Chewing Gum For Change

From 2012: Britain's stolen gum ends up as change in Romanian shops

Police believe organised gangs have identified a "soft target" in stores, where large amounts of stock are routinely left on shelves. In many cases, thieves simply load boxes of gum into trolleys and walk out. A number of forces claim the gum is sent to Romania, where shops and kiosks give chewing gum to customers instead of change, though Romanian diplomatic sources have played down the idea.