Reusable bags making it easier for people to steal from supermarkets
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Thieves are using reusable shopping bags to steal more from supermarkets.
Wellington's Moore Wilson's supermarket has banned shoppers from using their own bags to shop directly into, preferring them to use baskets or trolleys to prevent stealing.
A sign at the store said: 'To assist in our efforts to eliminate shoplifting, we ask all customers to not shop into their own bags'.
Moore Wilson's spokeswoman Amanda Thompson said stealing had become a growing problem.
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'The more common the large shopping bags become, the easier it is for shoplifters to blend in, swiftly fill them and leave,' she said.
'We ask customers to shop into a trolley or basket and then we will happily pack goods into their reusable bags at the checkout.
'We do have hooks on our trolleys for people doing a large shop to hang their bags on, otherwise they just need to be folded in their handbag or bottom of their basket or trolley.'
The problem is also affecting a Wellington New World supermarket.
A sign on the New World Thorndon store said: 'Goods are not permitted to be concealed prior to purchase into reusable bags, handbags, backpacks or clothing. Please only place items into trolleys or baskets supplied'.
New World owner Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said while prevention of stock loss was a serious and ongoing issue for retailers, it was not planning on widespread ban to stop people using their bags to carry groceries around the store.
'Our stores are owner-operated and may choose to request that their customers refrain from using their bags until they reach the checkout – that is their prerogative.
'However, the more things like this are publicised, the more media are telling people how they could try and steal from businesses like ours,' Laird said.
'We're doing everything we can to encourage people to use their reusable bags. We're not planning on banning people using their bags to carry groceries around the store.'
Plain clothes 'floorwalkers', CCTV, and security tagging of high risk and frequently stolen products were some of the measures taken to stop theft, Laird said.
Countdown spokeswoman Kate Porter also said the company had not noticed thieves using reusable bags.
The 2017 Retail Crime Report by Retail NZ and the University of Otago found more than a third (36.7 per cent) of total retail crime occurred in grocery, convenience, food and liquor stores. Around 1.2 per cent of turnover is lost to crime in this sector.
University of Otago marketing lecturer Dr John Guthrie said the total cost of shoplifting is far greater than the $1.1 billion reported in losses.
'Our research shows that retailers are spending around $514 million a year on crime prevention, plus crime takes a massive toll on the individuals who face violence, intimidation and who are fearful about going to work.'
Guthrie said he had not heard of people using reusable bags to steal.
'But it comes as no surprise and the challenge for retailers is that they are trying to satisfy the sustainably stuff, but have made it easier for people to steal. So it's a challenge.
Supermarkets were competing for customers and did not want to annoy them with intrusive security, he said.
Thieves rely on nobody intervening if they're seen, which was more likely when supermarkets were busy over the Christmas period.
'People don't want to move out of the comfort zone and say 'Oi, put that back'. With more people around, the people who steal will be more comfortable to do it because there's less chance they will be spotted, and people are in a hurry and will be less likely to get involved.
'Research also shows that money spent on preventative measures does pay off. The biggest retail firms, who spend the most on crime prevention have a noticeably lower rate of recorded crime overall,' Guthrie said.