Greggs Moves Food Behind Counters in Bold Move to Curb Shoplifting
Let’s talk about something that really says a lot about where we are as a society right now—Greggs, the beloved British bakery chain, has started locking away its sausage rolls and sandwiches… behind the counter. That’s right—no more grabbing your favourite snack straight from the shelf. And why? Because shoplifting has gotten so out of hand, they’ve had to make some drastic changes.
This new measure is being trialled in a few locations, including Whitechapel, Peckham, and Ilford—places where anti-social behaviour and theft have been especially problematic. So now, if you’re hungry and in a rush, you’ll have to go up to the counter and ask for your steak bake or vegan sausage roll. The company says it’s not going to do this across all 2,600 stores—at least not yet—but if theft continues to rise, we might see this rolled out more widely.
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Let’s put this into perspective. In 2024 alone, shoplifting incidents recorded by police jumped by 20%. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The British Retail Consortium says that retailers are seeing 20.4 million thefts a year. That’s almost a retail crime every two seconds. It’s not just the occasional sneaky snack being lifted either—retailers are saying organised gangs are using Bluetooth headsets to coordinate distractions and swipe high-value items. One executive even said shoplifting is becoming a “way of life” for some.
And the demographic of shoplifters is changing. Security experts say they’re now catching pensioners and struggling parents—people you wouldn’t normally associate with theft—who are desperate in the face of rising costs. Some are pinching basics like coffee or essentials for their kids. That really hits home.
Greggs has said that customer and staff safety is their number one priority, and honestly, who can blame them? But it's a shame. The whole thing feels like another sign of how broken things have become. We’re not just talking about food security anymore—we’re talking about a shift in society. When even grabbing a bottle of juice or a ham roll becomes a high-risk retail situation, something has gone very wrong.
This isn’t just about Greggs. It’s about the state of the high street, the cost of living, and how stretched people—and businesses—are becoming. So next time you walk into a Greggs and wonder why your sausage roll is now under lock and key, remember: it’s not just about theft. It’s about survival.
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