Cuba Street Wellington, New Zealand, says they are losing thousands of dollars a week
Wellington Police were aware of a recent increase in thefts on and around the Cuba St area.
Businesses on Wellington's Cuba St say they are losing thousands of dollars a week to shoplifters.
Owner Hamish Garrick said he had taken to social media to identify the doormat stealers, as it was less time-consuming than going to the police and often had a better outcome.
Something like a pie or a doormat doesn't really ring that many alarm bells, so you often have to deal with it yourself.
"Individually, the items aren't significant enough to report, but the costs stack up over time."
He said it had got so out of hand that staff didn't feel safe coming into work anymore.
"These guys are always outside congregating and scheming; I don't tell staff to pursue them because you don't know what they'll do."
But Hallensteins assistant manager Jessica Harnett said they were being targeted so frequently they couldn't even report it to the police anymore.
"It's happening everywhere on Cuba St. If all of us were calling, the police would be here all the time."
She said there were no clever tactics involved: the shoplifters were confident and knew what they wanted.
"They steal like eight hoodies at once, and it's not even sneaky. It probably costs us over $1000 every week."
Harnett had spoken to other businesses in the area and found they were all dealing with the same problem.
"Everyone is just sick to death of it. It's not just the stealing; it's the assaults too. It feels dangerous in Cuba St right now."
On March 25, thieves stole a $500 custom branded doormat from outside Night and Day on the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee Sts.
Fear Factory manager Karl Gebbie said they were also being targeted.
We had someone walk in to scope the place out, see how many staff were on, what was on the shelves. Then they came back to hit it at a later date.
"A group of people came in and split in different directions. There weren't enough eyes to cover them all, and that's when one of them reached over the counter and took one of our money bags."
He, too, said the issue went beyond just shoplifting, and the staff was feeling uneasy.
On March 18, Fear Factory staff called police after a drunken group became aggressive and violent, reportedly threatening to cut the staff member's hair who had asked them to leave the premises.
Wellington Police said they were working with Wellington City Council on a safety initiative called Eyes On, designed to reduce store theft and enhance community safety.
They urged staff to always report a theft as soon as it happened and said all reports would be taken seriously and followed up.
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