Consumer Misbehavior: The Rise of Self-Service Grocery Retailing and Shoplifting in the United Kingdom c. 1950-1970

Abstract

Literature within the fields of consumer behavior, retail geography, and history attests to the varying ways that consumers use retail space not only for legitimate acts of consumption but also for illegal forms of shopping behavior. In this context, this article approaches shoplifting by customers in self-service grocery stores, including supermarkets, in the United Kingdom in the period 1950-1970. Through an analysis of a range of trade and consumer publications, the article explores how retailers and consumers reacted to and reported on the increasing rate of thefts in the period. It reveals the contradictory position of retail managers, responsible for controlling the pilferage problem but also involved in its very stimulation. It also highlights the considerable attention given to the store environment as a cause of shoplifting. The article aims to improve the understanding of the ways in which the consumer may react to periods of change in retailing.