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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Ruby Flanagan

Morrisons introduces gates which need proof of payment before shoppers can leave

Morrisons has followed a controversial move made by Sainsbury's and have introduced security gates which require proof of purchase before leaving the store.

The barriers are located by the supermarket's self-service checkouts and if customers want to leave without buying anything they need to ask a member of staff.

The new security gates were seen in the supermarket chain's Chorlton store in south Manchester reports the Manchester Evening News.

Sainsbury's was recently called out for introducing the measure in several of its stores across the UK including Balham in south London, Redhill in Surrey, Colne in Lancashire, and Winnersh in Berkshire.

Customers started seeing the barriers in some Sainsbury's stores in December last year.

Has your local supermarket implemented more security measures? Email us: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

Sainsbury's have installed security barriers in a "small number" of its stores (Twitter)

Many criticised the move by Sainsbury's online saying that these types of barriers put innocent customers "under suspicion of stealing".

Others described the move as "dystopian" and an "over the top" approach to shoplifting.

One man shared his experience of the gates in Morrisons in the Reddit Group "AskUK" after he got trapped by the gates after going in to browse.

Another said they had gotten caught in the gate after "burying the receipt" at the bottom of their backpack.

They said: "Think I will shop more at m and s and the coop as they don't force folk to waste paper on a pointless barrier gate that will not stop shoplifting..."

Another Reddit user also said they had "stopped shopping at Morrisons" because of this system.

A Morrisons spokesperson confirmed in a statement to the Mirror that it had introduced the gates into the one store.

The statement read: "We have recently introduced electronic gates into our Chorlton store.

"Any customers who haven't made a purchase simply need to ask the Morrisons Customer Assistant manning the self-service tills to open the gate for them."

The supermarket chain did not confirm why the gates were introduced into this store in particular or whether it was planning to roll out the measure across more of its stores in the UK.

Sainsbury's previously told the Mirror that the barriers were just "one of a range of security measures" it has across its UK stores.

Although it did say that the barriers were not "new" to its stores and it confirmed that "a small number" of stores have the barriers at their self service checkout areas - but would not confirm the number of stores with them.

This is just one of many measures supermarkets are reportedly introducing in stores to prevent shoplifting.

Some of these measures include limiting the number of products on the shelves, displaying empty products, and searching through customers' bags.

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