In an innovative approach to deter shoplifters, Waitrose and John Lewis have begun offering free hot drinks to on-duty police officers and community support officers.
The initiative, spearheaded by the John Lewis Partnership, aims to discourage retail crime, which has reached alarming levels in various stores across the UK.
Nicki Juniper, head of security for the John Lewis Partnership, emphasised the importance of a visible police presence.
“Retail crime is a national problem and requires a national solution,” Juniper said.
She added that having a police car parked outside the stores might make potential shoplifters or those thinking of becoming aggressive think twice.
Waitrose’s in-store coffee machines will supply the free drinks, a shift from the supermarket’s previous offer of free teas and coffees for loyalty cardholders.
That scheme underwent modifications in 2017, linking free drinks to in-store purchases and using reusable cups.
Meanwhile, John Lewis is extending the courtesy to police officers to use staff cafeterias for breaks, and they will also receive discounts on food.
This effort coincides with increased incidents on the shop floor, leading to increased spending on trained staff and guards to stop and detain shoplifters.
The new approach includes what the company calls “love bombing” in some stores.
This involves being extra attentive to customers and proactively offering self-checkout assistance to deter theft.
Retail theft is not just a problem for the John Lewis Partnership.
The convenience store chain Co-op has also expressed concern after crime in its outlets surged by more than a third over the past year.
According to the British Retail Consortium, retail thefts across the sector in England and Wales increased by 26% in 2022.
With nearly 850 incidents happening daily, staff faces challenges like physical assaults and threats with weapons.
The initiative by Waitrose and John Lewis is a fresh response to a rising problem.
They join other voices in the retail industry, calling for concerted action against repeat, violent offenders and organised criminal gangs.
With shoplifting offences returning to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living rises, strategies like offering free coffee to police officers might become an essential part of a broader solution to tackle retail crime.
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Shoplifters are thieves. The purpose of the police is to catch and prosecute thieves, among other tasks. The purpose of store security is to exercise their citizens’ rights to arrest thieves under existing and ancient legislation.
How about letting all these people get on with their jobs, support them and get them prosecuted, found guilty and banged up. Shop lifting would take a nose dive. If they are not UK citizens, upon their first conviction they would be interned and deported. If any dependents were relying on benefits, they go too.
At a stroke, all this nonsense would pretty much stop.
Things don’t evolve, they revolve!