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Primark forced into change at the tills in bid to stop shoplifters after thefts soar
Last year there were 1,000 shoplifting incidents a day reported across all stores
PRIMARK is sealing customers’ carrier bags with giant "sold" stickers to halt shoplifters.
Thieves were nicking stock by taking the chain’s paper bags into stores, filling them up and simply walking out.
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Now the blue labels, which include its logo and the word “Sold” in different languages, are put on bags’ handles at checkout.
It means customers must break the seals to access their purchased gear — making the bags much harder to reuse.
Any sticker-less customers are stopped at the door.
A worker at a branch in South East London trialling the stickers said: “The thieves would put anything in which didn’t have a tag and wouldn’t set off an alarm.
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"They could blend in with customers because you can only get bags from the checkouts. It was very hard for security guards to spot.”
Last year there were 1,000 shoplifting incidents a day reported across all stores in England and Wales, with Primark boss George Weston saying the problem should be taken more seriously.
Primark said: “Anti-social behaviour and crime is rising and we’re working with retailers and organisations to help tackle this.
“We’re now also trialling new measures to help prevent stock loss, which includes sealing bags with ‘Sold’ stickers once a customer pays for their items at the tills.”
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“We’ll be keeping an eye on this and monitoring the impact these new measures have.”
How to save money at Primark
PRIMARK is a bargain favourite on the high street, but there are more ways to save on your spending.
Secret sales
Primark fans always know to dive in the bargain rail if they're after money-off products in-store, but there could be "secret" sale items lurking around the rest of the store and throughout the year.
Bigger flagship stores in particular will always have an influx of stock, so as new items come in, older products taking up space might be heavily discounted.
Ask for discounts
Don't be afraid to outright ask for discounts. The worst staff can say is no.
Typically if you pick up an item with a defect or foundation mark or similar, you can simply ask for a discount - just explain it's not quite up to scratch.
Ex Primark employees have revealed to The Sun in the past that it can be pretty standard practice for branches to offer 10% off a damaged or faulty item.
Look for dupes
Primark's budget garments are a cheap way to refresh your wardrobe with plenty of items from its exclusive range.
But the store can be a great place to look for a cheaper version of something you've seen elsewhere too.
Fans have spotted plenty of items from the retailer that pose a striking resemblance to other pricier products on the market.
Pick up a cheaper dupe and your friends might not even be able to tell the difference.
Website trick
Primark launched a new website in April 2022, allowing shoppers to check stock levels at their local stores for the first time ever.
This means you can browse online and make sure you head to a branch that has the style and size you need.
There are thousands more products displayed on its website now, too, so you can get a better look at the current collections.
Just last month, Primark revealed its plans to open new branches and invest and renovate more than a dozen of its existing shops.
The plans are part of its new £75million investment in its UK store estate.
Primark previously revealed that new shops will pop up in Bury St. Edmund, Teesside Park and Glasgow Fort and dates for their opening have finally been confirmed.
The retailer has also continued rolling-out self-service checkouts in a number of stores to help reduce queuing times.
They were first rolled out at sites in Sheffield, Northampton, West Bromwich and Kingston as part of a trial.
– shoppers will love it but not taking your receipt could catch you out.
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