Walgreens’ plan to combat increasing theft by locking products up at their stores has hurt sales, the company’s CEO said in a recent earnings call.

Walgreens' CEO talked about the flip side of investing in increased security on a recent earnings call.

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the parent company of Duane Reade, acknowledged to investors during a Jan. 10 earnings call that the company's asset protection tactic of locking merchandise to prevent retail theft has slowed sales.

In an earnings call, executive Tim Wentworth conceded that locking products up might not be the best move for boosting sales.

The top executive at Walgreens lamented the loss of sales from putting items like toothpaste behind lock and key to crack down on rampant shoplifting that has plagued pharmacy chains around the country.

While locking up merchandise can reduce theft, it also deters paying customers, according to Walgreens. Over the years the pharmacy chain used strategy to combat shoplifting. CEO Tim Wentworth said the company’s decision to lock up products after reporting a 52% increase in stolen inventory has backfired,