Supermarket staff foiled an abusive man’s alleged attempt to steal a trolley full of food. Video / Supplied
A witness has captured the moment an Auckland supermarket foiled an abusive man’s alleged attempt at stealing a trolley full of food in what is the latest alarming incident at a grocery store.
On Sunday about 2.30pm, a man in a black jacket was seen at Greenlane Woolworths walking out of the supermarket with a trolley full of groceries.
According to Woolworths, the wheel-lock on the man’s trolley was activated, stopping him in his tracks.
But after staff returned the trolley inside with the groceries, the alleged thief wasn’t ready to give up and re-entered the store.
A witness then captured the moment the man abused supermarket staff as he tried taking the items for a second time.
Video showed staff walking towards the man and yanking the full shopping trolley away from him.
The witness said she heard the man abusing staff members as they accused him of not paying for his groceries.
“I was in the checkout paying for my groceries and noticed a worker yelling at the man saying he hadn’t paid for his groceries but he just kept walking.
According to a witness the man allegedly grabbed a basket and started helping himself to the items in the confiscated trolley before leaving the store.
“Other workers joined in to hold the trolley and that’s when he started verbally abusing them.
“He was saying, ‘F*** you b***h’ to the lady working there. He said, ‘I paid for it, why do you have to take my s**t for’ but he didn’t pay,” she claimed.
During the altercation the man was seen taking a basket and grabbing items from the confiscated trolley and stuffing them into the basket.
On video he can be heard saying, “Why you take my trolley for, dumb b***h?” before walking out of the store with a full basket of groceries.
The witness told the Herald some shoppers who saw the incident were elderly and some appeared scared and shocked.
A witness has captured the moment a man abused supermarket staff members while allegedly stealing groceries from the Woolworths in Greenlane in the latest alarming incident at a supermarket store.
A Woolworths spokesperson told the Herald the man made off with a handful of items in the shopping basket, but the trolley lock system prevented him leaving with a full trolley of goods.
The trolley lock system recognises when shoppers leave the store with a trolley without using a till, locking the wheels and setting off an alarm.
“Customer and team safety is our top priority and we’re disappointed to see this incident.
“Thanks to our investment in a trolley lock system the offender was prevented from leaving the premises with the trolley load of products, and we commend our team for their handling of this situation.
“This system is just one of the safety and security measures we’re investing in to reduce theft and keep our customers and team safe.”
Police told the Herald no police report has been made regarding the incident but acknowledged how alarming it could be for members of the public to witness.
“We know the brazen nature of shoplifting can be frustrating for the public,” a spokesperson said.
“However, our advice is to prioritise safety and not physically intervene in these sorts of situations.”
The incident comes a month after Woolworths announced its Pt Chevalier store had shortened its trading hours in a bid to reduce “anti-social behaviour”.
Posters were erected outside the store in October breaking the news to customers.
“After a review of our current opening hours, we found that these new hours are better and safer for when our customers shop with us and for our team,” the poster read.
The new hours of 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, came into effect on October 14.
“Upper management agreed it would be safer for the store. That’s how they explained it to staff,” an employee told the Herald at the time.
Foodstuffs says crime has surged at North Island stores and here an alleged shoplifter is seen assaulting a security guard. Photo / Supplied
A Woolworths New Zealand spokesperson told the Herald it had reviewed trading hours at its Pt Chevalier store in consultation with “our team and union”.
“Following this review we have shortened trading hours with an aim of reducing the potential for antisocial behaviour.”
The change comes after Woolworths shared new data in July showing assaults in its stores were significantly up on the previous year, with team members being threatened and abused daily in broad daylight, particularly by repeat offenders.
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