Could Utah Stores Use Fog To Stop Smash And Grabs Robberies?

Retail theft has increased significantly in America since the pandemic and it has become more of a problem every year. This is from Capitol One Shopping site:  

Stores lost an estimated $86.6 billion to retail theft in 2022; projections indicate that in 2025, retail theft may cost stores over $115 billion. 

Smash and grab robberies where display cases are broken, and thieves run out with the goods. There are also times when people just walk in and load up items and walk out. Some retailers have closed stores in high crime areas. Other retailers have responded by locking up items or putting them behind the counter.  

We are not immune to this in Southern Utah. If you have been to Lowes and walked down the electrical wire aisle, you will find it locked and inaccessible without an employee.  

This fog maker is one of the ways retailers are combatting theft. If an alarm is triggered, the store is filled with a dense fog. It takes just seconds to deploy making it hard for thieves to see what they are stealing, much less get away. It was used in a jewelry store in England and the robbers immediately left without taking anything. 

It’s wild what people come up with for solutions. Can you imagine casually shopping and the fog machine goes off? Next the thieves will be wearing infrared goggles.  

There might come a time where we have to stop at the front counter for a picture and leave a piece of identification to go into a store. Or maybe grocery pickup becomes the only way you can shop in the future. Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad. I love grocery pickup.