'It makes you feel criminal': Aldi starts putting security tags on £1.29 chocolate bars
16.02.2024 - 19:17
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Supermarket chain Aldi has started putting security tags on it chocolate bars in order to try and deter shoplifters. The anti-theft tags were spotted on several products by shoppers at the store in Fallowfield in Manchester this week.
Tags were found on multipacks of chocolate ranging in prices from £1.29 to £2.25. They included Mars Bars and Snickers, along with Cadbury's Crunchie and Double Deckers.
Individual bars of Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut were also tagged with the bright yellow security stickers.
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Supermarkets and other stores have been using the anti-theft devices for a long time, but have become a more common sight in recent years. However, the tags are usually reserved for higher value products, such as meat and alcohol.
The M.E.N has previously reported how Tesco in Middleton had been placing individual protein bars and items such as lube in plastic security boxes, with the nearby Blackley branch also using the boxes for fake eyelashes and toothpaste.
It's estimated that last year, retail theft costs UK businesses £1.7bn, with data from the Office for National Statistics revealing the rate of shoplifting in England and Wales hit its highest level for more than two decades.
Speaking to shoppers in Fallowfield Aldi, some said they were surprised to see the tags while others didn't react to the tag as they put it into their shopping basket.
One person, who asked to remain anonymous, said 'she wasn't surprised' at the action Aldi had taken but admitted it was frustrating and upsetting that it had to happen.
"It makes you feel criminal. It's sad that its reached a point where staff are having to security tag packs of chocolate that cost £1.50," she