OTT 'basket' check for Tesco scan and shop

[alwayswantchocolate]

I had my second 'basket check' today in Tesco, I've done about 5 shops this way so far. The first time I used it, I had about 25 items checked, but that's fair enough it was my first go and she randomly scanned the items from a few of my bags. No errors found.

Today, I had my entire £122 family weekly shop checked. Literally every single item except two items in a freezer bag on the end of the trolley hook that I think she mustn't have seen. Every carefully packed item was taken out of my heaped trolley onto a customer service desk over the course of about 20 minutes. It was so humiliating and when I kept asking, once we were about half way through, if she was going to scan every item, I was ignored. I felt like a criminal. No errors were found, but it wasted my time and I was late for work as a result (I'd got up early to fit the shopping in, being a busy mum and all).

Not to mention, it didn't get re-packed by me very well as I was flustered and trying to rush.

I complained to the Head office afterwards via whatsapp chat, and got several off-hand replies when I persistently pointed out it was totally disproportionate and there was no need to do the whole trolley if no errors were being found. They said 'random checks', 'it's so we can check that you aren't being over charged', 'etc.' and didn't seem to see there being any issue whatsoever. They weren't apologetic, and the store staff were a bit frosty as well.

Honestly I don't look like a criminal and I don't believe I was acting like one, I was reasonably dressed and not scruffy looking, and it eventually emerged that I'd done absolutely nothing wrong.

I wonder if I'm being unreasonable to be so annoyed about this? I wouldn't have minded a random check of items at all. I just minded this. I would have walked out and left my shopping but I thought that would make me look guilty so I stood there and waited but as I say, I was late for work as a result. I don't think I can face that experience again, which is a shame as it should have been a time saver for me.

They're doing more and more of these checks now. Obviously the Tory cost of living crisis has meant more people trying to get away with nicking things in this way, so they're having to do more checks.

If you don't like it, don't use it.

You don’t look like a criminal…what do criminals look like?

Surely you can’t expect a ‘busy mum’ to do such a thing 🙄

For me:

It’s faster.
I don’t have to queue - the manned tills have queues, the scan as you shop ones never do, even in the days leading up to Christmas.
I can see how it’s adding up as I go round and check offers have gone through.
I only have to handle each item once, instead of putting each thing in and out the trolley twice.
I can pack things into bags as I go instead of being deluged at checkout by cashiers flinging stuff at me.
I rarely have to talk to anyone - I don’t want to interact with the cashier, I just want to do my shop and get out.

I actually won’t do a big supermarket shop at stores that don’t offer self scan as you go. Piling things on conveyor belts feels as archaic to me as when you used to hand over a cheque for the cashier to print the details for you and or when they’d give you free plastic bags. But if you prefer to do it the other way please carry on, keeps the self scan queues down for me!

Not like a ‘busy mum’ anyway 🤣

I’ve never had a full shop done, usually 5 items.

As much as i prefer it, I think self service tills are a failed experiment. They dont work and it's time to go back to manned tills.

I love scan as you go. I can keep an eye on my budget and make informed decisions on my way round. No shock at the till and random scans are a slight inconvenience I can tolerate in exchange. I get bursts of checks, 2 or 3 in a row, then none for months and months. They've never gone through my whole shop but they do take something from every bag and go down to the bottom, not just items on top.

It's just their job and it's the system that selects you and the type of check, not the staff member. Its not personal.

If it took 20 minutes I would be pretty pissed off. If they were rude with it, even more so.

I used to do scan & pack with the gun thingie but was selected 'randomly' for full trolley checks two weeks in a row with shops of over £50...
I refuse to do it now... sod them, and if they have someone at the entrance trying to persuade me I tell them exactly why...
Also refuse to do self scan checkout until they start offering me staff discount! And yes I know I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face but I'm a stubborn bugger😂

Ive had this in Tesco too, never found anything wrong like you. I used to shop mainly in Sainsburys as it was near work and would occasionally be checked and only 5 random items. I have changed jobs so use mainly Tesco, but as you say Tesco seems to do it far more frequently. They want us to use the scan and shop which means we are doing their job for them and then want to check we are doing it properly. Bloody annoying, if they found something wrong I could understand being pulled in more often

It's the system that dictates when a shop is rescanned. Trust me, the assistants hate it as much as the customers but they have to do it.
Although it does seem a bit of an excessive amount of rescans on the same customer. I use sainsburys scan n shop and very rarely get pulled for a check. You should speak to the manager and ask is their system is faulty because it keeps picking on the same customers

*unless you look a bit dodgy 🤣🤣

Actually, I was with you until you brought up the "scruffy looking" part. So "scruffy looking" people are fair game? Duly noted.

