The fee-of-living disaster has seen a steep enhance in shoplifting and consequently in measures taken by grocery store giants to protect items from being nicked.
Alcohol, meat and electrical items are all routinely fitted with anti-theft tags or saved in safe cupboards.
Nevertheless a Tesco retailer was not too long ago noticed taking issues to the subsequent stage – by putting chocolate bars in plastic circumstances.
The 120g Cadbury Dairy Milk caramel bars price £2.10 every, or £1.75 for Clubcard holders – and now should be launched by employees on the checkout earlier than buy.
Customers reacted with bemusement to the measure, which was noticed at a retailer in Seven Kings in Ilford, East London.
One, Kash Ali mentioned: ‘Instances are laborious, individuals will nick something.’
‘The case price greater than the chocolate bar’, one other named Angela mentioned.
A supply from the grocery store chain mentioned that safety selections are taken on a store-by-store foundation and denied it was new coverage.
This isn’t a very new follow – confectionery is usually offered in safety containers on the continent together with at some shops operated by the French multinational large Carrefour.
And it comes as main retailers have battled towards a rising tide of theft and are having to steadiness repelling shoplifters with defending their employees.
Lindt chocolate and £3.85 containers of Persil pods had been amongst gadgets protected at Sainsbury’s in Barnet in September.
Packs of ham had been additionally noticed fitted with safety tags at a Tesco in Blackpool.
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Some Tesco shops have additionally put in slidable plastic strips on cabinets in confectionery aisles.
Shoplifting reached a file excessive this yr,with greater than 530,000 cases reported within the yr as much as March 2025 alone.
Below the federal government’s new Crime and Policing Invoice, offences of shoplifting beneath £200 will not be handled as a ‘abstract solely’ offence in a deterrent in direction of can be offenders.
The invoice additionally creates a brand new offence of assaulting a retail employee.
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