Thieves foil Asda security with unexpected trick

A branch of Asda in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire has been forced to change its layout, after thieves hit on an unexpected way to steal DVDs. Staff spotted something strange was happening after it noticed an unusual number of padded envelopes and boxes were going missing from the in-store Post Office.

According to the Liverpool Echo, they finally worked out that thieves had been picking up DVDs, popping along to the post office counter, packaging them up with stolen envelopes, and then sending them home to themselves.

As a result, the store was forced to remove the envelopes from display, and store them behind the counter in the entertainment department. According to the Daily Mirror, the store confirmed that a small number of thieves had used this approach, so they had moved the envelopes as a precaution.
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-crime-stories%
Weird shoplifting tactics

It's not the first bizarre shoplifting tactic the criminals have hit upon. In October 2013 we reported on the city worker who had hit on an unusual scam. He used the self-service checkouts, and selected the option for the till to weigh the item each time. When prompted to enter the type of item being weighed, he said they were onions. This allowed him to buy his groceries for a fraction of the price. He was only caught when a staff member spotted him picking up bags of groceries, and yet only paying £22.

In November last year the news broke of a Florida man who was charged with trying to steal a chainsaw from a gardening store. He had apparently stuffed it down his trousers, and even managed to ride his bike away from the store, with the sharp gardening tool in place.

In December a South Carolina man was arrested for stealing five steaks from Wal-Mart. He had tried to sneak them past security by placing them on the seat of his mobility scooter, and then sitting on them to drive out of the store.

And in January last year a Kentucky teenager hit on the brilliant plan of wearing a fake pregnancy belly, and then filling it with the items she was trying to steal. Unfortunately, despite having two friends to help her, she was caught while trying to get the items into the fake belly.

Crime on AOL Money

Made to pay £500 restaurant bill - two years after scarpering

Britain's burglary hotspots: are you at risk?

50 million fake pound coins: have you fallen for them?