What can we do about pint glass theft?

With a recent survey revealing 67% of Brits think it's fine to steal pint glasses from pubs, db dives into the Great Pint Glass Debate. It's an issue that has landlords from the Fulham Road to Fife pulling their hair out. Stolen pint glasses cost UK publicans well in excess of £186 million per year - this figure is based on the average pub losing just two glasses per year, with each glass costing £5. And let's face it, most establishments are losing many more glasses than that, and the initial outlay of buying glasses has shot up due to rising production costs, so the sum is likely to be significantly higher. In Portugal, glass prices leapt up by 50% between 2021 and 2022, largely as a result of the fuel crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the challenge is one that has been felt by drinks producers all around the world. However the vast majority of UK pub-goers think it's OK to take home a pint glass after a night out, leaving pub owners increasingly out of pocket.

Guilty as charged

A poll carried out by digital media company LADBible earlier this month asked its audience whether it's acceptable to take pint glasses from pubs. The overwhelming majority (67%) answered yes, while just 33% said no. Granted, LADbible's audience is predominantly Gen Z (18-34 year olds), so the poll results may not reflect the broader consumer base in the UK. That said, in a separate poll by catering equipment supplier Nisbets, 18% of those over the age of 54 admitted they’re guilty of nicking the odd bar glass, so the problem is certainly not limited to the younger generation. Supporting this theory is a third survey conducted by The Morning Advertiser, which suggests that 37 million Brits have purloined pint glasses in their homes. Given that there are only an estimated 12.7 million Gen Z currently living in the UK, it points towards some older folk being just as  light-fingered.

Fuel for thought

Celebs, too, are not immune from the scourge. In January, db reported that former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson was fuming over pint glass theft at his Oxfordshire pub, The Farmer's Dog. Describing the continued theft as "worse than galling" he pleaded with punters to stop nicking glasses and selling them on ebay. “People seem to have it in their heads that if they come in for a pint they are entitled to go home with the glass in which it was served,” he said. “Last Sunday 104 [pint glasses] went missing. And that cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back.” To dissuade customers from pocketing his pint glasses Clarkson resorted to printing new beer mats featuring his face and the words: “Jeremy is watching…don’t steal his pint glasses!” Other on-trade venues are employing their own methods to curtail the disappearance of costly glassware. The Dulle Griet pub in Ghent, Belgium, for example, revealed it takes one shoe from each customer when they purchase a pint as a precaution against theft. Shoes are placed in a basket and hoisted up to the rafters of the pub using a pulley system until the drinker returns their glass. Failure to do so means said punter will be hopping all the way home. "We actually accept all kinds of shoes, but we realise that a flip-flop is not as valuable as the beer glass,” pub owner Alex De Vriendt told Vice.

Brand complicity

The problem is not helped by marketing campaigns such as the one launched by AB InBev-owned Stella Artois last year. The ad revealed a specially designed clothing range with extra deep pockets to help drinkers squirrel Stella pint glasses away unnoticed. Five branded garments were created for the 'Steal Artois' collection, including deep-pocketed jeans and jackets, and a bucket hat that doubled up as a bag. Social media activations encouraged people to share a picture of the "chalice" they had stolen.

Possible solutions

In a Reddit thread between landlords, a number of possible solutions were offered up to help curb theft. Some recommend only serving beer in non-branded pint glasses, and offering branded glasses for sale behind the bar. Others favour serving pints in plastic glasses, especially in outside areas where it's easier for punters to walk out with a glass undetected. A further commenter believes that people walk off with pint glasses when they aren't able to finish their pint before closing time. If this is the case, then offering "to-go cups" like many bars do in the United States could limit theft occasions. There is no blanket ban on drinking in public spaces in the UK, although some local councils can restrict it in specific areas and under specific circumstances. Others think there is a general opinion among pub-goers that it's OK to steal glasses because they know there's a breakage allowance that gets accounted for, and leading customers to mistakenly believe it doesn't cost the establishment. Clearer communication around breakage measures could prove useful. Seeming defeated, one commenter wrote: "Suppose it goes death, taxes, customers stealing glassware." db has reached out to Greene King, Marston's and Stonegate pub groups for their recommended solutions to counter pint glass theft. Trade bodies the BBPA and UK Hospitality declined to comment.