Overview
- An in-store notice in Kassel directed shoppers to request Lavazza, Melitta, Dallmayr and Jacobs coffee at checkout 1 rather than taking it from open shelves.
- Rewe’s spokesperson said only a few stores use such measures at hotspot locations and emphasized it is not a standard rollout.
- Retail losses from customer theft reached about €2.95 billion in 2024, up 4.6% year over year, with coffee among the most frequently stolen goods, according to EHI.
- Store managers cited organized “procurement” theft targeting branded coffee for resale on informal markets, often in large quantities.
- Online reactions ranged from criticism of inconvenience to support for loss prevention, and users reported similar safeguards at Edeka and Penny, including locked displays.