Supermarket shoppers have been left stunned after spotting a note pinned up in a branch warning them staff will check receipts before they leave.
Bosses of the busy Tesco Extra branch apparently put up the typed notice in a bid to crack down on shoplifters.
The forthright notice, which was snapped by a customer and posted to Facebook, says that store staff will be "asking all customers to produce their receipt for goods purchased when leaving the store", reports Yorkshire Live.
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Punters in the Rotherham store were advised the measure would come into force on October 12 in a bid to curb thefts.
It continued: "We know this may sound a little unusual, but we genuinely believe this is the right thing to do for our regular customers.
"We've listened to lots of customer feedback over the last 6 months and the biggest thing people speak about is wanting to feel safer in the area and our store. We want this too!"
The notice says that staff are "continually looking for ways to make your shopping trip as simple, safe and pleasant as can be" but adds that staff are regularly having to deal with anti-social behaviour and theft.
According to the notice, other Tesco stores have trialled this scheme and have found success, with customers allegedly providing "overwhelmingly positive" feedback.
"They tell us the store feels safer, is a nicer place to be and the shopping experience is much improved", the notice reads.
And the notice adds that the Rotherham Central policing team are also supporting staff in this initiative.
The full notice reads: "We're making some changes in our store and wanted to let you know in advance...
"From Tuesday 12th October, we will be asking all customers to produce their receipt for goods purchased when leaving the store.
"We know this may sound a little unusual, but we genuinely believe this is the right thing to do for our regular customers.
"We've listened to lots of customer feedback over the last 6 months and the biggest thing people speak about is wanting to feel safer in the area and our store.
"We want this too!
"We're continually looking for ways to make your shopping trip as simple, safe and pleasant as can be.
"Unfortunately, the time we want to spend serving customers, getting the products you want on the shelves and ensuring we're doing our best for you is instead being spent dealing with lots of types antisocial behaviour and theft, which we know can make your shopping trip unpleasant or even make you feel unsafe.
"Our colleagues in another town centre store very similar to Rotherham have already trialled receipt checking and the customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
"They tell us the store feels safer, is a nicer place to be and the shopping experience is much improved.
"Checking your receipt should only take a few seconds of your time and will never negatively impact a genuine customer.
"In fact, our hope is that it will give us the time to serve you and our community better. The Rotherham Central Policing team are also supporting us with this initiative.
"If you have any questions or concerns please speak to one of our dedicated team members or managers, who will be more than happy to chat through them with you.
"We want to say thank you in advance for the support and patience we know you will show and we want to assure you that this decision has genuinely been made with our customers best interests at heart. The Rotherham Team".
