CAGED-IN SHOPPING — For decades, the Ralphs at 11727 W Olympic Blvd has been a staple for the West Los Angeles community. But as we move through 2026, the store has become a focal point for a controversial experiment in “hardened retail”: the high-security enclosed aisle.
While Kroger corporate defends these “cages” as a necessary response to the organized retail theft waves of 2024 and 2025, a growing rift is forming between the store’s loss-prevention goals and the actual human experience of buying a bottle of lotion.
Kroger calls it loss prevention — We call it loss of revenue
The “Double-Pay” Dilemma
The theory behind the enclosed high-security aisle is simple: isolate high-shrink items, such as laundry detergents, cosmetics and over-the-counter medicines (such as Alka Selzer, Pepto Bismol, etc.) and require a transaction before the customer leaves the zone…