Razor blades have the edge with shoplifters

IT is the best a criminal can get and its popularity has forced shops to conceal it behind counters.

The Gillette Mach 3 razor is the most popular item with shoplifters worldwide because of its high price (up to €10.49 for four blades) and its relatively small size.

Most of the major Irish retailers have moved the triple-bladed razor to the checkout, where shoplifters face more scrutiny. A Tesco store in Abbeycourt in Tralee has even resorted to attaching enormous security tags to the razor boxes. “The blades were certainly the most popular item for shoplifters, but putting them behind the counter has worked and people accept it,” Tesco spokeswoman Freda Molamphy said. However, Gillette, the giant US multinational which sells $1 billion worth of Mach 3 razors every year, is unhappy with the practice of storing its product behind a counter.