Tesco, the UK’s leading supermarket chain, recently set new policies in motion to help fight skyrocketing shoplifting rates. They have taken a number of aggressive security steps to secure their stores. Efforts made by the grocery chain included attaching security tags on all manner of items from steaks to cheese within the first half of 2023. Moreover, coffee was substituted with counterfeit canisters to prevent pilferage at self-checkout kiosks.
It’s big, bad, and stealing all the headlines. As the BBC reported, Britain’s supermarkets are making big moves to push back against this trend. In the UK in 2024, shoplifting reached an all-time high. In reaction, grocery chains like Tesco and convenient store chain Greggs were some of the first to pivot. Today, Greggs made a bold move that would make any transparency champion proud. In areas with very high theft, they’ll move self-serve meals and beverages behind the register.
A video that’s been going around Instagram has captured a lot of people’s imagination, getting over 3.5 million views. The video showcases an accessibility technology problem at self-checkout kiosks. It depicts a can of tuna that did not scan correctly, resulting in the system throwing a false positive alert. While savage, this was in fact serious commentary that ensued after the decision, one Instagram handle cleverly captioning this news as “VAR Decision – Tuna Disallowed.”
The response from shoppers suggests a blend of laughter and exasperation at these new and extreme security precautions. As one Reddit user joked, “Do I really have to go through this much hassle trying to figure out if I’m at border control or Tesco? Supermarkets have become security checkpoints, rather than venues for community gathering and engagement.
Retailers are responding to the increasing issue of theft. Tesco’s pre-emptive move is a sign of the times supermarkets are currently living in. The fitting of security tags has extended beyond just a few items, as supermarkets strive to protect their inventories while maintaining customer satisfaction.
“What’s next? Drones to follow… you about the store?” – a user on Bluesky