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.

That’s odd - whenever I’ve had a bag check they just scan the items whilst they’re in the bag, they’ve never taken them out except when I had a full check which they did at a proper checkout,

Wow, I started doing scan as you shop during lockdown and have used it at least once a week since so about 200 times. I've been randomly checked about 10 times, and they have only had to scan a small number of items, whatever they are told, usually between 6 and 15 I think? I'm sure a complete rescan of every item is only triggered if they scan an item you have missed with the self scan OR (if was the case the only time I had a complete rescan) was because the assistant checking scanned the same item twice and I'd only scanned once (as there was only one of the items). Your experience sounds very unusual OP.

If it's a full bag check mine take the bags to a counter at the end and empty them onto it.

Sorry, above was for @Soontobe60

I like it because you know exactly how much you have spent as you go along. So the final bill is never a suprise and I can reconsider if I want to put something back etc. it also lets you know if an item you have scanned is on special offer. I also think it's much quicker than scanning all the items at the till which I don't like as I always have the unexpected item in the bagging area or something like that!
Being checked is annoying but I find they don't check at all for ages then they do a few in quick succession. I've never had a full basket check though.

I stopped using the scanner in Waitrose as it happened every time but they have so few staff I had to wait too long for them to even come to the till whilst the manned-tills take too long so I rarely go there despite it being my nearest shop.

I'm now getting it every time in the larger Sainsburys I use. If I buy a relatively small amount they'll just want to scan one bag and its friendly, if it's a large shop I have to go to a till and unload everything. And the cashier will blank me.

I'd love to know why the algorithm doesn't like me!

I had this once and just said I didn't have time to have it unpacked and repacked. They insisted so I told them could keep it and I got a refund.

Got my refund and left them with a load of shopping to put back on the shelves.

Not stopped foot in that shop since

Most criminals don't look like criminals! But I've shopped in Tesco for decades and at most have had six to ten items checked. Either shoplifting is very high in that shop and/or you are just unlucky as I think it's a random check.

Yes this.

OMGitsnotgood reduced label items also often cause a total bag check. Apparently it's because they've put everything at 50p labeled as all coleslaw or similar instead of properly scanning each type of item and reducing individually based on how much stock they have.
Checker can see that the label hasn't been tampered with so knows it's not down to the customer, but it flags up as a suspicious error.

Go again op when you have a little more time and hope for a full trolly scan. Once they have finished man handling your shopping and confirm all is ok, just say 'no thanks' and walk out.

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 think sometimes if you take longer than the algorithm predicts for your spend, it triggers a check. I had a 12 item rescan the other day when I was with DH who has an injured knee and needed to push the trolley but walked very slowly.

The Tesco thing that stops your trolley in its tracks is infuriating though.

I've never had a full trolley load scanned, but often had the 5 item check done.

I'd be really cross if they wanted to do a full check, particularly if I had frozen items.

When I worked at Tesco many years ago, the rule for frozen was "20 minutes freezer-to-freezer".

By the time you'd completed your shop, waited for them to come and tell you they were checking, then stood like a lemon whilst they unpacked and scanned every item, and then you've repacked your bags, your frozen goods would be likely to be well on their way to being defrosted.

I'd be asking them to replace the frozen stuff before I left the shop.

Either the supermarkets trust their customers to self scan, and the supermarkets benefit from a lower wage bill, or they return to staffed checkouts only.

Maybe you should go in an helpfully explain what shoplifters look like to them since you’re so adamant they have a look….

It's happened once or twice over 5 years plus of doing weekly shopping and in between. You are always scanned more often as you start with a new supermarket and as the scans come back fine, the time in between gets longer. It's now rare that I get one.

Don't you usually pay after your shopping has been checked? I've never had a check after paying.

I find it more convenient as you pack as you go and then you just pay and go. No faffing about having to pack at the checkout while people are queuing. I inwardly rolled my eyes at the people in Sainsbury's today who were slowly scanning each item and letting it all build up on the shelf bit before packing it all at the end. So time consuming!

I wish there was a fast track lane for people who have used scan-as-you-go. there is at the bigger store but not at my local one which is for people scanning at the till as well as those who have already scanned it all.

If you have the time to stand in queue behind the other 10 people for the single cashier.

The problem is that they should take you through a proper till with a conveyor belt. They seem to jnsist on doing it on a self scan till with no room and get your shoppjng shoved everywherre.

Everyone who does the scanning at Tesco surely knows that they do checks, why would you think the computer has something against you? It's an inanimate algorithm

Lucky that self scan isn't compulsory eh and no ones bothered who does it and who and who doesn't

I hate tesco for this. Never have an issue at sainsburys (most they check is 7 items or so) or at asda.

I once made the mistake in Tesco of scanning the wrong code for a loaf of bread- I'd asked to have it sliced and I'd scanned the barcode of the non sliced bread (where I got the load in the first place). Turns out they use a DIFFERENT barcode for the same fucking loaf but sliced. And they put it in a different bag with the sliced barcode - so when the guy checked my shopping I got a bollocking for not paying for the bread (as the barcode on tbe bread wasnt part of my scanned shop). As you can imagine I get selected now every time I use the self scan in tesco so I try to avoid shopping there.

Did you get stopped as you tried to leave the shop?
Checking has only ever been done before paying for me.

I've walked out w/o my shopping before because I've been randomly selected and there are no staff about.
I had my self scan privilege revoked when I scooped all the shopping waiting to be checked back into my basket and took it to the empty cashier line (it was nearly closing time). Because I'd started self scan and then moved to cashier it got very confused and next time I tried to get a scanner it told me I was blocked.

It doesn't happen often now.

It’s odd they scanned everything. I’ve only used it at sainsburys and love it! Times I’ve been checked the number of items checked is proportionate to the number of items I’ve bought which makes sense.

Not in Tesco but in my line of work we used to use a store similar to Costco.
There are signs saying don't be offended if we ask to do a random check on your items after purchase.
In the store you scan your stuff and pay at the end. You also have a member card that gets scanned as well.

I went 5 times over the course of a month, and every single time I was randomly chosen by the same power hungry bully of a shop assistant.

And she wouldn't just do a quick check, she would take everything off the huge trolley, everything out the bags and would take a huge amount of time to rescan it all.

On the 5th time, I said no to the scan. So she said I couldn't leave the store. I pointed out it was all paid for, she had done this on 4 other occasions and I knew from asking on the help desk that checks were logged on your membership card online. So she knew it wasn't random.

She just had the worse attitude. She held my trolley said "check or police, your choice, you've clearly stolen something or you wouldn't have a problem" loud as she could. Honestly, if I'd not paid I would have walked out without the shopping.

So she checked again, every single item, whilst looking me in the eye and smirking.

When she was done and found nothing wrong, I went straight over to the help desk, demanded a manager and gave him my card back. Whe he asked why he said it was totally random wouldn't understand my annoyance or that 5 out of 5 was not random.

I took my substantial business else and have never once been checked.

It invited power hungry divs who wouldn't manage to deal with a real criminal on the rob, they go for soft targets. Probably the type who hung around the teacher brown nosing wondering why all their peers hated them. Don't use the scan thing, use a till. You're literally paying Tesco to do their job for them.

I love scan and pack and it now annoys me if I cant do it! I did get checked in Tescos last weekend, first time since christmas, and the young guy couldnt have been more apologetic. He had to check 24 items and said the frequency of checks had been increased by head office. Obviously in a bid to tackle the horrendous shoplifting going on. Having worked in retail I can only empathise with the amount of shit he must be getting