Yahoo Finance Supermarket chain puts GPS trackers on meat to deter shoplifters
Drakes Supermarkets said meat was the number one thing that was stolen from its stores.
An Australian supermarket chain is upping the ante against shoplifters by putting GPS-tracking security devices on high-end meat.
The cost of living crisis has seen a rise in the number of people stealing food and there have been a range of measures employed by the likes of Coles and Woolworths to combat that trend. More than 12 per cent of people responding to a Yahoo Finance poll admitted they have resorted to shoplifting because they’re struggling to afford groceries at the moment.
Drakes Supermarkets is now wrapping expensive cuts of meat in security boxes as well as plastic packets. There are more than 60 Drakes supermarkets in South Australia and Queensland and it’s hoped the move will make shoplifters think twice about pinching food without paying for it.
Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
Drakes Supermarkets director JP Drake said this is a “first for supermarkets in Australia”.
“Meat is the number one thing that is stolen from our supermarkets,” he told 7News. "If someone leaves the store without it being detached then that'll set off the GPS.
“The minority are becoming more brazen in the ways they've been taking products from the stores.”
The GPS trackers are currently being trialled at two supermarkets and Drakes is hoping to roll it out across its network at a later date. The security boxes cost $30 each, and while that might be a huge price tag, Drakes believes it’s worth it to stop thieves from running off with hundreds of dollars of meat.
Coles introduced a similar system to clamp down on shoppers from stealing meat. Security tags have been added to certain products at nearly a dozen supermarkets across Victoria and customers called the crackdown “depressing”.
While measures like these might help a supermarket clamp down on shoplifting, increased security can backfire in the minds of shoppers, according to UNSW Business School professor Nitika Garg.
“The idea that we are not being trusted as consumers is jarring to us because most of us do the right thing anyway,” Garg explained to Yahoo Finance.
RELATED
Coles and Woolworths anti-theft measures assumes worst of shoppers
Aussie reveals why they shoplift at Coles, Woolworths and Kmart - but not others
Coles trials security tags on meat in latest crackdown: 'This is depressing'
Coles and Woolworths have introduced security cameras and AI technology to ensure everyone is paying for what they pick up before they leave the store.
But the normalisation of surveillance is something many shoppers might not be aware is happening, according to Samantha Floreani, program lead at Digital Rights Watch.
“People should have the ability to go do basic life essentials - like shop for groceries - without being constantly tracked and monitored,” Floreani told Yahoo Finance.
“It's telling that major supermarkets are prioritising investment in privacy-invasive surveillance technology in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, rather than considering other ways that might lower rates of theft, such as reining in their huge profit margins and lowering prices.”
Get the latest Yahoo Finance news - follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
