As the price of the grocery cart continues to rise, consumers will soon have to pay another bill: that of shoplifting.
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Value-added products, such as tomahawk steaks, lobster and wine, are particularly sought after. Information confirmed by the police of Trois-Rivières.
“People go directly to the meat counter where they target cuts that are particularly popular,” explained agent Luc Mongrain.
Some merchants, on condition of anonymity, report regularly intercepting people with $500 or $600 of goods in their bag. Losses estimated at between $5,000 and $10,000 per week, which worries Stéphane Lacasse of the Association of Food Retailers (ADAQ). “5000$ per week, it is good amounts!”
He adds that retailers will have no choice but to pass the bill on to consumers. “I will raise some prices to compensate for the financial loss,” he said.
Retailers argue that individuals would leave Montreal and collect their loot along Highway 40 to Quebec. They would then resume their merry-go-round along Highway 20 before selling their harvest on the internet. “We can think that these are people who already have pre-established orders”, advanced agent Mongrain who confirms the existence of a network.
“With the exchange of information with other police services, we are able to see that it is the same modus operandi. And on some images, we could see the same suspects, ”he said.
That the orders are placed in advance, hypothetically by a few restaurateurs, worries the ADAQ. “It’s worrying because, for sure, the restaurant industry is having a hard time, but it would be sad if they sent people flying into stores to buy back.”
At the Grocery Retailers Association, they rely on employee training to try to overcome the problem. The addition of security guards is also considered, but difficult to put into practice due to the shortage of manpower.