Waitrose and John Lewis are offering on-duty police officers free coffees and other hot drinks as part of a strategy to tackle rising levels of shoplifting in their stores.
The John Lewis Partnership has written to the Police Federation to highlight the offer, hoping that having a police car parked outside its stores might deter would-be thieves.
In Waitrose, police officers and community support officers will be able to get drinks from the in-store coffee machines when using a reusable cup.
In John Lewis, police officers will be able to use staff cafeterias for breaks and buy discounted food there too.
Nicki Juniper, head of security for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Retail crime is a national problem and requires a national solution.
“Just having a police car parked outside can make people think twice about shoplifting from our branches, or becoming aggressive towards our partners [staff].”
Retailers have lost £1bn to shoplifting in the past year, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The number of thefts in England and Wales rose 26% in 2022.
Dame Sharon White, the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, has written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman calling for tougher action against repeat and violent offenders.
Last month, it was revealed Waitrose was looking to deter shoplifters in its stores with a tactic known as ‘love bombing’. The supermarket is training staff to be “extra attentive”, with the aim of making thieves think twice about stealing in aisles and at self-checkouts.
It is hoped that with would-be thieves being more conscious of shopworkers’ presence, there will be fewer opportunities for theft. The scheme is also expected to improve customer service levels generally.
NAM Implications:
- This says it all: “Just having a police car parked outside can make people think twice about shoplifting from our branches”
- But what next if this move fails…
- “Shrink-Allowance on ‘popular-shrink’ items, anyone?”
- (I have personal experience of encountering armed guards in key aisles of a Sao Paulo branch of Carrefour many years ago, sobering…)
- Increasing evidence of Shrink reaching epic proportions Post-Lockdown Fallout …
- See:
