A Queensland businessman has been forced to beef up security at several of his fruit stalls after a man was caught stealing large quantities of bananas and fleeing the scene.
The man, wearing a black sleeveless shirt, a dark backwards cap and driving a Maserati, was seen stopping at a roadside banana stand around 3:30 pm on Thursday.
In the footage, the man approached the stall and began carrying as many bananas as he could physically carry before leaving the stall, allegedly without paying.
In the footage, the man approached the stall and began carrying as many bananas as he could physically carry before leaving the stall, allegedly without paying. Image: Nine
The stall’s business owner, Aaron Marsh, said he had no problem if he had no money “and the kids are hungry, have a banana.”
His problem is that the man clearly has “a lot of money” due to his luxury car and was upset because he felt the need to “shamelessly help himself.”
The man appeared to be driving a Maserati Levante, which retails for more than $157,000 in Australia.
“That’s disturbing,” Marsh told Nine News.
The business owner currently owns seven banana stalls in Cairns that are unstaffed. The stall operates on an honesty system, where customers can pay in cash or by card.
Unmanned outposts operate on an honesty system, which may be forced to change if thieves continue to steal. Image: Nine
However, due to a rise in alleged thefts, Marsh has been forced to consider closing the stalls.
“If everyone steals, they’ll probably leave and everyone will have to go to the supermarket,” he said.
Signs show that bananas cost $2 a kilogram, a significant discount on what major retailers charge.
Marsh said he tried to keep his prices low as more and more people suffered financial hardship.
“We’ve kept our prices so low that everyone is feeling the pressure these days,” Mr Marsh said.