A Walgreens employee describes routine theft at his store — and how he's not allowed to stop it

• Retailers have raised the alarm about shoplifting for years.
• But a Walgreens employee said he's effectively barred from action when he sees a theft in progress.
• Walgreens and other drugstore chains have locked up items in response to theft.

Walgreens is one of many retailers that have called attention to theft from its stores in recent years.

But one store employee says that the company is keeping its staff from doing anything about the problem.

The employee, who is a customer service associate at a Walgreens store, said retail theft is a regular occurrence at his location. The employee asked not to be named in this article, citing fear of retaliation at work, though Business Insider has verified his identity.

One of the most stolen categories of products at the store is cosmetics, especially serums and other small items that sell for $50 or more each, the employee said. Their small size makes them easy to slip into someone's pocket or clothes, he said.

An employee at the store has started taking the beauty products out of their boxes, keeping them in the store's back room, and putting the empty boxes back on the shelf, the employee interviewed by BI said.

The employee said that customers who want to purchase those items then have to ask an employee to retrieve them from the back, in an improvised anti-theft system.

"That's not a prompting from Walgreens or the store manager or anyone," the employee said.

Employees have devised such measures on their own because they're "sick of nothing being done."

The employee said personal care items such as deodorant and toothpaste are also common targets for thieves .

One thing the employee said he could not do is pursue or question people who appeared to be taking items without paying for them.

The employee recalled one recent incident involving a woman who appeared to have products stuffed into her clothes. While standing in line with some other products on the conveyor belt, she suddenly claimed that she had forgotten her money in her car, left the line, and exited the store.

The employee said he followed her out of the store — and got reprimanded by his manager for it.

"I saw her get in a car, and they sped away," the employee said. "When I came back in, I was told, 'You can lose your job for doing that.'"

"I didn't even say anything to her," he said. "I just wanted her to see that I know what she's doing." Other retailers, including Walmart , have similar policies.

Training materials that the employee said he reviewed when he started working at Walgreens say that the store can turn over security camera footage to local police in some cases. But the employee said he's unaware of that ever happening at his store.

Major retailers, from Target to Lowe's, have talked about losses and other issues that they've faced from theft over the past few years.

Getting estimates of how much theft is costing retailers has proven difficult, though.

Many stores, including drugstore chains like Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid, have locked up everything from toothpaste to laundry detergent in an effort to deter thieves. But that can backfire by making shopping harder for customers and delivery workers for services like Instacart.

The Walgreens employee said few items are locked up at the store where he works, aside from some electronics.

In June, Walgreens said that it planned to close some of its stores. While the chain didn't say exactly how many stores it would shutter, it did say that roughly a quarter of its 8,600 US stores don't contribute to its adjusted operating income.

The employee BI interviewed said the store where he works isn't scheduled to close. Still, he believes theft — and Walgreens' apparent inability to address it — is hurting business.

"It's no surprise that Walgreens isn't doing well, and this is a big contributing factor," he said.

"To deliver the best patient and customer experience and to ensure the safety of our patients, customers, and team members, we take certain preventative measures to address theft," such as installing anti-theft devices to protect merchandise, a Walgreens spokesperson said.

"These steps are taken in response to theft data and for that reason only, and these additional security measures allow us to improve on-shelf availability of products to customers," the spokesperson added. Walgreens did not respond to questions about its policies barring employees from taking action when they spot thefts occurring.

Do you work at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, or another major retailer and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com