Instant coffee is being kept in security cases at a supermarket after the price soared to £10.50 a jar. The GPS tracking cases were spotted on shelves at the Co-op food and petrol shop at Harborne in Birmingham on Tuesday.
It came on the same day that it was reported the rate of price rises at UK supermarkets hit a new high in the year up to May due to coffee, chocolate and non-food goods. Prices for fresh food have fallen very slightly, but the cost of coffee has gone up.
Photos from the Birmingham shop showed a £9.85 jar of Douwe Egberts and a jar of Kenco Smooth retailing for £10.50 - both in cases to deter shoplifters. The cases come with a caution warning shoppers they will need to be removed at the checkout before leaving the store - and shoplifters will be prosecuted.
One shopper said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw it. That price for a jar of instant coffee is unbelievable."
A Co-op spokesperson said: "Protecting the safety of our colleagues is a priority and we know shoplifting can be a flashpoint for violence against shopworkers so whilst this is not a nationwide policy, a decision to implement product security measures at a local level can be made, if a store is experiencing a particular issue."
