Shoppers wanting to get their chocolate fix sorted ahead of Easter may be in for a surprise, as one supermarket as locked a bunch of Cadbury products in anti-theft cases
The nation’s favourite choccies have been pictured in supermarkets locked in anti-theft cases – despite their cheap price.
It’s normal in the UK to see security tags on luxury items like TVs and game consoles. But, in recent years, shoppers have spotted everyday items like coffee and butter and, more controversially, baby formula displayed in plastic cases to deter shoplifters.
With Easter just around the corner, it seems it’s now Cadbury’s chocolates that are receiving extra protection. The news has stirred debate online, with some arguing the security boxes will put shoppers off buying the chocolate due to the added faff on needing assistance on the self-checkouts. However, others say it has become necessary.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) user Jack Johnston posted a picture of the unusual sight at his local Co-Op store. It showed a box of Cadbury Creme Eggs for £5.60, along with Cadbury Dairy Milk bars in Fruit & Nut, Caramel, Daim, and Original flavours for £1.50 all locked in plastic casing.
“Why are we locking up the Creme Eggs may I ask?” he wrote. “Freaked out by the cruel Co-Op and their imprisoned confectionary section. The post quickly went viral, amassing a whopping 125,000 views at the time of writing.
Hundreds of users rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts. “If it ain’t nailed down these days it will be lifted,” one person wrote. Another agreed, writing: “Because people are nicking them.” However, many slammed the move saying it will ‘put off anyone buying it’ as they will need to wait for staff to open the box if they’re at the self-service checkouts.
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One of the main talking points was the price of the chocolates themselves, which one user dubbed as the ‘real crime’. It comes after Cadbury admitted it had raised it prices due to increasing production and ingredients costs.
After spotting a 1kg bag of Mini Eggs for £17.50, many chocolate branded the price tag as ‘shambolic’ and ‘disgusting’. “We understand the economic pressures that consumers continue to face, and raising cost prices is a last resort for our business,” a spokesperson for Mondelēz International told the Mirror.
“However, as a food producer, we are continuing to experience significantly higher input costs across our supply chain, with ingredients such as cocoa and sugar, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges.
“As a result, we are having to make some carefully considered cost price increases so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they enjoy.”
The Mirror has contacted Co-Op for comment.
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