"I've come across cases where a pram has been used, but without the baby in it and other cases where there was a baby in there and items had been placed under the blankets."
He said while most store owners were now aware of the method, many shoplifters still "tried it on".
"There are shoplifters out there who will use a baby or a child as an asset to help them steal," Mr Miller said.
Pak'nSave security manager Mike (who asked that his surname not be used), a 20-year-veteran of the job, said shoplifting across the board was constant.
"It is horrendous and some people will try anything to get stuff out of the store," he said, adding that last Sunday's incident happened despite the fact there were two uniformed police walking through the store at about the same time "to put people off shoplifting".
Like Mr Miller, he had encountered shoplifters, who he described as both opportunistic and "professional", using prams or youngsters to conceal items.
He said some filled a trolley with hundreds of dollars' worth of stock and brazenly headed for the door.
Some would even head to a checkout and then read through what appeared to be shopping notes, then casually turn and go back - as if to get something but instead aiming for a quick exit.
"It is quite regular and it's not just here," Mike said.
They will be hitting supermarkets all over. Here in Napier, Hastings, Waipukurau - it's how they live."
Hardly a day went by without a shoplifting incident.