Shoppers warned against cheeky supermarket trend that could be illegal

"Ah yes let’s do something that the minimum wage workers will be stuck dealing with"

When shopping at Woolworths, you probably don’t take any notice of the tags - beyond seeing what price is on them.

One shopper has had a realisation about what they’re actually made out of, and people are floored.

But, the realisation comes along with a warning not to start what could be a very frustrating trend for staff members.

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Image: TikTok / @jazzyjm07.

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“So they have always just been stickers?”

TikTok user @jazzyjm07 has taken to the app this week to share a shocking realisation she had while shopping at Woolworths.

In the clip, she’s seen pulling the backs of the yellow sale tags off to unveil the fact that they’re all stickers.

“So they have always just been stickers?” she asked in the video.

@jazzyjm07

#sorrynotsorry #woolies #crazyrap #stickers #lol

♬ Crazy Rap (Colt 45 & 2 Zig Zags) - Afroman

“Wait, what?”

Many shoppers were shocked at the revelation.

“No they used to be paper tickets you stuck under the clear flap,” one person said.

“Wait what?” said another.

But, some said it was common sense.

“What did you think they were? Magnets?” said one person.

“How did you think it was sticking … hovering on haha,” another added.

Leave them alone!

Regardless of whether you knew about it or not, people have one warning - don’t make it a trend to screw with them.

“Omg noooo pls don’t do this - sincerely a person who has to put them up/take them down,” said one staff member in the comments.

“Ahh yes let’s make it even harder for those who need to price check for budget limits,” another said sarcastically.

“Noooooo stopppp please i beg you, they’re impossible to get off most surfaces,” a third agreed.

"Ah yes let’s do something that the minimum wage workers will be stuck dealing with," said another.

Plus, if you do it enough, it may even get you in trouble with the law. 

According to Aussie lawyer Avinash Singh, reckless vandalism and placing these stickers without consent could result in a charge for destroying or damaging property.

"Sticking down the tags in a store could result in criminal prosecution," he told Kidspot.

"A person could be charged with an offence of malicious damage to property pursuant to Section 195 of the Crimes Act 1900. This offence carries a maximum penalty of 5 years' imprisonment. The High Court has found that the physical integrity of the property must be altered in some way. The removal of the back strip could potentially be considered altering the physical integrity of the stickers."

Moving stickers in a store, specifically to cover or switch tags, is also a form of retail fraud. Penalties vary based on the value of the items, but regardless, you wouldn't want to end up in hot water.

"If the tags are placed incorrectly, a person could be charged with an offence of attempt to dishonestly cause financial disadvantage by deception under Section 192E of the Crimes Act 1900," Singh said.

"Placing the tags on different items is dishonest and deceptive. It could also be seen as an attempt to cause the store a financial disadvantage, particularly with the prominence of self-serve checkouts."

Originally published as Shoppers warned against cheeky supermarket trend that could be illegal