Tackling Shoplifting in Supermarkets: A Fair Approach for Honest Shoppers

Supermarkets across the UK are facing a growing problem with shoplifting, and in response, new anti-theft measures are being introduced. One recent development is the trial of trolley-weighing scales at a Tesco store in Gateshead. These scales check whether the total weight of scanned items matches the expected total before allowing payment. If there’s a discrepancy, a staff member conducts a manual rescan.

Some shoppers have expressed concerns, feeling they are being treated like criminals, while others see it as a necessary step to combat theft. The reality is that shoplifting is a major issue, costing UK retailers £2 billion a year, with thefts rising sharply in recent years. Unfortunately, these losses are passed on to honest customers through higher prices.

A Better Way to Combat Theft

While technology like trolley scales may help, there are other proven methods that could be even more effective:

1. Random Exit Checks — A simple but powerful deterrent. Stores like COSTCO already have a system where exit door staff randomly check trolleys against receipts before customers leave. This would be far less intrusive than scanning entire trolleys while shoppers wait in line.

2. Understanding the Real Discrepancies — It would be interesting to see how many checkout errors actually result in people overpaying rather than underpaying. Realistically, it’s far more common for shoppers to “forget” to scan an item than to scan one twice. We shouldn’t pretend that there are any more than a tiny number of “honest mistakes”.

3. Zero Tolerance for Shoplifting — Theft should not be ignored or written off as part of the cost of doing business. If supermarkets and the Police prosecuted every case, it would send a clear message that stealing will not be tolerated.

4. Banning Orders — People stealing from stores should be banned from them. I would like to see systems implemented whereby membership schemes and the like could be leveraged to at least in part restrict store access.

5. Controlled Sales for High-Risk Items — Alcohol, expensive cuts of meat, and other frequently stolen goods should be sold from dedicated staffed counters rather than freely accessible on shelves. This simple step would dramatically reduce theft of high-value items.

Honest Customers Should Welcome Theft Reduction

For those who shop fairly and honestly, there is nothing to fear from these measures. In fact, reducing theft benefits everyone. Every stolen item ultimately increases prices for the rest of us, so effective anti-theft policies should be welcomed. While supermarkets must strike a balance between security and customer experience, ensuring fairness and keeping prices down should be the priority.

Another SpaceX Disaster: How Many More Failures Can We Accept?

On Thursday, yet another SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after launch from Texas, raising serious concerns about the company’s approach to space exploration. The un-crewed Starship, the largest rocket ever built, suffered what SpaceX termed a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”—a euphemism for catastrophic failure—after losing contact with the ground. As a result, flights were grounded, and warnings were issued about falling debris.

The environmental impact of these repeated failures is staggering. SpaceX has now tested the Starship eight times, with this being the second consecutive failure. Each launch consumes vast amounts of resources and contributes to pollution in an era when we are already struggling to mitigate climate change. Worse still, fiery debris was reportedly seen raining down from the sky over Caribbean island nations—another grim reminder that these failures are not just theoretical setbacks but have real-world consequences. How much longer can this reckless approach continue before the world says enough is enough?

One must also question whether anyone would truly feel safe boarding one of these rockets. If Starship keeps exploding during unmanned test flights, how can we ever trust it to transport people? SpaceX continues to insist that failure is part of the learning process, but at what cost? With NASA relying on Starship for future Artemis moon missions, should we be more concerned about the safety risks being normalised?

Meanwhile, the man behind the company, Elon Musk, has yet to comment on this latest disaster. His silence speaks volumes. A visionary he may be, but leadership requires accountability, and time and again, Musk seems content to let SpaceX’s failures speak for themselves rather than address them directly.

Perhaps the most fundamental question we should be asking is: why are we so determined to build bases on the Moon and Mars when we have yet to sort out our own planet? While billions are poured into interplanetary ambitions, Earth faces wars, environmental crises, economic struggles, and social inequality. Shouldn’t we focus our efforts here first before launching even more debris into the sky?

Space exploration has always been an exciting and noble pursuit, but it cannot come at any cost. Until SpaceX demonstrates a more responsible approach—both in terms of safety and environmental stewardship—is it time to reconsider the wisdom of these continued tests. There must be limits to how many times we can excuse explosions as “learning experiences.” After all, the fallout—both literal and figurative—affects us all.

Update 19th June 2025

And so the madness goes on. Another failed mission with yet another SpaceX rocket spinning out of control on the 29th May 2025 followed today, one month later, by a massive explosion on the launch pad. When did all this become acceptable to anyone?

Santander UK: A Masterclass in Appalling Customer Service

On 3rd February 2025, I received a letter from Santander UK that left me both alarmed and frustrated. The letter stated that ‘immediate action’ was required to confirm my address, as a third party had allegedly informed Santander that I may have moved.

Given the serious nature of the claim, I immediately contacted Santander. What followed was an infuriating hour-long phone call, during which multiple representatives struggled to explain where the letter had originated or what it was about. I was left feeling completely in the dark, which is unacceptable from a supposedly reputable bank.

After much time wasted, it was finally revealed that the issue related to a previous address. This was baffling, as I have lived at my current address for approximately 22 years and had informed Santander of my move at the time. Despite this, I was now being forced to jump through hoops to resolve their error.

I was instructed to write to Santander Savings Operations with details of my current and previous addresses, the names of the accounts involved, and copies of my driving licence and passport. I did exactly as asked, sending my letter promptly on 11th February 2025.

