Five-finger discounts don't apply

Photo / APN

Condoms, razor blades and top-end cuts of meat are among the items most frequently shoplifted from supermarket shelves.

Progressive Enterprises, which owns Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworths, has issued a list of the 10 most commonly stolen products. Other items included batteries, skin care, DVDs, rubbish bags, wine, sweets and corned beef.

A meat thief recently targeted several Auckland stores before being caught on security footage, and police arrested him.

"We take this issue seriously to ensure our customers have a safe and secure place to shop, and we don't want thieves costing our customers money and getting away with it," said Progressive spokesman Luke Schepen.

Retailers invested "significant time, resources, money and effort into preventing crime in supermarkets," he said.

Most supermarkets had security cameras, electronic gates at the entrance and exit and tagged high-risk products.