Alarming detail in this photo at a Coles leaves customers shocked: ‘That’s crazy’
Coles shoppers are furious after a customer spotted security tags on meat packs as the supermarket cracks down on theft.
Mandy Van shared footage on TikTok when she spotted the gray tags and bright yellow warning stickers on items at a Coles in Boronia, in Melbourne’s east.
The clip, which has been viewed more than 150,000 times, showed dozens of meat trays stuffed into an open refrigerator with safety tags attached.
“Tell me you live in the ghetto without telling me you live in the ghetto,” Ms. Van wrote.
Hundreds posted comments criticizing the supermarket giant for introducing the extreme safety measure.
“What happens in this world when a supermarket has more security than a bank,” someone wrote.
“Wow, I’m sure they’ll roll this out to all Coles stores soon,” added a second.
“That’s crazy,” said another.
One customer said their local Coles store is preventing customers from buying cuts of steak straight from the shelves.
‘You have to ask the butcher, who will put a scan code on the meat so that you can beep [the] checkout and a second employee then scans again,” they wrote.
Others said the tags have been hanging in various stores for a while.
“Meat has had security tags on it since they introduced self-checkout years ago to keep people from not scanning it,” one person wrote.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the supermarket has introduced a range of security measures, including CCTV cameras, to reduce shoplifting.
“TikTok’s display of tags on some meat products is a very small trial in just ten Victorian stores,” they said.
‘We are continually reassessing and trialling new safety measures, and would like to hear local feedback on the trial.
The clip, which has been viewed more than 150,000 times, shows dozens of meat trays standing in an open refrigerator, with the labels attached to the products (pictured)
“It’s important to note that the majority of customers in the store are doing the right thing. These kinds of measures are for those who don’t.’
It is understood that the trial to introduce the security tags started earlier this year.
The spokesperson said Woolworths also has a range of other measures in place to help reduce retail crime.
“These initiatives include the use of camera technology at checkouts, double welcome gates, CCTV and a trial of gates at the exit of our self-service checkout,” they said.
‘The majority of our customers are doing the right thing and we thank them for that.’
The implementation of the measures comes as new data shows that meat theft has increased by 85 percent between 2022 and 2023.
Findings from retail crime intelligence platform Auror also show that 67,000 cases of meat theft will be reported in 2023.
Pork was the most commonly stolen meat, with thefts increasing by 35 percent.
Lamb was the most popular with thieves at 31 percent, followed by beef at 15 percent.