Thefts of food such as meat and vegetables have increased with rising prices. Supermarkets are equipped in particular with so-called augmented cameras to fight against the phenomenon.
Pilfering on the shelves is nothing new. Expensive products such as alcohol or certain beauty products are already under surveillance in stores, but today the target has changed. Food is also highly coveted: meat, coffee, fruit and vegetables. And this change accompanies inflation.
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Soumaya is in the front row. She has worked for Monoprix for 20 years. She is a CGT staff representative and the cashiers talk to her more and more about this phenomenon. “There are a lot of food thefts”, she confirms. When weighing fruits and vegetables, customers choose products that are cheaper than those on the scale, explains Soumaya: “It’s been three months since they changed their system for the scale. There is a camera that detects what you are going to weigh. You don’t have to look for the banana or the tomato. They did it compared the theft of fruits and vegetables. There is no money, they are not thieves at the base; it is Mr. and Mrs. Everyone.
A taboo subject among traders
Shoplifting increased by more than 14% in 2022 according to the Home Office. This is a significant increase, but beyond the figures, the problem has completely changed, particularly with stolen products. Jonathan Le Borgne is an expert in mass distribution. He worked there for years and today he edits the blog entitled “I work in large distribution”. “Historically, it was non-food productsexplains Jonathan Le Borgne. The great classics were cosmetics, razor blades, etc. Thefts now concern basic necessities. I’m thinking of pasta, rice, and even meat now that is affected by shoplifting. The second point is that the thefts concern all types of customers. For example, a cashier told us that not too long ago they caught a loyal little granny in the store who had two sticks of butter in her coat pockets. That’s new behavior.”
“There is also the fact of having fewer people on the shelves, so fewer people to dissuade. We have stores that tell us that they have 5 to 10% fewer staff, so it offers more opportunities for customers to take action.”
Jonathan Le Borgne, retail expertat franceinfo
Among traders, the subject is taboo. There is no question of stigmatizing customers, especially in times of inflation. Intermarché and Netto or Système U did not respond to our interview requests. It was a clear no for Leclerc and for the Casino group (Spar, Franprix), there is no particular phenomenon. However, for a long time the big hypermarkets have been protecting their stalls and now the mini-markets are also getting started, notes Fanny Diet Maurin, sales manager for Dimag negotiations.
Created by his father, almost 30 years ago, this family company manufactures locks for businesses. “If we compare 2021 and 2022, our demand figure has tripled, even quadrupled, on small medium-sized surfaces which at the time did not see the point in equipping themselves. Just last week, I think I I had three requests for everything fresh, frozen, frozen shrimp, meat, fish. At the time, we had, let’s say, standard locks. But these labels do not survive the humidity. So we had to find out about having labels that can last in the cold chain.”
Use of augmented cameras
This theft from the shelves even has a name: shrinkage. It traditionally weighs between 1.5 and 3% of turnover, i.e. a loss of approximately 8 billion euros each year in France. It is difficult to precisely measure the increase in this shortfall. Incidents are often resolved immediately, on the spot, without being listed. In any case, traders seek to protect themselves. They have the choice between different systems. “We are going to have merchants who are going to want to show that they are protectingexplains Fanny Diet Maurin, to really have a much greater deterrent effect. And in this case, they are looking for a very visible lock. On the other side, we have all-white labels to put a price on, something discreet to sow doubt among customers and so that they don’t know what is protected or what isn’t. We really have both types of use.”
A completely different technology exists today. It is no longer the merchandise that is monitored, but it is you who can be followed on the shelves by so-called augmented cameras. They observe customer behavior and are able to detect abnormal attitudes, according to manufacturers. Cameras that are going to be used during the Olympics, but these cameras have already entered some businesses. Hence a warning from the Commission Informatique et Liberté (Cnil) worries about new risks to our privacy when we are under the surveillance of an algorithm.