Shoppers have been left shocked and unhappy as Coles has started attaching bulky security tags to $8 steaks, in yet another attempt to ensure not a single dollar goes missing.
Coles say they have begun a security tag trial in 10 stores across Victoria, with the possibility to expand. Because it’s not just suppliers and wages pushing up prices, but shoplifting now too, how crazy.
“The reddit post showing tags on some meat products is a very small trial in just 10 Victorian stores. We are always reassessing and trying new security measures,” a Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News.
“It’s important to note that the majority of customers do the right thing in store. Measures like this are for the ones who don’t.”
It joins a growing number of security measures such as cameras at checkouts and security gates, which seem to serve as more of a tripping hazard than anything else.
These days, shopping at the supermarket is starting to feel closer to going through airport security than a quick dash to the shops.
Yet Coles say they have a good reason for doing this, claiming that last year about 20 per cent of stock losses came from shoplifting and food waste. That’s despite boasting record profits of more than $1.1 billion.
It comes as a Finder survey revealed that a growing number of Aussies are getting sick of the overreaching security efforts by supermarkets.
A survey of 1,039 respondents revealed almost one in four people believe cameras should be removed from self-serve checkouts.
People say that cameras often making mistakes and feelings of over-surveillance are the reasons for wanting them gone, with many shoppers even saying they now go elsewhere for their Tim Tams and Vegemite.
Finder’s head of consumer research Graham Cooke said the supermarket duopoly was increasingly relying on “high-tech” security.
“While these cameras track customer movement, their limitations can lead to misinterpretations, causing unnecessary staff intervention,” he said.
“The need to verify potential theft can significantly slow down the self-service checkout process for some customers.”
He also said that growing food costs meant many households were already under stress when shopping, and being made to feel like criminals was simply a step too far.
“Overly aggressive security measures can push honest shoppers to shop elsewhere,” he said.
It seems like the duopoly will use every security measure under the sun, and I wonder how close we are to x-rays on the doors. Tune in next week when someone is arrested for tasting a grape.
