Primark launches major checkout overhaul to stop shoplifters walking out of stores with stolen goods

Cashiers at some Primark branches have started sealing paper shopping bags with blue ‘sold’ stickers in a bid to deter shoplifters.

This means any customer carrying a bag without a sticker will be stopped at the door by store security.

A Primark A spokesman told Sky News: “Anti-social behavior and retail crime are rising across the retail industry and we are working with other retailers and organizations to help tackle this issue.

“We have a range of safety measures in place across our stores and we are now also trialling some new measures to help prevent stock loss, including sealing bags with a ‘sold’ label once a customer has paid at the till.

“We will be monitoring the situation closely, monitoring the impact of these new measures and listening to feedback from colleagues and customers.”

The spokesman added that the company would not reveal which Primark branches were trialling the scheme as it was a security measure.

A staff member at a branch in London told The Sun: “Thieves will put things in without labels and it won’t trigger the alarm.

“They can blend in with the customers because you can only pick up your bags from the checkout. It’s hard for security to spot.”

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In October last year, business leaders including the bosses of Primark, Boots and WHSmith wrote to then home secretary Suella Braverman calling for the introduction of Specified criminal offense of assaulting or abusing store staff After attacking workers.

They said it would make incidents of violence against retail workers carrying out age checks or preventing theft considered “serious” and therefore eligible for tougher sentences.

England and Wales will also follow in the footsteps of Scotland, which made a similar move back in 2021.

An investigation by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which organized the letter and was signed by 90 business leaders, found that incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers increased by almost one percent in 2021-22 compared with before the outbreak. times.

It is estimated that around £953 million has been stolen from retailers.