for goods due to the effects of organized retail theft.

The post Bay Space House Depots Cage Instruments, Cleaning soap After Rampant Theft appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.