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Tesco: Is Swapping Sweets For Booze A ‘Healthy Little Change’?

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While Tesco is proud of ditching the sweets selection normally seen at supermarket checkouts, it may have undone its good work slightly by replacing the sugary display with booze.

Shoppers in Layton, Blackpool are unconvinced that the ‘sweet-free checkouts’ sign, followed by the boast that 'at Tesco we’re helping you make healthy little changes’ is entirely accurate, given that a range alcohol is displayed right in front of it.

Indeed, bottles of vodka and whisky are arranged in front of the sign at a mouth-wateringly affordable £15 apiece.

Customer Richard Blacow, 28, captured the scene on camera after noticing it several days in a row and becoming frustrated by the irony of it all.

The dad-of-two from Blackpool, Lancs, said: “Every little helps certainly doesn’t work here. What are they saying, instead of having a Snickers, have a bottle of whisky?

"I found it quite ironic that they were bragging about being healthy on the sign and were selling cheap alcohol right in front of it.

"If there is an issue selling sweets there as it entices children who are shopping with their parents then surely there is an issue selling alcohol there.

"Considering that Blackpool is one of the worst areas in the country for alcohol-related injuries and deaths, it’s a bit of a slap in the face to those who are battling addiction and so on.

"If someone who was trying to avoid alcohol came into the store, they can quite easily avoid the booze aisle – but in this store the alcohol is inescapable. If they want to pay for anything they would have to walk right past it as it is where you queue up. That’s not on.”

The bottles, which numbered at least 23 in a row, were security tagged to avoid thefts and came with signs advertising their price of 'only £15’.

Blackpool was named the dangerous drinking capital of England last month, with 1,230.5 people in every 100,000 of the seaside town’s residents needing treatment for alcohol-related injuries each year.

Electrical engineer Richard reported the issue to Tesco, who have said that the placement of the alcohol at the checkouts was a mistake by the store.

A Tesco spokesman said: “We want to help our customers make healthier choices and we were the first major retailer to remove sweets and chocolates from all checkout areas.

"On this occasion, the alcohol was placed in the wrong location by mistake. We have asked Mr Blacow which store this is so we can make sure the products are returned to their correct location.”

[Credit: Caters]