‘I worked at Waitrose – respectable-looking adults used two tactics to shoplift’

A former Waitrose worker has revealed ‘respectable-looking adults’ used the same two tactics to shoplift from the popular supermarket chain.

Speaking ananymously to The Times, they recalled seeing the thefts take place as they stacked the shelves at one of the stores in the ‘home counties’.

They revealed that they would see the same two tactics performed by thieving shoppers: “I’ve seen respectable-looking adults walking around the shop with their self-scanners, pretending to scan.

“Some switched labels on the underside of high-ticket items, especially those with peelable reduced labels. Maybe your organic sirloin steaks have the label of a reduced loaf of bread.”

Meanwhile, as the anecdotal evidence provided by the former Waitrose employee shows worrying signs for the supermarket. The Chief Executive of Waitrose, James Bailey, spoke to the MailOnline that the threat of ‘brazen and aggressive gangs’ has made him  concerned about his staff’s safety.

“We’ve invested a lot in security including CCTV, body-worn cameras and public display monitors. But the threat from brazen and aggressive gangs is still prevalent in some stores,” he added.

“It’s an industry-wide problem that needs industry collaboration before it gets any worse.”

And Mr Bailey’s comments come as the government have vowed to clamp down on assaulting shop workers by making it a particular offence that could carry a maximum six month jail term. However, this is yet to be put into affect.

The latest statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier this year painted a stark picture for supermarkets with the highest rate of shoplifting in 20 years. The figures showed that there were 402,482 shoplifting offences recorded in England and Wales in the 12 months before September 2023. 

And the latest figures were a huge rise from those of the previous year, as they were up 32 per cent on the 304,459 recorded in the previous 12 months.