Some M&S and Co-op stores have been placing a reduced level of high-value products on shelves in a bid to discourage thieves.
According to reporting by The Times, some M&S shops are displaying a limited number of steaks, while select Co-op stores have made similar changes around jars of coffee.
This comes as cases of theft have risen during the cost-of-living crisis, with the British Retail Consortium’s annual crime survey showing that there were eight million incidents of shoplifting between 2021 and 2022.
At M&S’ Harrow store in northwest London, one shopper spotted that there were just three steaks displayed, and said a worker had explained the limited on-shelf availability was to deter shoplifting.
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A spokesperson for M&S told The Times: “Like many other retailers, in certain stores where there have been high incidences of theft we will sometimes limit the number of higher-value items that are on display to deter shoplifters and keep our colleagues and customers safe.
“If a customer wants more of a particular item than is displayed on the shelf, our colleagues are always on hand to help.”
Earlier this week, one Twitter user posted that her local Co-op store had introduced ‘dummy’ jars of coffee.
Each empty product included a sticker which read, “This product is a dummy. Not For Sale. Please ask a member of staff for help.”
A Co-op worker responded to the post: “Shoplifting is a hard issue for all food retailers to manage, but for us, protecting the safety of our colleagues is the most important thing, as we know shoplifting can be a flashpoint for violence against shopworkers.
“A small number of our stores who are seeing rising crime levels will use product security measures like ‘dummy products’ to help manage the issue.”
