Shoplifting seems to be up as grocery prices rise in Montreal: expert

Montreal -

Montreal grocers are reporting higher rates of theft at their stores as costs associated with livestock, transportation, and labour rise around the world.

“I've seen it all. I've seen it all,” says Shalina Davis, a clerk at Le Marché Esposito – a grocery store in Monkland Village.

She says someone recently bagged fifty bucks of groceries at once and headed out the door.

Davis told CTV he made his getaway in a taxi waiting outside.

“The (taxi’s) door was open and everything. He just sprints into the taxicab and takes off.”

Employees are familiar with the most common routes to a five-finger discount.

Fruit Manager Joe Isernia remembers one woman who “filled a whole carriage with vegetables, fruits, grocery items,” and put a case of beer at the bottom.

“And this is at 10 o’clock in the morning, ripping off a case of beer – I couldn’t believe it,” said Cashier Cathy Cowan.

While Montreal grocers report higher rates of thefts, shop owners across the country are also seeing a rise, according to experts.

“Every part of Canada is seeing the same thing,” said Sylvain Charlebois, professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

“There seems to be an increasing number of infractions, theft is a growing problem in the face of higher prices.”

The meat section is a common target. Charlebois says it's being driven by the cost of groceries across the board, something any cashier can tell you firsthand.

“Three things of romaine lettuce in a bag? Seven bucks. And the highest we've ever charged is $3.99,” said Cowan.

But Charlebois says a lot of people aren't boosting steak from the supermarket to eat, they're looking to resell it, likely to a restaurant.

“If you're stealing meat from a grocer, your aim is food service,” he said.

Charlebois says that most large grocers can handle shoplifting losses, but it’s not so easy for smaller shops.

“The average grocery store would probably see three to four thousand dollars retail stolen a week,” he said.

“With a lower (profit) margin, you can't just pretend it doesn't exist, so a lot of managers will take matters into their own hands because police won't consider these cases to be significant.”

Montreal police don’t keep statistics related to grocery store theft. Some shops have hired undercover security guards to keep watch – a practice Charlebois predicts won’t be slowing down any time soon.

“We believe it's only going to get worse six months to a year from now because of food prices,” he said.