In an effort to combat the constant theft of meat in its stores, Australian supermarket chain Drakes has implemented a drastic measure: placing GPS trackers on high-value meat packages.
According to John Paul Drake, director of the chain, around $12 million is lost each year due to meat theft. Thus, the owners of the chain have launched this new strategy to stop the thieves and resolve the situation.
This plan consists of placing GPS cases in the packages of the most select meat, such as Japanese Wagyü, known for its premium quality and high price. These devices are removed at checkout, after the customer has paid for the meat. However, if a package is not deactivated before leaving the store, the GPS tracker is activated, allowing the product and, potentially, the thief to be located.
Although this measure implies an additional cost for the store, approximately $32 for each case according to reports from 7 News, the owners consider it to be worth it to reduce losses caused by meat theft. So far, the pilot has been carried out in two stores, with encouraging results showing a decrease in cases of meat theft.
Chain owner JP Drake said the implementation of GPS trackers is part of an ongoing effort to protect products and ensure customer safety. In addition, this measure could be extended to other products and more locations of the chain in the future, if the results continue to be positive.
It should be noted that Drakes is not the only supermarket chain that finds itself in this situation, and other establishments are taking other measures. What is clear is that this situation shows that security innovation remains a priority to ensure a safe shopping environment and protect the commercial interests of retail companies.
