A Kmart shopper has revealed the lengths that some customers are going to get their hands on a viral product. There are items that the retailer puts out every few weeks that leave Aussies racing to their local.
But a particular nail glue has caught the attention of many and some are seemingly breaking into packets of press-on nails to steal small vials of it. Kelly McFarlane told Yahoo Lifestyle she couldn’t believe her eyes when she went to Kmart recently.
“It was insane, like it was trashed,” she said. “The beauty section was trashed, and all the nails were scattered everywhere on the shelves and there were ones on the floor.”
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Back in October, Kelly posted a video on TikTok raving about Kmart’s OXX Brush On Nail Glue.
The mum-of-three and teacher said the $5 item is by far the best glue for press-on nails.
“I’ve used every single glue… and this lasts so long…it’s literally salon quality,” she said.
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She’s not the only person who has praised the glue, with the item having a 5-star rating on Kmart’s website, along with rave reviews.
“This glue has been the best I’ve bought. Press-ons stay on for weeks. I used to use the one that came in the nail packs but now this is my go to,” wrote one happy customer.
“Easy to apply with brush and hardens nice and face definitely recommend,” added another.
But the video Kelly posted went absolutely viral and was seen by millions of people. It clearly didn’t take long for people to jump on the bandwagon.
But this hunger to have the viral nail glue has seemingly morphed into something far more hectic.
Kmart also sells press-on nail kits that have 24 nails inside the packet. Also contained in the $5 item is a tiny vial of the same OXX nail glue.
When Kelly went to her local Kmart recently, she saw shoppers had ripped out these vials and left the press-on nail kits on the shelf or on the floor.
Some of the packets had the opposite where the nails had been taken and the glue had been left.
She said it was “frustrating” to see customers act like this, especially considering both products are only $5 each.
Some replied to her TikTok video saying their local Kmart was fully stocked and had no issues in getting the glue, while others confirmed their stores looked the same as Kelly’s.
“That glue is IMPOSSIBLE to find,” said one viewer.
Retail theft a massive problem in Australia
Kmart recently started installing security gates at the exit of some stores that are very similar to the ones you see at Coles and Woolworths to detect and prevent theft.
It told Yahoo Australia that, as a retailer, “shrinkage” had been a challenge recently, and this was one measure to combat the trend.
“In line with good business practice, we have a number of initiatives in place, including upgraded equipment and gates, to help create a safer and more enjoyable shopping experience for our customers,” the spokesperson said.
They did not elaborate on plans to expand the initiative or how many stores the feature is in across the country.
A whopping 70 per cent of retailers in Australia had reported an increase in customer theft across the last financial year, according to the Australian Retailers Association.
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What’s even more wild is that the top 10 per cent of offenders are responsible for around 60 per cent of total harm, meaning many of these thieves are operating in well-organised networks.
Security, risk and communications expert Scott Taylor told Yahoo Australia some shoppers might feel overwhelmed by how retailers respond to this trend by increasing their anti-theft measures.
Everything from aisle width to product placement has been designed around security.
“Stall lighting, stall layout, positioning of people that are meeting and greeting, all those things have the impact,” Scott said.
“They’ll do additional CCTV, they’ll have their staff walking their aisles more to make sure they’re proactively bumping people and saying, ‘g’day’, because that’s the thing — people with good intent want to be noticed.
“If someone comes up and says, ‘Hey, can I help you?’ People with good intent go, ‘Oh, this is great, people are trying to help’. People with bad intent go, ‘man, everyone’s watching me, let’s go somewhere else’.”
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