Timothy Wentworth, the CEO of Walgreens' parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, said during a recent earnings call that anti-theft measures in Walgreens stores affected the chain's overall earnings.

Despite efforts to prevent retail theft, Walgreens reported a 32% in "shrink," or a loss of inventory that can’t be accounted for through sales.

The CEO of Walgreens suggested that placing their products under lock and key may have actually backfired. "When you lock things up … you don't sell as many of them," he said. Walgreens’ plan to combat increasing theft by locking products up at their stores has hurt sales,

In a Q1 2025 earnings call, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth admitted that its approach to tackling shoplifting at its stores has backfired. That’s a likely result as an increase in asset protection usually leads to a dip in sales,

In a Q1 2025 earnings call, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth admitted that its approach to tackling shoplifting at its stores has backfired. Per Fortune, Wentworth spoke about the state of the company,