says its new concept store in Chicago is designed to be more convenient for customers and has nothing to do with theft rates, even though it severely restricts direct access to merchandise. Some shoppers say the design treats everyone who enters the store as a potential criminal.
Sadly, whatever the view, the chain’s big bet is the sort of reality-based innovation emerging among retailers seeking to survive as law and order breaks down in many American cities. The problem is, dealing with crime is not Walgreens’ job or the job of the private sector in general. It’s the government’s job, and that’s why we pay taxes to fund law enforcement. It is, however, becoming more evident that it has to be Walgreens’ job, as social and political dynamics redefine what constitutes civilized society.