Entries tagged 'raw materials'

Why CVS and Target Locking Up Products Is Backfiring - Bloomberg

None of that larceny is going to be thwarted by turning stores into plexiglass wastelands. But for the segment of theft happening off shelves, is putting products behind barriers an effective prevention measure? Although actual data is scarce, the answer seems to be yes. But that yes comes with significant caveats. Locking up merchandise “does work in the sense that it reduces theft” in the most basic way possible, says GlobalData’s Saunders. “The problem is it also reduces sales.”

I found this to be a really well-reported and balanced piece on the (growing) practice of locking up products by retailers.

This is something we always struggled with at our store. We were required by state law to have spray paint either behind a counter or in locked cases, but everything we did beyond that was prompted by our own experience. Paint markers were locked up or behind our counter. Expensive sets were behind our counter. We had a line of oil paint in stick form (“pigment sticks”) that were locked up. We came close to putting doors on an expensive line of oil paints.

We were a small business so we didn’t have great numbers on shoplifting. The monetary value of what was stolen was not a significant factor in our closing, but having to worry about it and manage it absolutely was. Arguing with customers about whether they had to leave their bag at our counter, or whether someone was “following them around,” is awful. Sometimes we caught shoplifters red-handed and had to worry about how they would react when they were confronted. I was threatened with a gun once, and we had several physical altercations over the years. Sometimes we noticed an item was missing after the fact and were able to pull video footage of it being stolen by a frequent customer. It was all soul-crushing, in aggregate.

So much of society just feels totally unsustainable right now, so put this down as one part of it.

Raw Materials Art Supplies is closing

tl;dr We love you, but Raw Materials Art Supplies will be closing permanently at the end of the year.

that was really hard to write. it was a decision that has been looming for a while, but our hand was forced by the looming legal threat explained there. now i am out in the market looking for new employment, which is not something i had ever really planned on having to do. but the more i uncover new opportunities, the more excited i get about the possibilities. certainly not the best timing, either calendar-wise as everything slows down for the holidays, or market-wise as the tech job market goes through an upheaval, but i am remain cautiously optimistic.

the holiday block party in the old bank district was a really great event. i didn’t even get around the corner to 4th street (spending my time between the bank and our store), but what i saw was tremendous. based on the traffic at the store, i have to say i liked the crowd a lot more than the typical art walk crowd. there was just less tension in the air. there seemed to be a lot more people from the neighborhood around.

we went to an event at the new cole’s the other night, and also picked up some sandwiches at the grand opening. there was always a fear that something would just be wrong with the renovation, but they appear to have done it right. i have decided to withhold judgement on the food until having a proper meal there. it was really strange being at the bar again. if i seem less than enthusiastic, it is because that place means so much to us. it is hard to process.

the association, a new bar next door to cole’s was a real eye-opener, though. they managed to stay fairly far under the radar, so stepping inside was a real treat. it felt like a really comfortable, contemporary neighborhood bar. not my usual scene at all, but i could imagine spending some time there.

i have been blogging at the raw materials site about the process of getting the store put together. this week is one of those where a lot of things should start to fall into place, at least planning-wise.

there are other complicating factors that are going to make the end of the month really chaotic, but i am actually perversely looking forward to it. i finally splurged on a macbook pro so that i can be more flexible about where i work from, and not have to deal with some of the hardware issues that were annoying me.

my beautiful wife celia, our website-less brother-in-law james, and i are going to open raw materials, an arts and architectural supply store in historic downtown los angeles. (where else?)

we are also opening a gallery, called winstead adams projects, that is currently without a permanent home. but that is not getting in the way of opening three shows in june — one at 436 s. main, which is where raw materials will be located, and two at either end of the pacific electric lofts on 6th street.

this has been brewing for quite some time, but really started to come together in the last couple of weeks. the biggest step forward was signing a lease for the store, which we did last friday. we came really close on another spot a little over a month ago, but someone beat us out for that space.

i'm not quitting my day job — this is a second job for all of us. who needs sleep?