Sainsbury’s voucher ‘hack’ causes chaos as shoppers get everything for free

The UK supermarket says it is cracking down on the ‘fradulent’ practice

Sainsbury’s has said it wants to tackle the ‘fraudulent’ practice (Andrew Parsons/PA) (PA Archive)

A Sainsbury’s voucher ‘hack’ has gone viral as social media videos show customers reducing their self-checkout totals to zero in seconds.

The clips show people scanning the same code multiple times, each time reducing the total by a few pounds. In one video, a man has a stand-off with a member of Sainsbury’s staff as he continues to scan the code.

He tells the staff member: ‘I am using a coupon. Disconnect it from the system and I won’t use the coupon. The system allows me to use it so I’m using it. If it’s a frauded coupon, how is it on the Sainsbury’s app?’

A clip from a TikTok video showing the Sainsbury’s ‘hack’ in action (TikTok)

Despite their confrontation, the man reduces his total to zero as the staff member asks him to stop. The video does not make it clear whether the man was able to pay for his shopping and leave.

In response, some social media users released the barcode linked to the voucher online for others to use, while others are offering to sell them in comment sections. Several have reported that the voucher was released on the Sainsbury’s app itself.

One clip on social media is captioned: ‘A glitched Sainsbury’s coupon was released on the app yesterday where it allowed customers to get all their items for free.

Sainsbury’s has clarified that repeatedly using the same voucher is not allowed in their stores and considered “fradulent”.

A spokesperson for the supermarket chain said: “We have seen an increase in fraudulent coupons in our stores and we have processes in place to detect and block them.”

“We also have in-store detectives monitoring for fraudulent attempts and we are working closely with the police on this issue. We continue to accept genuine coupons and vouchers.”

A clip from a TikTok video showing the Sainsbury’s ‘hack’ as a staff member confronts a shopper (TikTok)

The news comes as latest official figures show that shoplifting in England and Wales have hit a 20-year high. There was a 30 percent increase in the practice from last year, with a total of 443,995 offences in the month to March.

Business owners are continuing a long-running campaign to tackle the issue, as Labour promises it will crack down on crime.

It’s thought incidents of shoplifting have increased largely in response to the ongoing cost of living crisis. Sky-high inflation over the last two years has meant shop prices, alongside other costs, have outpaced wages in recent years.