Increasing crime in retail stores has led companies and governments to look for unconventional strategies to wage millionaire losses. In a context where supermarkets and large surfaces become frequent targets, some supermarket chains are betting on unprecedented ways of directly involving customers in combating crime.
Rewards to stop the crime
It was in this framework that Iceland chain Iceland announced a reward program that assigns credit card credit to those who report theft within its stores
The company’s president, Richard Walker, explained, quoted by the magazine specializing in Economy and Business Executive Digest, that the goal is to turn consumers into allies. “We are inciting our loyal customers to help to sound the alarm, and if they help catch a thief, we will recharge your bonus letter to spend on the store.”
Large annual losses
According to Walker, thefts represent annual losses of about 20 million euros, a value that it considers “significant and unsustainable” and that affects both the competitiveness of prices and the possibility of increasing salaries to workers.
How the measurement works
To benefit from the reward, the suspect’s immediate arrest is not required. Just the complaint, confirmed by the store, so that the credit is loaded on the customer’s card.
The company, according to the same source, considers this approach an effective way to reinforce surveillance at a time when crime numbers in supermarkets are also growing in countries such as England and Wales.
Broader response to the problem
At the governmental level, the United Kingdom has already announced the reinforcement of the police presence in the most affected commercial zones, with the forecast of thousands of new agents in roles from the spring of 2026.
With its measure, Iceland seeks to reduce losses that threaten business sustainability while involving customers as an active part in preserving safety within stores, says.
To apply in Portugal?
The eventual implementation of a similar program in Portugal would raise several practical and legal issues. On the one hand, crime in supermarkets has also increased, especially small thefts of food and first necessity.
The large national chains have already reinforced surveillance with private chambers, alarms and security guards, but have not yet involved customers directly.
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