John Graham on Manitoba Liquor Mart thefts
October 31, 2019Manitobans have been voicing their ideas to prevent shoplifting, in response to growing frustration over brazen and sometimes violent thefts and robberies at Manitoba Liquor Marts.
The Consumers Distributing model may stop thieves from easily grabbing product off store shelves, but comes with other challenges.
John Graham, director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, said that model would erode the brick and mortar shopping experience for customers and would likely result in job losses for employees.
“The reality is the Consumers Distributing model isn’t going to fly in today’s consumer’s expectation of how to shop retail,” said Graham. “They’re either looking for a brick and mortar in-store experience where they can connect with different products or they’re looking to buy online.”
Graham said in the case of liquor stores, there are too many diverse product options to keep behind lock and key.
