John-Paul Drake’s message to shoplifting parents teaching kids to steal: ‘If you can afford tattoos, you can afford to pay for food’

Supermarket boss John-Paul Drake has gone on national TV with a blunt message for parents teaching their kids to shoplift – if you can afford tattoos, you can pay for groceries.

South Australian retail boss John-Paul Drake has taken his campaign to shame supermarket shoplifters to national TV.

The director of Drakes supermarkets went on Nine’s Today show on Tuesday morning to highlight the “couple act” pulled off by two shoppers who allegedly stole hundreds of dollars worth of meat in front of their young child.

He said thieves raiding his stores were increasing targeting expensive cuts of meat like wagyu beef or angus pure beef.

“There’s a child involved – obviously we’ve blurred that out – but we have plenty of footage of parents teaching children how ... I can’t say steal, but make things magically disappear, hence why we call them magicians,” he said.

“It is one of the sad parts about it.”

Mr Drake said it was difficult to forgive these thefts when they are done by people who could clearly afford unnecessary lifestyle expenses.

“I’ve just got this theory that if you can afford tattoos ... then you can afford to buy food,” he said.

The outspoken boss, who regularly posts footage of thefts on social media, said the saddest part of watching these videos is seeing parents teaching their children how to steal.

The Advertiser reported earlier this week about the thieving couple caught on CCTV hiding their meat loot under a fake birthday present box.

Mr Drake claimed the man and woman had been involved in alleged thefts on five occasions in the past month, across stores at Gawler, Gawler East, Salisbury North, Clovercrest and Golden Grove.

Footage he shared shows the woman enter the store with what appears to be a large box covered in wrapping paper, with a bow on top, inside her trolley.

The woman can be seen walking through the store before meeting a man, whose own trolley is full of what appear to be cuts of meat.

John-Paul Drake has been on a one-man crusade to expose the extent of supermarket shoplifting. Picture: Dean Martin

She is filmed then placing the large box over the top of the meat, disguising it, before walking out through the check-out lane.

Mr Drake said he had seen a surge in shoplifting but didn’t believe it was by people struggling to put food on the table.

“We’re seeing an increase in the theft of high-priced items such as premium cuts of meat and health and beauty lines, and people are definitely getting more brazen and creative with their methods,” he said.

“These aren’t products being shoplifted by people who can’t feed their families, but by people who are selling or exchanging the products for personal gain.”

Originally published as John-Paul Drake’s message to shoplifting parents teaching kids to steal: ‘If you can afford tattoos, you can afford to pay for food’