title: Unlocking the condoms: The effect on sales and theft.
abstract: Community pharmacies may place condoms in locked displays or behind glass, thereby reducing access and consequent use.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Quantify sales and theft of condoms when condoms were unlocked and removed from behind glass in grocery pharmacies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Design. In this pilot study, condom displays were unlocked in selected pharmacies for three months. Participants. Eight grocery pharmacies in central Iowa agreed to participate. Intervention. Stores provided inventory at baseline, sales/theft thereafter in three monthly reports and sales for the same period one-year earlier. Outcome measures. Descriptive statistics quantified condom theft and sales. Number of pharmacies leaving condoms unlocked after the intervention was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Theft varied by pharmacy and ranged from an average of 1.33 boxes (units) per month to 27.33 per month. All stores experienced some increase in sales during the intervention. Two locations decided to re-lock their displays, only one indicated theft as the reason.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After removing condoms from locked displays, more condoms were purchased and stolen from the study pharmacies. Sales outweighed theft in all pharmacies.
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Elyria, Ohio. At the time of this study he was Graduate Research Assistant, Program in Pharmaceutical Socioeconomics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa. Iowa City, IA ( United States ).
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ashwood
authors.affiliation: Walgreen III Professor in Pharmacy Administration and Professor of Social & Administrative Pharmacy, Department of Clinical, Social & Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan . Ann Arbor, MI ( United States ).
authors.forename: Karen B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Farris
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa . Iowa City, IA ( United States ).
authors.forename: Shelly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa . Iowa City, IA ( United States ).
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Aquilino
authors.affiliation: Center for Social & Behavioral Research, University of Northern Iowa . Cedar Falls, IA ( United States ).
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losch
keywords: Condoms; Health Services Accessibility; Pharmacies; Theft; United States