NYC store burglaries have never been so scary, weary wine cellar owners say

Shoplifting in the city’s wine cellars “is the worst thing I’ve seen in my life,” the 20-year-old store owner said Sunday, a day after The Post reported that some stores are so desperate to curb criminals that they put locks and chains. for their detergent.

“We are losing a lot of money and we have to pay employees just to check, sit at the door and watch – otherwise we will lose everything,” said Barbara Trinidad, owner of a wine cellar in Manhattan. another in the Bronx, during the Sunday press conference of the wine cellar association condemning the crime.

Other owners are also moving heavy equipment to block aisles to prevent thieves from escaping, placing plexiglass even around candies and planning to lock up their ice cream, the organization said.

Corner stores in five boroughs are being “looted” daily, United Bodegas of America President Fernando Mateo said at a Sunday meeting.

“You will notice that in some aisles, more expensive products are chained together to prevent people from coming and stealing and selling them,” Mateo said of Fordham Hill Food on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, where the press conference was held. .

During Matteo’s announcement, the laundry detergent in the wine cellar was adorned with heavy chains. Detergent is the most expensive item on the shelves and is easy to resell, he explained.

Thomas E. Gaston

Thomas E. Gaston

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Thomas E. Gaston

Thomas E. Gaston

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The store’s ice cream fridge was empty “due to a lot of theft,” Mateo said, adding that the store owner planned to install a lock on the fridge in the future.

Locks on everyday items make visiting the wine cellar less convenient for customers, Mateo says.

Trinidad estimates that it loses between 15% and 20% of its profits due to theft.

Thomas E. Gaston

Thomas E. Gaston

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Thomas E. Gaston

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Mateo blamed burglar shoplifting on a weak criminal justice system that allows thieves to get away with a fine for showing up to the table instead of being locked up.

“The NYPD do their job, they come when you call them. They will make an arrest, but the person will usually get an appearance report and nothing will happen to him, because district attorneys and judges are not willing to prosecute such crimes. And that’s a problem,” Matteo explained.

“We hope this stops. The sooner, the better. We don’t have a gauge. We are in a recession. People there are desperate and they are looking for quick money. So what’s the fastest dollar you can get and get away with? You go to the wine cellar, you take everything you can and you sell it.”