Coles shopper admits to theft to feed her family as anti-theft Smart gates rolled out in several stores

An ashamed Coles thief who was banned from her local SA shop says she turned to theft out of desperation to feed her two teenagers amid the cost of living crisis.

A shopper has told of how she became a thief out of sheer desperation to feed her family amid the worsening cost of living crisis.

The 47-year-old mother told The Advertiser that new security gates do not deter anyone from stealing – she knows from personal experience.

“I would know because I got banned from this shop recently for stealing,” she said.

“I’ve paid my debt and made it all good with the manager and the security guard here.”

She admitted to be ashamed of her stealing but the cost-of-living crisis has made it difficult for her to feed her two teenagers.

“It’s tough times and things have escalated leading up to Christmas,” she said.

“I don’t want to break the law and have legal repercussions because I’ve got two teenagers to feed but I don’t have enough money from my jobs to feed them either.

“Coles can keep on putting up their prices but they are going to keep having thefts – and those security gates or whatever are not going to help.”

Her frank and heartbreaking admission comes as the supermarket giant introduced a new security measures which has left some shoppers feeling uncomfortable.

Several Coles stores have installed security gates which uses electronic smart technology in self-serve checkout areas to catch potential thieves.

The new security camera above the checkout machines track items scanned and placed into the bagging area, if the machines find any discrepancies, the smart gates will shut, locking the customer within the store until attended to by a staff member.

Greenacres Coles has rolled out the new Smart Gates. Picture: Dasha Havrilenko

The Advertiser visited shops including Greenacres Coles which has rolled out the new gates early last week to learn how customers are feeling about the new addition.

Jan Tomazic, 80, from Windsor Gardens said the security measure is “just not right”.

“They’re making huge profit and then they want you to serve yourself and then they’re accusing you of thieving too,” Ms Tomazic said.

“But in reality they’re the robbers. They’ve increased their prices so much, we keep buying less and less but the price for the week’s shopping seems to be getting higher.”

Ms Tomazic said since the security gates were installed, she would never go through self-checkout anymore even if she has to wait thirty-minutes in queue.

Coles has rolled out the new Smart Gates. Source: Reddit

Coles has rolled out the new Smart Gates. Source: Reddit

A Coles spokesman said the Smart Gates is not a nationwide rollout at this stage as it is being tested in various stores across the country.

The spokesman stated the new measure is needed for the few customers which steal,” he said.

“While most of our customers do the right thing, unfortunately a small number don’t.

“Coles has a range of security measures in place to reduce theft from our stores including CCTV, electronic article surveillance (EAS), and in some stores new smart gate technology that automatically opens as customers make payment for their products.”

Woolworths will be trialling similar automatic gates in NSW soon.