Thieves target supermarket grocery deliveries left on customers' doorsteps

A woman has had her Countdown grocery deliveries stolen from her home doorstep. Photo / Supplied

Thieves are targeting grocery deliveries left on doorsteps, sparking a police advice for people to be home and ensure deliveries are taken inside immediately.

A woman on South Lynn Rd had groceries she ordered from Countdown stolen as they were dropped off on her front door on Monday morning.

She didn't hear the groceries being delivered, but went to the front door when one of her dogs started barking.

"I saw the guy on our stairs, so I went to the window to see what they were barking at and saw a guy with handfuls of grocery bags inside our property about to leave through the gate," said the woman, who did not want to be named.

"At first I thought it was the delivery guy then clicked he wasn't in uniform and there was no truck in our driveway, just an old car."

When she went to the front door, she saw her bags of groceries missing and ran out shouting at the man - but he was already in his car and speeding off.

"Countdown also called back just before and confirmed this was second report of stolen groceries in the area today," she said.

"He must have been following the truck - we have a big fence, gate and stairs leading to front deck, so the bags wouldn't have been visible from the road."

A Countdown spokeswoman said since the lockdown, it's had only one report of an online order being stolen and its delivery driver haven't reported any unusual activity.

"However, we know there's a bit of concern about this issue and we've asked all our drivers to keep an eye out and do their best to make sure all deliveries are ending up in the right hands," she said.

"To make sure our customers' orders aren't left unattended for too long, our drivers use an app that sends a text message to let customers know the estimated time of their delivery and a second text to let them know when their order is about to arrive."

She said customers are encouraged to keep their phones near them when they're expecting an order, and collect their groceries quickly and safely.

"Additionally, If there is a safer place than the front door to leave their order, customers can put a note in their delivery instructions," the spokeswoman said.

She said those who experienced theft from their property should report it to police on 105.

A police spokeswoman said police were aware of the incident, but not aware of any particular trend of grocery theft.

"Police are not immediately aware of this being an issue but do frequently get reports of stolen packages and courier deliveries," the spokeswoman said.

"Our advice to people regarding groceries delivered is to make sure they are home when they are due for delivery and ensure they are taken inside immediately."