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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Jem Bartholomew

‘It’s very brazen’: retail workers and shoplifters on the UK’s record theft statistics

Woman stealing bottle of wine and hiding it in handbag in supermarket
Retail staff say they have seen shoplifters load bags with alcohol and walk out of the store. Photograph: Vitalij Chalupnik/Alamy

It was about 8pm in Tesco Express and Katherine*, a shift manager in north-west England, was alone with her younger colleague when she noticed a man acting suspiciously in the aisle containing home goods.

The section – which stocked items such as laundry detergent and fabric softener – is behind plastic security barriers, so “he basically ripped it out the shelf, swept it into a duffel bag and walked out,” Katherine said.

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