Supermarket boss John-Paul Drake outs shoplifters for brazen birthday gift ruse as he claims: ‘If you’ve got tattoos and Foxtel, you can afford food’

An outspoken supermarket boss has publicly lashed out at a pair of would-be thieves, accusing them of stealing expensive cuts of meat by disguising them as birthday presents.

John-Paul Drake, director of Drakes Supermarkets, uploaded a video to Instagram yesterday showing a man and a woman allegedly stealing cartons of meat from stores in Adelaide’s north last month.

In an alleged incident captured on security cameras, a woman walks into a Drakes carrying a trolley containing a large gift wrapped in black wrapping paper.

Dressed in a colored hoodie, black sweatpants and a pair of pink sneakers, the woman encounters a man who appears to be pushing another trolley containing various pieces of meat.

The footage shows the woman giving the gift to the man before he places it over the packs of meat.

He then appears to exchange his cart with the woman who walks past the cash register a little later.

“With my birthday coming up, I honestly thought they were trying to get me a present,” a tongue-in-cheek Mr. Drake told the newspaper. Adelaide Advertiser.

“Imagine my disappointment when they made products disappear.”

The couple are said to have stolen several pieces of meat believed to be worth hundreds of dollars on five separate occasions from shops in Gawler, Gawler East, Salisbury North, Clovercrest and Golden Grove.

While visiting another store, the woman is seen wheeling in another large gift with several balloons tied to the top of the box.

The balloons covered her face as she walked into the store.

The pair were seen on CCTV switching their trolleys after the woman placed the large gift (pictured) on top of another trolley containing several packs of meat.

Moments later, the woman walked out of the store (pictured) with what appeared to be the gift – which allegedly contained hundreds of dollars’ worth of packages of meat.

Mr Drake, who regularly uploads videos on social media calling out people who have allegedly stolen items, informed police of the incidents.

The report to the police was made using Auror, a surveillance technology used by some supermarkets to detect theft in stores.

The data from these surveillance systems may be provided to the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Mr Drake told the Today Toon Wednesday morning that he found it difficult to understand why the couple would have resorted to stealing the items.

“I just have a theory that if you have tattoos and Foxtel, you can afford to buy food.”

A South Australian Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that police had been made aware of the matter.

“Police are investigating a series of thefts at a supermarket chain in the northern suburbs that took place in May,” the spokeswoman said.

Mr Drake (centre) has criticized alleged shoplifters, telling the Today Show on Wednesday morning that if people can afford ‘tattoos and Foxtel’ they can afford food.

The incidents come after police said reports of shoplifting have increased by 29 percent since 2023.

According to figures, 18,794 shoplifting incidents were reported between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 14,602 thefts last year.

Nearly 60 percent of shoplifting in South Australia occurred at Rundle Mall in Adelaide’s CBD.

Mr Drake said more and more people are stealing expensive food and products such as cosmetics, and people are using various tricks to get away with the offence.

“We’re seeing an increase in the theft of expensive items, such as premium cuts of meat and health and beauty products, and people are definitely becoming bolder and more creative with their methods,” he said.

Drakes Supermarkets stores have been repeatedly targeted by suspected thieves.

A man was recently accused of taking cuts of premium meat from a Drakes store without paying for them on a whopping 27 occasions.