Supermarkets in Liverpool city centre have begun to put security tags on unusual items.
Tags are typically used to stop shoplifters from stealing high-end products like clothes and jewellery. But they can be used to stop thieves from taking normal foods like cheese and meat.
According to The Grocer, a weekly food news magazine, theft has soared since the beginning of the year. At the same time inflation has hit 9.1% and a 40-year-high in May.
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The ECHO went to see whether the city’s supermarkets had slapped on extra tags to stop people from taking items without paying for them.
Tesco Old Hall Street
A handful of products were surprisingly tagged in the Express store. Infacol, advertised as an “effective colic relief” and priced at £6.35, was given a security sticker. Other unexpected items which were protected included deep heat, non-branded coffee and Sensodyne toothpaste. Aptamil, a breastmilk substitute for babies which can cost up to £12.50, was also tagged.
Sainsburys Old Hall Street
Expensive items such as steak and chicken were predictably labelled with a yellow alarm sticker. According to the Daily Mail, lucrative meats are some of the most stolen food products in Britain. Discounted bars of Dairy Milk original, Fruit and Nut and Wholenut were all tracked by the store. And like Tesco Old Hall Street it protected its own brand of coffee and decaf coffee.
Tesco Parker Street
Nurofen express (£4.40) was given a security sticker. Like Sainsbury’s it wrapped Aptamil and Cow & Gate with firm plastic bands which can only be removed by a staff member at the till. Six cans of Corona, which can be copped at a Clubcard price of £5, were also monitored.
Tesco Lord Street
Unlike the store on Parker Street this Tesco tagged its gluten free Fire Pit burgers which cost £3. It also had stickers on medium range lagers such as Fosters and Stella. And as with many supermarkets it had security labels on beef mince and chicken.
Lidl Lime Street and Aldi St Johns Shopping Centre
The two budget supermarkets did not keep a tab on many items. However, like Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the store had security tags on Aptamil instant milk which it priced at £13.30.
Tesco Hanover Street
Out of all the shops the ECHO searched and scouted out Tesco on Hanover Street had the fewest tags. One staff member said it just kept an eye on “alcohol and other expensive products”.
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