Recording prices at Tesco now 'illegal'

A journalist for the Guardian's finance blog was surprised to learn that it's now 'illegal' to write down prices inside one of Tesco's many supermarkets. During a visit to a London store, one of the blogger's simple research tasks was brought to an abrupt halt by a security guard, who approached and asked him what he was doing, and, upon learning that the journalist was comparing prices as a 'private individual', replied: "It's illegal to write things down and you can't take any photographs, either. If you want to check the prices, take the item to the till and pay for it there. The price will be on the receipt."

One can't help wondering why – given that the company is so intent on informing consumers of their low prices – they would be reluctant to allow gathering of pricing data.