A Tesco chief has shared the heartbreaking situation shoppers are facing during the cost of living crisis. He revealed that he is hearing of struggling customers in stores asking checkout staff to stop scanning products once their grocery bill has reached a certain amount.
The supermarket chairman, John Allan, raised the alarming issue amid the cost of living crisis when asked by the BBC what he would like to see in today's Queen's Speech to Parliament.
Mr Allan said there is an “overwhelming need” for a windfall tax on energy companies after seeing the supermarket’s customers “extremely stretched”. He later told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “First of all, I think action to help people cope with a very, very sharp increase in energy prices.
“It’s harder for people to mitigate energy than it is with food, and I think there’s an overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits from those energy producers fed back to those most in need of help with energy prices.
“I think that would be the single biggest thing that could be done.”
He added that he thinks energy companies are “expecting it” and doubts “they would actually be much fazed by it”.
Mr Allan then spoke of Tesco customers asking checkout staff to stop scanning items once their bill has reached a certain threshold.
He said: "I was hearing for the first time for many years of customers saying to check out staff, 'stop when you get to £40,' or something, 'I don't want to spend a penny over that.' You know, as opposed to having everything checked out and settling the bill at the end.
“So I think a lot of people are feeling, you know, something of a pinch and lots of people are actually feeling extremely stretched.”
His remarks come after BP and Shell reported bumper profits earlier this year as energy prices skyrocketed when the cap was increased by 54 per cent for the average household, putting extra pressure on consumers.
BP reported that underlying replacement cost profits – its preferred measure – had more than doubled to 6.2 billion US dollars (£5 billion).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously said it was “frankly better for them to take that cash” and invest it in projects which could have a positive effect on long-term energy security.
However, when asked about a possible windfall tax being levied on BP’s profits, the company’s chief executive Bernard Looney previously told The Times that he would nevertheless continue with plans to invest £18 billion in Britain this decade.
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