It wasn't a 'few minutes', they took every single item out of every single bag with the exception of two items in a bag on the end of the trolley and rescanned them all, then I had to repack it all. It was 20 minutes and made me late for work. That's not over-dramatic, that's ridiculous and disproportionate. It's not like they found something I hadn't scanned so had to continue as they didn't.

I simply meant I didn't look like I couldn't afford to buy my shopping, nothing more.

I keep getting checked, including a the entirety of a huge Christmas shop. It annoyed the absolute shit out of me - it rendered the whole self scan thing entirely pointless because it took ages and it made me feel really self conscious. I never do it now.

Apart from anything it's such incredibly and horrendously shit customer service - why offer an option that is so easily abused that they have to scrutinise people in this way? Clearly it's not working, so why bother with it at all???

Thanks for the nice replies, it's interesting to hear others experiences and realise it's not just me. I think I've concluded that I am not doing scan and shop again as I'm not prepared to go through that again.

As for the other replies, it reminds me why I often give mumsnet a wide berth. There's no need to be nasty.

I never had it at Tesco but I always use self service there. I had it at Waitrose, I use their scan as you go. Twice it was the whole shopping rescanned at the very beginning but my whole shopping was about 10 items. Since then it was mostly a few items.
I would be very annoyed to have £122 shopping basket unpacked and rescanned. I usually squeeze shopping in between something so 20 minutes would set me back enormously, I would rather give up my trolley if it was before payment.

I do a Tesco shop about once a month for my mother, and without fail I have anything from a few items to a whole trolley check! This
not a joke or exaggeration for comedy effect, it really is every time I go.

Not a single item out of place.

The scan till operator knows me by sight now & we rather enjoy our monthly catch up as she scans the requisite number of items.

I don’t bring bags in & pack at the car, because it’ll get muddled on a scan check any way!

HQ says it’s entirely random, the Duty Manager says I’m not the only person it happens to.

The irony is, I shop with crutches/walking sticks; if I were to attempt to leg it with an illicit leg of lamb & bottles of Scotch, it’d go down as the world’s slowest chase.

I'm usually the mug waiting behind two full trolley checks being done back-to-back, because I need authorisation for a packet of Ibuprofen.

(Asda, having cut staff to the bone. Some days there's only one member of staff for the whole of the Express Tills and Scan & Go area.)

It's not personal. They just don't see it from the customers view point.
Self scan is excellent for me as a wheelchair user, until they need to check bags.

I accept it, but expect the items to then be put at a height that I can re pack afterwards, not the counter above my head they use. If the only place is the floor, I'm ok with it, and it's my property, but they wont because they're embarrassed.

Staff are apparently incapable of repacking Tetrus style so it all fits back into the bag on my lap, but insist they can, damaging goods and sometimes the bag.

Finding they can't manage, they just pile everything onto me lose on top of the bag because I'm now "in the way."

I'm then expected to take myself to the customer services queue with a now exploding heaped mess on my lap so I can be 'helped'.

I don't need or want to be 'helped.' I just want my goods put where I can reach.
They will neither put my goods on the floor for me, or be able to find the time to hand them to me so I can repack efficiently. Either is fine.

Insisting I now must manage with an exploding bag and excess falling off my lap and seek 'help' elsewhere isn't.

I'm accepting of their need to take me apart to check, could they please be accepting of my repacking needs as a disabled customer? It's really not hard.

But you’re being nasty though.

At my local Tesco, they do a 5 items check, or a full trolley check. It’s completely random although a friend once told me they also do full trolley checks if they suspect someone of not scanning things. I had a full trolley check a while ago - they actually took me to a checkout and asked if I needed someone to help me repack my bags. It was pretty painless, took about 5 minutes then I went on my way.

Yeah I’ve stopped using it as it happened to me on every shop and was just completely pointless!

It’s why I don’t bag as I go I just scan and sling it in the trolly. I bag at the car, or outside if I’ve walked.