A bizarre range of items are being sold in security cases at Tesco stores in north Manchester in an attempt to stop thieves.
The supermarket's branches in Middleton and Blackley have resorted to using the plastic boxes - normally reserved for its most expensive products - for items such as £3 fake eyelashes £1.50 protein bars, and £5 anti-wrinkle cream.
Shopper Mark Baxendale recently shared an image of shelves filled with protein bars individually locked away at Tesco Extra in Middleton town centre. In a tweet, he joked: "I am not saying Middleton Tesco’s is rough but the protein bars are in security boxes."
READ MORE: He beat, abused and terrorised her for years - now vile thug is where he belongs
When the Manchester Evening News visited the store on Thursday morning, a range of other items were also locked up including lube, head lice treatment shampoo, £2.75 Harry Potter Ooshies, £3.50 Lego Super Mario character pack and phone cases. The products are among the most shoplifted products at the store.
At a Tesco branch in Blackley - more than a mile away - fake eyelashes and toothpaste were also being sold in security boxes. It means shoppers must wait for Tesco checkout staff to open the cases before purchasing them. Should they attempt to leave the store without paying, the security cases will trigger an alarm.
Such devices are widely used to deter thieves in supermarkets across the country. However, they are normally reserved for high-value products such as expensive bottles of alcohol and video games.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “A small number of items are kept in security boxes to deter shoplifters. Customers can still purchase these items simply by bringing them to the checkout where our colleagues will open the box.”
