Meat has become such a precious and rare item on the Brazilian table that a Dia supermarket chain store in downtown São Paulo locked the refrigerator with the product using a chain and padlock. The store, located on Alameda Barão de Limeira, in Campos Elíseos, restricted access to meat and posted a notice for customers interested in buying the product to request it from one of the employees.
According to Dia, there are no reports of practices like this in other units, given that the company's orientation for stores is not to limit access to the shelves. According to the company, the refrigerator was unlocked in the early evening of this Wednesday (16), after Folha contacted the supermarket. Through a note, Dia said that it values proximity to its customers and partners.
Also according to the company, unit on Rua Barão de Limeira acted outside of the standards of the Dia supermarket"and, for that very reason, it has already been promptly regularized." O Dia did not specify whether there was an increase in meat thefts at the downtown store. Given the high number of thefts, this practice used to be more common to protect higher value items such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon