One Gore dairy owner is ready to call it quits and another is fuming after their shops were broken into yesterday.
Esplins Dairy and South Gore Dairy were burgled early yesterday although it appears the only thing taken was a used tablet.
Esplins Dairy owner Yeqiu Li said when he went to open the shop he saw the front window was smashed and reported it to the police.
He could not find the iPad he used to place orders and his morning milk delivery was nowhere to be seen, but otherwise his stock looked relatively untouched.
The shop’s cigarettes had been securely locked away and the cash register was empty.
"There’s nothing in a dairy worth stealing," he said.
"If they need help like bread or milk, they can just ask."
He could not understand why anyone would commit such a crime, which left him with a big bill to have the window fixed.
"It’s very stressful."
It was already a tough time to be in business, especially for the likes of small dairies which were struggling to compete with larger businesses.
He had also heard about other dairies in the country being held up at knife point.
For the father of an 18-month-old girl, it was time to get out.
"We’ll probably sell the business," he said.
South Gore Dairy was broken into through the front door, which had left owner Dana Stewart very angry.
She said whoever burgled her shop had achieved absolutely nothing and caused pointless damage.
"I’m sure I know what they hoped to target from us — cash and smokes, which are both always firmly locked away."
Her neighbour had heard the alarm and called the police.
A police spokeswoman confirmed reports were received in relation to both incidents in the early hours of the morning.
Police had responded and inquiries were ongoing.
The Otago Daily Times was told other dairies in the area were considering beefing up security.
