Blocks of cheese on sale in a supermarket for £2.50 have been locked in secure cases to prevent shoplifting amid the cost of living crisis. Other products - including meat items - are also being put in plastic cassettes which have to be opened by cashiers in the Co-op, reports StokeonTrentLive.
A warning on the cassettes states: "Caution. Security device must be removed at the checkout before leaving the store."
Citizens Advice chief executive Simon Harris said: "We are seeing increasing numbers, who are really struggling to meet their basic day-to-day living costs. With the increases in fuel prices, council tax, rent and so on - it’s squeezing household budgets beyond reasonable levels and I think people may find themselves having to resort to extreme measures just in order to survive.
"I am not surprised shops are finding themselves having to do this. If shops think that it is a serious enough problem and this would deter people from shoplifting then that’s what they have to do. I’m not sure if it’s a solution, the solution would be removing the need and to put more money in the pockets of the poorest families."
He added: "Poorer families are, and will find it harder to, cover their basic living costs. We’ve seen this building for a while, probably for several years. We’ve seen the usage of food banks increase dramatically.
"There are three things we’d advise people to do. The first is to check that they are getting all the money they are entitled to - and we can help them do that.
"Secondly, have a look at your weekly budget and see if there’s anything left in there that isn’t essential and whether you can cut back to free up some money for essentials. Thirdly, make sure you are given the support you are entitled to. For example, we’ve been giving out fuel vouchers which have come from the city council’s household fund and there’s the £150 council tax rebate coming at some time in the near future."
The Co-op decides on its security measures on a shop-by-shop basis. A spokesman said: “The technology is used in local stores where needed, in particular on higher-value items. It sits alongside a range of security measures used to deter and detect shoplifting.”
