A family-business in Tidworth launched an appeal to parents after children stole vapes from their shop last week which they believe is linked to a TikTok trend. 

The Beech Hill Road Spar has just been refitted with high quality security cameras to celebrate the shop's 60th anniversary this year which is how they were able to catch children, some they think as young as 11, stealing ‘Geek Bars’, or disposable vapes, from their shelves.

Sara Connolly, 38, who is in the fourth generation of store owners of the Spar on Beach Hill Road, has appealed for parents to come forward if their child has stolen vapes in the past week or they will have to go to the police. 

She said: “We’re hoping the parents will help us because we are a small family business in Tidworth. We do everything we can for the community and this is what’s happening to us.

“It’s just heartbreaking. At the end of the day we’re not Tescos, we’re not Sainsbury’s, everything we put in store is trying to make a living.”

The store shared their appeal on Facebook, as they have CCTV images of the children who stole these products and have made contact with local schools. 

Sara said that one parent has already come in to pay for the vape her son stole, and another parent intends to come in soon, but there is a particular group of boys they may have to talk to the police about "if it doesn’t stop". 

“One distracted a member of staff and then the other two stole, so their intentions are to get these vapes no matter what,” she said.

She feels that the reason behind the thefts is their booming popularity on TikTok.

Searching the hashtage #GeekBar on TikTok brings up a large number of results totaling 51.3 millon views on the platform, at the time of writing. 

Many of these results show young people using them, some videos warn of the risks. 

@dronkarmudhar

Tag someone who needs to stop vaping! ##GeekBars ##Vape ##shisha ##dentist ##foryou ##MaybellineSwipeIt ##teeth ##medtok ##viral ##fypシ

♬ Sit Back Down (feat. Maleek Berry) - Not3s

Geek Bars are particularly popular for their disposability, bright colours and interesting flavours drawing in younger people.

The age restriction on these products, which cost £6.99 at the Spar, is 18-years-old as they come under the same law as tobacco and smoking and contain 20mg of nicotine. 

She said: “They’re all trying to steal this new vape. They all want [it] to fit in.

“It’s not that they want to smoke, its just that everybody on TikTok has got these vapes and they want to be cool. It’s not cool.

“The kids are doing what they think they need to do. They don’t, they don’t need to follow everybody else just because TikTok and Facebook tells them to.” 

The family own two stores in Tidworth, one in Beech Hill which is the one being targeted, and one in Pennings Road, and the family business is coming up to its 60th anniversary. 

Sara said: “Everything we do as a family is community based, always is and always will be, and the kids around here are stopping us from doing more.”

Her message to those who stole from their store is: “Just do what’s right, and if you think it’s wrong don’t do it.”

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