The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on shoplifting in supermarkets varies from area to area. Some regions have been hit harder than others, with police reports of shoplifting going up by as much as 75% in some areas. This is a worrying trend and suggests that the problem is not going away anytime soon.
The cost of living in the UK has been increasing at a rapid pace, with essentials like food and household items becoming increasingly expensive. This has led to a surge in shoplifting, especially in supermarkets, as desperate individuals resort to stealing to feed and support their families.
According to recent data, police reports of shoplifting have gone up by 75% in some areas. West Midlands Police has reported that they have seen an increase of 70% from supermarkets that include Tesco, ASDA, and the Co-op during the past 12 months.
This is a significant increase and highlights the severity of the problem. Supermarkets are often the target of such thefts, but due to mortgage interest rates increasing, the cost-of-living, and wages not being increased, shoplifting is going through the roof.
The shoplifting crisis is not just impacting supermarkets and the prices of food going up to compensate for the loss to supermarkets like Tesco and Asda, but it is also impacting those who work in supermarkets.
We have spoken to supermarket workers in Grimsby, Manchester, Skegness, Liverpool, Boston, Lincoln, and Hull who have all the same fears. That fear is their safety. Many of those supermarket workers we have spoken to including those that work for Tesco, have said everyday they fear being attacked.
A supermarket worker from Tesco in Manchester told In2Town Today News that she is worried about a shoplifter attacking her if she is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“I have seen lots of people in our store shoplifting. When I first started year more than ten years ago, I would go up to the shoplifter and tell them to put it back and contact security, but now I am too scared to approach someone stealing from the store.”
Another supermarket worker from Liverpool who works at ASDA explained that she is not paid enough to approach a shoplifter and fears being attacked.
A supermarket worker who works in Boston said: “There is not enough security in our store to deal with the problem which leaves staff vulnerable.”
With more people struggling to pay their mortgage, and more people struggling to put food on the table due to the high cost of living, people who have never committed a crime before are now turning to shoplifting.
To address the problem of shoplifting, it is important to understand the root causes of the issue. The cost-of-living crisis is one of the main factors driving this trend. As essentials become increasingly expensive, many people are finding it difficult to afford them. This leads to a situation where some individuals who have never committed a crime before are being forced to shoplift.
Other factors that contribute to shoplifting include poverty, unemployment, and addiction. People who are struggling with these issues may turn to stealing as a way to cope with their problems. In some cases, shoplifting may be a cry for help, as individuals struggle to find support and resources to address their underlying issues.
Shoplifting has a significant impact on supermarkets in terms of finances. When items are stolen, supermarkets lose money and may have to increase prices to make up for the losses. This means customers could be forced to pay even more for food items to cover the loss to the supermarkets.
To address the problem of shoplifting, supermarkets have implemented a range of measures, including increased security and surveillance. Some supermarkets have even resulted in putting tags on popular items such as milk, meat, and even baby milk.
A spokeswoman for foodbank charity Feeding Britain said: “With the costs of food and other essentials continuing to rise so rapidly, people are having to deploy all sorts of coping strategies to stave off hunger.
“We have never seen so many people accessing our projects – in many cases, they have nowhere else to turn.
“Despair and desperation are tightening their grip on people’s lives.”
