‘I run Britain's cheapest shop where everything costs 20p… but we're still fighting thieves'
The 20p Shop, situated in the market town of Otley, West Yorkshire, is renowned for its jaw-dropping bargains.
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The small business sells greeting cards, cutlery and even pieces of jewellery for next-to-nothing.
But its owner has issued a warning to other retailers over shoplifters - despite the unbelievably low prices.
It comes as statistics published last month indicate that shoplifting in England and Wales is at an all time high.
Steve Nelson, 67, told the Daily Mail how thieves will come in and pay for one 20p item "just to make it look good" - before taking other items off the shelves and walking out.
He even said how some of the shoplifters are pensioners and that one couple had been barred from the shop.
Steve added: "When you've got pensioners stealing from a 20p shop, something's gone seriously wrong, hasn't it?"
Despite items only setting customers back by 20p per item, shoplifting has still had an impact on the shop.
Stock in the shop is bought in bulk and sourced carefully to allow profit margins of a mere few pennies on each item sold - making theft a big blow to the small business.
Steve said that some thieves allegedly take cards in bulk just to sell them on at car boot sales for 50p each.
Bulk thefts on cards, for example, could cost owner Steve £30 to £40, he said.
How business owners are cracking down on shoplifting
The 20p store opened in 2017 and has become somewhat of a tourist attraction due to its bargains.
Locals reportedly donate any unwanted items, and there are no hired employees - just kind-hearted volunteers.
The total income for the shop in a day sits at roughly £150 - which has to cover rent, rates and electricity.
But bill increases and wholesale stock becoming more expensive means pressure has mounted on the shop.
The council also decided to paint double yellow lines outside the shop, causing a drop in footfall.
Steve's son Stewart, 31, said that while there had been rumours of the prices getting raised to 50p, he said it wasn't happening.
In 2023, shoplifting added £133 to the cost of an average household's shopping bill for the year, according to the Centre For Retail Research.
There were 516,971 shoplifting crimes last year, according to the Office for National Statistics, which is a 20 per cent increase on 2023 when 429,873 offences were recorded.
In its annual crime survey of major retailers, the British Retail Consortium found that violence and abuse against shop workers rose by 50 per cent, with more than 2,000 incidents recorded on average each day.
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