Woolworths installs Brisbane’s first ‘chroming cabinet’ to deter youth from deadly habit

Woolworths’ Brisbane CBD store is the first in the state to roll out a new initiative aimed at stopping young people from theft and chroming.

A “chroming cabinet” has been installed at a major Brisbane CBD Woolworths in an attempt to deter youth from the deadly habit.

The secure cabinet is one of the first in Queensland for Woolworths, with Mt Isa pioneering the project last year.

According to Woolworths Queensland State Manager Danny Baldwin, the shop is doing their part to “reduce the abuse” of deodorant cans by securing them behind the cabinet.

“With these new cabinets, we’re hoping to significantly reduce the opportunity for misuse while continuing to offer access to the products where our customers expect to find them,” he said.

Chroming

Customers will now have to press a button on the cabinet which will notify a staff member to come and allow access.

Woolworths workers are currently being briefed on the process of the cabinet, including potentially carrying cans to the counter rather than handing them directly to a customer to ensure no theft is involved.

According to a Woolworths statement, theft of deodorant cans to use for chroming has been an ongoing issue.

The cabinets will be progressively rolled out in select Woolworths stores across the state by mid-May.

Queensland Police have been in discussions with a number of stores across Brisbane CBD to address the “volatile substance misuse”, according to Detective Wes Biddle.

“Woolworths have taken a proactive approach to reduce the supply of products used in volatile substance misuse and the Queensland Police Service look forward to continuing this partnership into the future,” he said.

It comes after a Coles shop in Brisbane CBD locked up their own aerosol products in February with a spokesman saying the supermarket was trying to “minimise harm”.