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.

Yes, with other people waiting in the same Scan area for authorisation of their paracetamol, 0% gin, box of matches etc or to get a tag taken off their lamb chops.

I noticed with scan-and-shop that I got "randomly selected" if I'd scanned something and then removed it. Either because I double-scanned by mistake, or because I changed for something else. I think it's to stop you taking something off and keeping it anyway (To look like you've scanned to other shoppers).
It varied between a few items, or a whole shop.

I stopped doing it, as others have said - you're paying Tesco to do their job. You're also putting another employee out of a job.

Totally different outcome but the last time my scan & shop was fully checked & rescanned it was £5 cheaper.
I'd accidentally scanned something twice.

I've only ever had a fixed number of items scanned.

Doesn’t bother me @alwayswantchocolate people are not chosen by the Checkout Operator but by computer algorithm and it decides when to stop. Same whether Tesco or Sainsbury. Sometimes only 4 items, sometimes the whole trolley or somewhere in between. They have to do some checks or you’d have some people regularly helping themselves which isn’t fair on the supermarket or those of us who play fair. Has only annoyed me one time when I was rushing but 99 out of 100 times it doesn’t happen so I kept my feelings to myself …

Did you scan and then change your mind? At my local branch if you tell the handset you want to cancel something and put it back on the shelf it will trigger a full check every time.

That doesn’t happen at our Tesco ( or M&S) .

That's never happened to me

I got a full rescan the other day. I had my children with me and the baby was kicking off. I asked if they absolutely had to do it as my baby needed feeding and it was taking ages, and the only reason I used the stupid fucking scanners was to save time. I didn’t swear, obviously. And they were so militant I told them to leave it and I would have to leave the shopping as she was taking an absolute age. I’ve had rescans on 3/5 of the last shops there, each time I’ve been spot on. It’s a pain in the arse. Just don’t use the scanners.

Is that Tesco? I add and remove stuff every single time I go if I pick up the wrong thing, change my mind, see that a different brand is on offer etc, the only pattern I can discern with the checks is if I don't do a full shap and I guess spend less than the computer is expecting

I shop in Tesco for approx 90% of my food shop and have never bothered using self scan as it always seems to be more bothersome than using the normal tills tbh.

They're not detaining you though. They do the check BEFORE you pay for the shopping. If you don't agree with the check there's nothing stopping you walking out.

@Citrusandginger
I've also heard the theory that if the algorithm doesn't like the amount of time vs the amount spent, it triggers a full check. Anecdotally it certainly seems to get me at my most tired when I am propelling slower.

Another one is supposedly if you have what's considered a notably odd route. That one came from a cashier who suggested not zig zaging across the store buying a handful of more expensive items first, then hitting the reduced section hard. (consequence of using vouchers)

I've gone back to standard tills too, it saves so much time just being able to put everything in the trolley without having to scan and pack it first, the queues are usually very short (they open another till if more than one person is waiting) and it takes very little time to go through the checkout and pack. I am fed up with being treated as a thief, with chicanes to make you walk further at the self service checkouts, having to scan receipts to leave the area (Sainsburys) etc

I can’t believe people who think it’s quicker to use a checkout than to scan , you must be shopping at places where they don’t have queues . At our local M&S there is a maximum of one till open in the food hall on weekdays and it always has a queue .

Interesting hearing people’s thoughts on this. I agree Tesco is the worst! I also found a search was triggered if I cancelled items. At our local branch, there are less tills for scan and go, so you’re more likely to queue. It may be quicker to scan as you go round the store, but you waste more time queuing to pay!

Honestly I think you're being a bit unreasonable. Tesco have decided to trust customers to do their own scanning: this is how they manage to weedle out the people who can't be trusted, and it's also your turn to prove you ARE someone who can be trusted.

It's a perfectly reasonable thing for them to do, and if you didn't want to be late for work your should have allowed appropriate time to allow for a potential check - especially as you're only started using the system.

FWIW when I started my first 20 shops were all checked. I almost never get checked now though

Me neither, how can the time taken to wait atout yrin at the till, take your stuff out of the trolley, have the assistant scam it and put it back in again be quicker? Are shoppers doing the scanning wrongly?

I thought they only did the whole trolley if there was an error?

I've had several random checks and they've only checked 5-10 items apart from the one time something hadn't scanned, then they emptied the trolley.

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

Criminals look the same as everyone else. Shop thieves don’t have to be scruffy, there is no uniform

My partner is now on the full check list (and he works for them!!) worse still something he got two of only scanned once (like a pepper or something) so now we’re apparently in scan jail forever. He still insists on doing self scan though and moaning how long it takes for the check after!!

You don’t need to let them check your shopping. You’ve shopped, scanned, packed and paid. Just walk out and ignore them

@shoppingshamed I think they must be .

They check it before you pay, that's the point, to make sure you're going to pay for everything. Of course they do t stop people after they've paid unless the alarms go off

You haven’t paid , it gets flagged as a check before you pay so you can walk off if you want but the shopping cannot . If you were to walk off in a huff I would imagine you will get checked even more as throwing all your toys out of your pram like that just makes it look like you have something to hide .