MUGFOUNDRY

Struggling to find your favourite Greggs sandwich? You might need to look behind the counter — and get prepared to queue.

The bakery chain has announced a controversial change of layout at some London stores, with self-serve food and drinks completely scrapped in five locations.

In an effort to stamp out shoplifting, the bakery chain is trialling the measure in Whitechapel, Peckham and Ilford – locations it claims are ‘exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour’.

And while there are no current plans to make it a nationwide policy, it could be rolled out to sites where theft is especially prevalent.

Customers in affected branches will now have to ask staff for cold drinks, sandwiches, and other chilled items previously kept in fridges, but Greggs confirmed its full range of products will still be available.

‘The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority,’ the company added in a statement.

It comes after government data revealed shoplifting is up 20% in the last year alone – the highest levels since records began – alongside an investigation by The Sun which claimed some Greggs stores are being targeted as often as every 20 minutes.

‘The stealing before was so bad,’ a worker at Greggs Whitechapel (where the change is now in place) told reporters. ‘I couldn’t put a number on how many thieves came in every day.’

Many shoppers were equally appreciative of the move, with one Redditor writing: ‘Good. I don’t care if I have to ask, thieves p*** me off.’

‘Putting everything behind the counter is the best thing Greggs can do,’ commented another, while a third added: ‘Us law abiding citizens pay for the extra cost.’

However, others felt it would cause problems, including bakery staff member FigOutrageous9683 who said: ‘People are gonna get so mad on lunch rush when it takes twice as long to serve someone… It just makes our job harder.’

‘Would this mean you’d have to queue before you even know if the sandwich you want is on the shelf?’ added cultrefreshments. ‘If so I’d anticipate they’ll lose more money than they’d save in terms of people choosing to just go elsewhere.’

TikToker Takeawaytrauma also claimed customers were ‘outraged’ by the changes, and many were suggesting they would avoid Greggs altogether ‘because it’s so much hassle’.

Greggs isn’t the only retailer looking to crack down on theft though.

Tesco recently added plastic covers – which need to be slid to the side to access items – to its shelves, prompting strong reaction online.

‘Tesco just making it more frustrating for genuine shoppers to purchase items,’ wrote @matt_an91. ‘A shoplifter will just snap that cover straight off, they don’t care.’

Poundland also gave staff bodycams and headsets in January, after the company reported a significant increase in retail crime over the previous 18 months.

Head of loss prevention, Christina Jesty, commented: ‘Whether it’s store theft undermining all our colleagues’ hard work, or incidents of violence and abuse making our colleagues feel unsafe at work, something must change.

‘At Poundland we pride ourselves on being a value-led high street retailer, where protecting our colleagues goes hand in hand with protecting our prices. That is why we’re saying enough is enough and beginning a campaign to support our front-line teams.’

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