Why did my beans have to be approved in Aldi??

[Idratherbepaddleboarding]

I popped into Aldi after work today to get a few bits for tea and scanned them in the self scanner. At the end it said ‘approval needed’ or similar but I couldn’t see a reason such as not being able to detect an item etc. the woman in charge of the self scanners came over and I commented that I’m not sure what the problem is and she relied, ‘Oh it’s the beans.’ and pressed a few buttons really quickly on the screen so I didn’t see what she did. I was tired after work so I didn’t ask what’s wrong with beans but now I need to know!

Might I use them as a weapon? Are beans a target for thieves? Is it the sharp lid? Is it all tins or just beans?

I’ve never had to get approval for a tin of beans before! Also, it seems that everything I’ve bought has been subjected to shrinkflation 😡.

I think it’s usually kids use them at Halloween to put on peoples doorsteps for a prank

Oh are beans the new eggs then? Maybe it’s due to the egg shortage??

I don’t buy beans but wonder if it’s a veracity check - i.e. requesting a confirmation from staff to make sure you haven’t putting through more expensive tins into the bagging area and only scanning beans? My self-checkout in Aldi did this with something or other the other week, can’t remember what, and assistant said that was the reason: people repeatedly scanning a cheap item and then bagging expensive items of the same weight.

I've just read on our local Facebook group that school leavers are tipping them over each other, it's all gone a bit far with teachers cars and play park equipment being covered in baked beans now. I think it's spreading on tiktok.

I asked the lady at the self checkout when the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago - they're a commonly shoplifted item so they flag up randomly to get staff attention - both to make sure you're not bagging more than you're scanning and not using it to pass off as an equal weight of steak, as PP said!

I bought a tray of tins a while back. They checked every tin was the same thing (tomatoes).

So I suspect it's to do with that.

On the self scan the tins will all weigh the same. So you could put a £2 tin of chilli through as a 23p tin of beans.

If lots of people do that, they'd lose a lot of money.

I am very disappointed by these reasonable suggestions.

Was hoping it's cos, if planted, those beans might grow a big beanstalk which, when climbed, would take you to a scary giant place. Far too dangerous for children.

I've had the same issue with avocados and tonic water

Thanks everyone all these answers make sense, but don’t say a lot about us as a society 🙈.

Or they could be used as a weapon in the absence of tinned peas.

It's depressing to think that people are so desparate for food they are resorting to passing off expensive tins as beans isn't it?

Oh interesting to read the different answers. We had this recently and the assistant said it was because the till doesn't adjust the price and there was some form of offer if you buy a certain number of tins of them.

Now I'm overinvested in getting to the truth of this!

No idea. But I had the same issue with square toaster crumpets. According to the till lady it had been an issue all day.
Toasted to within an inch of their life, they could be a dangerous weapon?

Yes it is, especially things like tinned stew which doesn’t sound very nice even!

I might have to go and buy another tin tomorrow just so I can ask!