Increased sales and thefts of candy as a function of sales promotion activities: Preliminary findings.
Price cuts and eye-level displays move product fast—and lift theft just as fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a small grocery-store experiment. They cut candy prices and put the sweets on bright end-aisle displays.
Sales and thefts were counted each day across several ABAB cycles.
What they found
Promotions doubled candy sales. Thefts rose just as sharply.
The pattern repeated every time the promotion came back.
How this fits with other research
Carter et al. (1988) showed the opposite trend. They marked high-loss items, posted theft graphs for staff, and daily thefts dropped from eight to two.
The two studies seem to clash. The difference is who got the intervention. In 1988 staff received feedback; in 1995 shoppers received deals.
Koop et al. (1983) and Dudley et al. (2019) also cut stealing, but they worked with one child at a time using tokens or differential reinforcement. Their results confirm theft can be shrunk, yet remind us the fix must reach the person taking the item.
Why it matters
Before you launch a flashy sales event, track both sales and shrinkage. If theft climbs, add staff feedback or secure displays rather than ending the promo.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Count items and thefts daily for one week before and during your next promotion.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
We used an A-B-A design to evaluate the effects of two commonly used promotional activities-price reduction and increased exposure, in combination and separately-on sales and thefts of candy at a grocery store. The combination of activities and the increased exposure condition produced the greatest increases in sales. The combination of activities was also associated with the greatest increase in thefts.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1995 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1995.28-81