[kergonath]

Around here in <some European country>, they do this quite often with stuff that tends to get stolen (video games and such) and stuff that they must not sell to children (like razor blades).

You just get a bit of cardboard from the aisle, and either the cashier gives you the item when you pay, or you retrieve it from a counter, showing the receipt.

It’s actually quite mind-boggling that their conclusion from their risk analysis is to get this high-tech solution with potentially much worse user experience, than the foolproof low-tech one that just involves them paying one more bloke.

[toast0]

It's not just paying the person to get your product after you pay for it; they also need to rearrange their space to store those things (many which are bulky) towards the front of the store. Locked cases are an in between step, need a person to help, but don't need a dedicated space at the front.

[kergonath]

Fair enough, this needs to be taken into account in the stock management.

That said, for bulky items there is either someone bringing them over, or a counter closer to where the stuff is stored (often in another building). They don't keep stuff like piles of large TVs at the front of the store.