Reusable bags gift to thieves

Thieves are using reusable shopping bags to steal more from supermarkets.

To discourage theft, one Wellington supermarket has banned shoppers from placing products directly into their own bags, preferring them to use baskets or trolleys.

A sign at the Moore Wilson’s 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.

‘‘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.’’

But supermarket chains Foodstuffs (Pak ‘n Save and New World) and Countdown seem unaffected.

Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said theft was a serious problem for retailers but reusable bags were ‘‘not currently an issue’’.

Plainclothes ‘‘floorwalkers’’, CCTV, and security tagging of frequently stolen products were some of the measures taken to stop theft, Laird said.

Countdown, too, said it 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 was 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 it would be no surprise if reusable bags had become a theft device.

‘‘The challenge for retailers is that they are trying to satisfy the sustainably stuff, but have made it easier for people to steal.’’

Supermarkets were competing for customers and did not want to annoy them with intrusive security, he said.

Thieves relied on an absence of intervention if they were 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.’’