Tesco puts security tags on its own-brand CHEESE to stop hard-up customers stealing it during cost of living crisis
TESCO have started putting security tags on cheese amid reports of hard-up Brits having to steal everyday items due to rising costs.
One customer said the move was a “sign of the times” after they saw a member of staff “slapping” the security stickers on a number of cheeses, including own-brand items.
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One Tesco branch had placed yellow security stickers on blocks of cheeseCredit: BPM
As the cost of living crisis deepens and food prices soar, first-time shoplifters are “stealing to eat”, according to supermarket bosses.
The customer, who was visiting a story in Taunton, Somerset, told SomersetLive: “This really is a sign of the times.
“Having recently seen security tags on milk in Cornwall and now on own-brand cheese in Somerset, it makes you wonder how desperate people are becoming if supermarket chains are having to take such measures.”
A branch of Tesco in Cornwall apologised for “human error” after four pint bottles of milk were tagged last month.
Pictures taken by the customer at the Taunton branch show that Double Gloucester Cheddar and Extra Mature Cheddar, both of which cost just £3.15, had been tagged.
The shopper added: “The security guard was in the store with a roll of the sticky security tags slapping them on the cheese in the chiller.
“It’s tragic to think some people may be resorting to stealing such basic dairy items.”
The stickers activate an alarm if a shopper tries to leave the store without paying for an item.
They are commonly found on more expensive items and on alcohol, but there have been a number of reports recently of them being placed on more everyday goods.
In July, blocks of cheese were tagged by an Aldi in Wolverhampton.
Similarly, just this week, photos taken in a Co-op in Manchester showed household essentials like washing machine tablets locked up in alarmed plastic casings.
Food has been going up in price as inflation spirals out of control.
Shoppers face an increase of £533 in their supermarket bills, as prices have risen…
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