Walgreens’ plan to combat increasing theft by locking products up at their stores has hurt sales, the company’s CEO said in a recent earnings call.

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.

Retailers have been faced with increases in shoplifting and retail theft. But anti-theft prevention can hurt retail sales, says the CEO of Walgreens.

Walgreens has finally figured out what most people already knew: When you lock up all the products, people will buy fewer things.

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the parent company of Duane Reade, acknowledged to investors during a Jan. 10 earnings call that the company's asset protection tactic of locking merchandise to prevent retail theft has slowed sales.

Walgreens' CEO talked about the flip side of investing in increased security on a recent earnings call.

Walgreens’ strategy of locking up merchandise — from deodorants to bags of M&M’s — to deter theft has backfired, according to CEO Tim Wentworth. “It is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately,

Tough times for retailers, who have battled out-of-control shoplifting and now say they’re losing money because of anti-theft measures. FOX 5’s Josh Rosenthal is in Northwest to explain why.