Over 30 per cent more thefts were recorded in the UK in March than a year earlier. According to many, this is due to the large increase in prices in UK supermarkets. Consequently, a number of supermarkets have taken measures, which Britons are now sharing on social media.

For example, supermarket Co-op has put steaks in a secure packaging that has to be removed at checkout. “They package the steaks as if they were gold bars,” says one Grog on Twitter. Then another branch has show models of coffee on the shelf, telling people to ask for the coffee at the checkout if they really want to buy it. “My Co-op is now a food showroom,” Laura says on Twitter. “It also announces every so often that security cameras are watching you.”

It appears that the steaks are not only being stolen frequently at Co-op. On Twitter, another user says that supermarket M&S also has anti-theft security measures for steaks. They only put three steaks on the shelf.

“An employee told me that this was done intentionally because otherwise, thieves would empty the shelf and run away,” she writes. Supermarket Aldi even uses large security tags for the cheeses.

Recently, supermarket Sainsbury’s received a lot of criticism after installing barriers at the self-checkout counters. Customers now have to scan their receipt before they can leave, which was uncommon in the UK before. “They don’t trust people using the self-checkout,” someone on Twitter said. However, all supermarkets state that these security measures have not been implemented at every store, but only at supermarkets that have a high incidence of theft.