Staff tell of thieves costing stores thousands, while shoplifters say soaring living costs drove them to crime

It was about 8pm in Tesco Express and Katherine*, a shift manager in north-west England, was alone with her younger colleague when she noticed a man acting suspiciously in the aisle containing home goods.

The section – which stocked items such as laundry detergent and fabric softener – is behind plastic security barriers, so “he basically ripped it out the shelf, swept it into a duffel bag and walked out,” Katherine said.