Then—silence. No response. No acknowledgement. Nothing.

By 4th March 2025, with still no word from Santander, I called them again. After yet another exhausting hour on the phone, I was no further forward. This time, I was informed that I apparently had two profiles with Santander—something I had never been made aware of. The proposed solution? Merging the profiles. But, of course, this seemingly straightforward task could not be accomplished over the phone.

Frustrated, I requested to speak to someone more senior, hoping that they might be able to resolve the issue. After holding for 20 minutes, I was told that the senior staff member refused to take my call. This level of dismissiveness is completely unacceptable from a customer service perspective.

The final insult? I was told I would have to physically go into a branch, bringing my identification documents yet again.

Let’s recap:

• Santander falsely claimed I may have changed my address.
• They caused me unnecessary alarm and stress.
• They could not explain their own letter during a lengthy phone call.
• They forced me to waste time writing and posting a letter.
• They completely ignored my correspondence.
• They made me waste another hour on the phone with no resolution.
• They informed me of a second profile that I had never been told about.
• They refused to allow a senior staff member to take my call after making me wait 20 minutes.
• They forced me to visit a branch in person to fix their mistake.

This entire experience has been an exercise in incompetence, poor communication, and utter disregard for the customer’s time. A month wasted, countless hours lost, and still no resolution without further inconvenience.

Well, another couple of days have now passed since my last communication with Santander, it is now late on 6th March 2025. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that I have still heard nothing and my problem remains unresolved, I’ll definitely not be writing again and all I now seem to be left with as an option is the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Another day dawns, we are now at 7th March 2025 and Santander have still not resolved my problem even though the facts of the matter are straightforward and have been agreed and confirmed, those facts remain:

1. I have 2 dormant accounts, as identified by Santander.
2. The two dormant accounts contain money belonging to me.
3. I have been asked to provide address and ID details, which I have done.
4. Santander have done nothing to resolve matters.

In spite of this the latest from Santander remains: The relevant team are investigating the issue you raised in your previous emails, and they will be in touch once they have an update for you.

Another twist in the story yesterday! I received a letter from Santander yesterday, on 7th March 2025, the letter was dated 21st February 2025 so for reasons unknown to me the letter had taken two weeks to get from Bradford to my home, a distance of approximately 135 miles, I could have walked that distance in half the time.

The essence of the letter is:

We can confirm that we have re-instated your account, and they will no longer be made dormant. Please note that if your accounts remain unused, they may go dormant again.

This means that when I telephoned Santander on the 4th March 2025, I was speaking to them eleven days after they had apparently written me a letter confirming that my accounts were no longer dormant and yet the operator I spoke to, for about an hour, was unaware of this information. In this day and age it is beyond me why there seems to be such a lack of a central customer record detailing all customer communications which is available to customer facing staff.

Needless to say, I have checked my online banking system and the accounts containing my money remain inaccessible to me and in practical terms I am no further on.

The saga goes on, on 13th March 2025 I received a call from an 0800 number which I was unable to take, it transpired the following day that it had been Santander but for reasons known only to Santander they didn’t try again and as I had no idea who the caller was there was nothing I could do, I don’t reteurn calls to unknown numbers, many of whom are scammers. Why did Santander not call again? I don’t know.

On 13th March 2025 I received the following email:

Thank you for contacting us about your concerns. Once we’ve finished looking into your complaint, we’ll send you details of our review and the outcome we’ve decided.

Please take a look at the ‘How To Complain’ section of our website. It explains our complaints process. We hope we’ll be able to find a solution for you once our review is complete.

If you have any questions at all, please call us on 0800 171 2171, we’re available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm.

So, I’m no further on. I duly called the number above. I was told that the person who was dealing with my complaint was not available and it was not known when he or she would next be on duty but that they would be sent a message to call me. Surely if there is a central record of a complaint and in an organisation the size of Santander the whole thing should not hinge on the availability of one individual, who’s work schedule is unknown? Maybe this is the new reality of WFH?

All I can now do, once again, is wait, unable to access my own money. It is now about 5 weeks since Santander originally wrote to me erroneously raising concerns that I have changed my address and I’m no further on. What else needs to be said?

On 14th March 2025 I received a call from Santander upholding my complaint, telling me that I didn’t need to go to a branch and that they had all the information they needed to resolve matters. During the telephone call I genuinely believed that I was finally getting somewhere and that this sorry saga would be resolved, at last. I was reassured that I would be contacted later in the day or the following day to finally resolve matters and to discuss some form of compensation.

If you have followed this tale at all you can probably guess what comes next. It is now 09:00 on 19th March 2025 and I have still heard nothing. Another 5 days have passed, another acceptance of the problem and Santander upholding my complaint has changed nothing, I still don’t have my money and Santander have slipped still further down in my estimation. And yes, I’ve checked my phone, I haven’t missed any calls.

Well I finally received another call from Santander on 20th March 2025 once again upholding my complaint and agreeing to make a modest ex gratia payment for the inconvenience and hassle this has all caused, all of which was totally avoidable. However, since that call another week has passed (it is now 27th March 2025) and you’ve guessed it, I still have not received the money that Santander are holding onto. They have agreed that the money is mine and they agreed to return it to me when they rang on 20th March 2025. You really couldn’t make it up.

Finally I can report that my old accounts have been closed, the contents have been transferred to me and a small ex gratia payment was received. The saga is over.

Would I recommend banking with Santander to a friend?