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A longtime Winnipeg grocer says theft is so rampant that his staff have had to take matters into their own hands to safeguard products.

Ed Cantor, whose Cantor’s Meats has been in the Weston neighbourhood for three-quarters of a century, told 680 CJOB he’s never seen theft this bad before.

Cantor blames the meth crisis for an unprecedented uptick in shoplifting.

“We just have to get this meth off the market right now,” he said.

“This is what the problem is. They’re stealing for meth. Tweet This

“They put [stolen goods] on auctions or whatever they do to have to sell it. .. whatever they have to do to get a quick fix, to get a buzz.”

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Cantor said although he’s hired private security, he feels they aren’t able to tackle the problem, so his own staff are also trained to watch for the tell-tale signs of theft.

“We just see people a certain way and just kind of focus on everybody and just kind of watch how they walk around the store,” he said.

On one occasion, the butcher market’s staff had to grab the items stolen by one man and physically push him out of the store.

“He decided to pull the bag out and start shoving things under his jacket, and that’s when we caught him,” said Cantor. Tweet This

The shop owner says he doesn’t know the answer – whether it’s more police or some other solution, but something, he said, needs to change.

1:36 A Winnipeg grocery store owner isn’t taking theft from his stores lightly A Winnipeg grocery store owner isn’t taking theft from his stores lightly