'They know we're powerless': On the shoplifting front line in Greggs

'They know we're powerless': On the shoplifting front line in Greggs

It is 09:30 BST at Greggs in Bearwood, near Birmingham, and the first shoplifter of the day has already left with a can of Red Bull.

In under 30 minutes, two men carrying rucksacks make no effort to conceal their faces as they raid the fridge for more, angrily swearing at a female worker who tries to stop them.

The incident plays out directly in front of our BBC team, which has just arrived to speak with staff and customers about shoplifting.

Workers say the bold 55-second raid is routine, with offenders hitting the branch several times a day.

They say staff are told to stay behind the counter and do nothing, yet still have to endure the daily barrage from persistent thieves who threaten them, sometimes violently, if they try to step in.

The high street bakery and fast food chain has been selling bakes and sandwiches for 75 years and now has more than 2,600 stores across the UK.

Greggs says it takes the industry-wide problem of shoplifting "extremely seriously", has strengthened security across its shops and works closely with police.

But regular customers in the West Midlands say they see branches being targeted day and night, with workers bearing the worst of it.

Greggs says it is putting in a range of measures into stores

"I'm sorry to say, it is getting worse," says Carl Willis, who once watched a thief take "boxes of cakes" from the Bearwood branch.

Customer Beryl Hanney says she shouts at the culprits to "put that back, or pay for it".

A third shopper, Alexa Walker, recalls seeing a man stuff three baguettes down the back of his jeans.

"They know that the people there can't do anything about it, they're too quick," she says.

Walker says one would-be female thief, after being confronted by a member of staff, went outside and kicked a worker's car.

"She just went out and chased her and she said, 'right, don't come here. Don't come here again'."

Staff tell us the thieves' motives vary by location, and they allege some are stealing energy drinks to resell in local pubs and shops.

"The way they're walking... around the shop and the way they're presenting themselves – you can tell straight away what they're doing," the anonymous staff member says.

Depending on the place or the time of day, it could be addicts trying to fund their next hit, or schoolchildren causing chaos for fun.

Staff at another Greggs, in Kings Heath, Birmingham, previously told the BBC that a teenage gang had rushed in and stolen armfuls of food, while a female worker was assaulted when she tried to lock them out.

Across the West Midlands, police recorded 31,786 shoplifting offences between 2025 and 2026, the seventh highest rate in England and Wales.

Greggs is no different from other major food retailers - all are constantly coming up with ways to deal with the wave of thieves.

But with many Greggs items on open shelves and staff positioned behind the counter at the far end of the shop, it is seen as easy pickings for opportunists.

The company has already started moving food behind the counter in an effort to reduce shoplifting at selected stores

In April, it also removed open cabinets in "a very small number" of severely-affected locations

, and said a related trial was under way in Birmingham.

One worker, who wants to remain anonymous, believes the thieves know staff are powerless to stop them.

Most retailers advise workers not to fight back for their own safety.

"We basically get told ‘it's best not to’," the staff member says. "If we go out and something happens to us, we're not really covered."

Workers are worried that police forces are too stretched to deal with shoplifting, leaving staff exposed.

Kathleen Hammond says the constant thefts make her angry

Kathleen Hammond, a customer at the store in Bilston, Wolverhampton, says she has seen children helping themselves to sandwiches on their way to school.

"It does make me angry. It's not right," she says.

"But there again, I can see the other side of it. If they've got no money and they're desperate, they'll do it, won't they?"

Sunny Bhatti, who works at a bookies next door, says he has seen youngsters pulling on face coverings before running in to steal food.

Some do not bother with masks, he says. "The kids are just blatant now.

"Blatant, I think because they get away with it."

Sunny Bhatti says he has seen schoolchildren stealing food from Greggs

Greggs has previously said it is trialling software that sends incident data directly to local police stations to speed up reporting and response.

Rivals Pret a Manger and Costa have hired security staff to deter repeat offenders.

Some Greggs branches have done the same, including one in Coventry in 2024.

In a statement, Greggs told the BBC: "Shoplifting is an industry-wide issue which we take extremely seriously.

"We have invested in a range of enhanced security measures across our shops and continue to work closely with the police and wider industry bodies to tackle this issue so offenders face consequences."

One female worker says she finds arriving early on dark mornings intimidating in case she runs into a shoplifter who bears a grudge against her.

But they do have security cameras and walkie talkies linked to council workers available to them.

"Anything happens, we report it on there, report it to the police, then they might come take statements, look at the cameras," the anonymous worker says.

"That's the only way we can tackle it."

West Midlands Police says Sandwell, the borough covering Bearwood, has a dedicated retail crime team working closely with businesses to bring prolific offenders to justice.

Sgt Jason Walters, from the district's retail crime team, points to the retail radio scheme, which lets businesses communicate with police officers and other stores.

The force says there is also CCTV along Bearwood Road to improve safety.

"Reporting every shop theft is so important, regardless of the financial value, as it helps build cases against prolific offenders," Walters adds.

"Installing good CCTV gives a stronger chance of offenders being prosecuted as it allows us to capture images and use facial recognition software to identify them."

A Sandwell Council spokesperson describes Bearwood and Wednesbury as "priority locations" for tackling crime and antisocial behaviour and says CCTV coverage is monitored around the clock.

The authority also speaks directly to traders to identify local concerns, they add.

"We continue to encourage businesses to make use of the crime prevention and reporting arrangements available to them.”