Shop staff are being advised to be on the alert for what police say is the shoplifter's take on "divide and conquer".
Napier Police community constable Mike Burne said there had been a recent spike in shoplifting reports and among them was another incident where the offenders worked as a team.
The man involved was known to police and had drug dependency issues, Mr Burne said.
He entered a hardware store in Onekawa with a woman.
"They employed the classic 'divide and conquer' strategy - splitting up in the shop with one taking the attention of the assistant while the other helped themselves to some tools," Mr Burne said.