Posh supermarket Waitrose is reportedly taking on an unusual approach in a bid to deter would-be shoplifters at its Clifton store. Following a rise in thefts across the country, the upmarket chain is said to be instructing staff to take a friendly and loving approach when dealing with shoppers.
According to The Times, such approaches have already been witnessed at Waitrose Clifton on Queens Road with the logic being that potential shoplifters will feel too guilty to take anything from the supermarket.
A shopper claims he saw a training session taking place at the self-service checkouts where staff were being told to be so helpful and attentive that it would make would-be thieves think twice.
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Rob Stewart, a Waitrose customer from Clifton, told the newspaper: “I watched the guy at work, bossing around the staff so they smother potential shoplifters with love. The way they told me it works is that the nicer they are, the less likely people are to steal stuff.”
The retailer said it would take "whatever steps necessary" to deter thieves but refused to comment on the 'love-bombing' tactics.
It's understood that training at Waitrose is provided by consultancy firm BlueSeed Retail. The company, which describes itself as a "global leader in delivering store transformation", did not wish to comment.
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