Drakes Supermarkets SA makes cheeky videos to identify and shame repeat shoplifters

Fed up with repeat shoplifters, one SA supermarket chain is taking action, making humorous videos to identify and shame the “serial magicians”.

Drakes Supermarkets is taking matters into its own hands in an effort to name and shame repeat shoplifters it has dubbed “magicians”.

John-Paul ‘JP’ Drake, director of the South Australian supermarket chain, has made a series of humorous videos, using vision of shoplifters caught on instore CCTV, in an effort to identify and shame offenders.

Mr Drake said most people shown in the videos had been nicking from stores multiple times over years, including one man caught allegedly stealing 17 different times over 10 years across various branches.

“The people that are featuring in our videos … these are people that are serial magicians,” Mr Drake said.

Another woman, he playfully named the “meat bandit”, has visited various Drakes stores in the northern suburbs, allegedly stealing expensive meat, including wagu steak, on six different occasions in two weeks, taking between $150 and $400 worth of meat each time.

Drakes Supermarkets director JP Drake. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

Mr Drake said about $10 million worth of stock is lost due to shrinkage across his stores in Queensland and SA – and much of that is due to theft.

His first video features a man in a brown-hooded jumper at their Elizabeth Park store stealing socks by concealing them in his jumper.

“It looks like Lite n Easy didn’t work for this guy, it looks like he gained 50 kilos in 15 seconds,” Mr Drake says in the video.

“Stealing is not right anywhere … it creates a bit of anxiety and angst (for staff) and we’ve had enough.”

Another video shows two people pushing a trolley with a number of products inside through the one-way entrance.

Mr Drake joked the “lovely couple” had “just left MAFS” and were using new Amazon Go technology to walk right out the front.

Items of interest for thieves are not essentials, including expensive hair products, razors and meats Mr Drake suspects are being on-sold for cheaper prices at flea markets and through social media.

Adelaide supermarket director John-Paul Drake has taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to identity thieves caught stealing produce from stores. Picture: Instagram

He said the public response has already been overwhelming, and people have already sent him messages with names and addresses of shoplifters – information he has passed on to police.

“Stealing is not free, we all end up paying for it.”

Speaking on Channel 7’s Sunrise on Tuesday morning, Mr Drake said the videos made a “serious” situation “light hearted”.

“We’re telling everyone stealing is not acceptable,” he said.

“People need to understand that this theft is going on.

“We need to understand the effects it has on our team members too, the confrontation that happens on the front end and our team shouldn't have to put up with that.”

Mr Drake calls thieves “serial magicians”. Picture: Instagram

When questioned about some criticism that people could be homeless or have mental health problems, Mr Drake said he could understand but added the small business donated money to charitable organisations that were better equipped at giving to people in need.

In the past, Mr Drake has used social media to weigh in on the “absolutely ridiculous” panic buying trend of 2020, asking consumers to “calm the farm”.

He also posted a video to YouTube giving one customer the bird after the wanted a refund on 150 packets of 32-pack toilet paper – which equates to almost 5000 rolls – and 150 units of 1L sanitiser.

An SA Police spokeswoman said they took theft seriously and would throughly investigate all reports.

“We understand how frustrating and costly shop theft is for businesses and we encourage business owners to report shop theft to police on every occasion,” the spokeswoman said.

“CCTV is a valuable tool to assist the investigation and identify offenders.

Police only release CCTV to the public if we are not able to identify the suspect through other means and ensure the release complies with evidentiary requirements. Businesses should seek advice from police before releasing CCTV so as not to jeopardise criminal proceedings.”

The Advertiser has chosen to obscure the faces on the Drakes videos. They are clear on the original social media posts.