To boycott Aldi

[NameChanger22]

Today I went to Aldi to do my weekly shop. It's my local supermarket and I often shop in there.

However, today I witnessed an incident which I found shocking and upsetting and it has made me think I won't shop there again.

I was walking past the tills with my trolley when I saw a security guard grab a woman as she was about to leave the shop, he didn't speak to her. I instantly thought she must be a shoplifter. He picked her up and carried her across the shop in front of everyone and then slammed her into a wall and pressed his body hard against her. She was screaming that he was hurting her. It looked so brutal and aggressive. She screamed more that he was crushing her ribs. Then he threw her into the staff room and 4 male members of staff bundled in after them. It was really shocking to watch.

I had no idea that security officers are allowed to be this heavy-handed with potential shoplifters.

I waited for the police and told them what I'd seen. They said they would watch the security footage and see for themselves.

If she was shoplifting she was obviously in the wrong, but I don't think she deserved this kind of brutal treatment.

Anyway, even though Aldi is convenient and cheap for me, I've decided to do all my shopping in Tesco now. AIBU?

How awful op. I would be shocked and upset as well

They’ve now got 2 security guards. Maybe the woman in your Aldi was a known shoplifter?

I work in retail, she would have been known to the security.

If you work in retail, you probably know he had no right to do what he did.

People do realise that even if she was "known" as a shoplifter that rent-a-cops have no right to assault people, yes?

It's fucking sad enough that someone would be known for shoplifting at a budget grocery store. People shouldn't have to steal food.

The Aldi near me doesn't have a security guard. Is it a common thing?

Wonder if she'd harmed Kevin?

Oh and I was hassled by security in the past myself. Definitely not a "known" shoplifter thanks they made a huge mistake and I ended up getting quite a bit of money in vouchers to apologise once the head office checked the CCTV to see that not only had I not stolen anything but I'd been approached three times.

Yabu to boycott the whole chain due to the actions of one employee, yes.

Laguna I think coughed means that the security bloke had his arm across her throat and she couldn’t breathe so she bit him to make him let go. Therefore she was done for assault. Correct me if I’ve got that wrong though coughed.

Mine doesn't 🙋🏼‍♀️

Thieving scum apprehended by security I'm shook

If she was thieving hopefully that puts her off doing it again

Why don't we just arm shop security guards and let them shoot dead anybody they think might be a shoplifter? Or maybe a big, burly male security guard could rape all female suspected shoplifters - that would DEFINITELY stop them doing it again, wouldn't it? Male shoplifters are likely to be bigger and stronger, so maybe they somehow 'deserve' more respect in their treatment because of their biology, right?

We have legal process in this country. Even if somebody is 100%-without-a-doubt shoplifting, which is indeed illegal and very, very wrong (although you don't know what circumstances or level of desperation may have driven them to it), they can be apprehended and restrained and held until the police arrived. As far as I'm aware, UK law doesn't yet provide for physical, possibly life-threatening pain to be inflicted by non-police citizens on people they know or think might be shoplifting - even if they can easily do so because they're several massive blokes and the known/suspected thief is a much smaller woman.

Most people are not violent. Most security guards are not violent. Some people ARE violent and these people can be found in all jobs, including 'security guard'.

Of course, shoplifters (if proven) must be punished, but appropriately and legally. If even child-killers in prison are protected from other prisoners who attempt to attack them (and compensated if this is not done), why ever would we tolerate this for suspected/proven shoplifters (or possibly just for the female ones, because it's surely their own fault that they're female, isn't it?)

Havent RTFT so apologies if its been mentioned, but if you're going to contact someone, email [email protected]. He's the CEO of Aldi UK.

It DOES sound shocking. But without knowing all the background, it's hard to be certain.

I would write to the manager of that branch and to to Aldi head office. Depending on what you get back, then decide whether to boycott that branch, all Aldi's or carry on shopping.

Not much point boycotting them in response to a an assault on someone, how would they know? Contact their HO if you feel compelled to take action, going to Tesco won’t do anything useful about it.

While it sounds shocking and an inappropriate use of force, you don't know the full story.

I witnessed staff at my local Sainsbury's go after a shoplifter recently. While they were chasing her as she tried to leave the store with her 2 cans of Special Brew, the checkout attendant explained that she's a regular offender who has been banned from most of the shops in the town.

So maybe this woman was already known to the store staff and potentially dangerous herself?

I do think you are entitled to ask for an explanation from the shop.

he shouldnt have lifted her but we dont kow the full story

my dh used to work in retail security he wasnt allowed to touch someone unless they touched him first

for the police to tiurn up that quickly thogh shes probably a repeatoffender

StripySocks neither does our local branch. 🤔

Does this mean we live in "Naice" areas where shoplifting just wouldn't happen? 😂😂😂

We don't have any "Kevin" toys as yet though so perhaps that's why. I WANT a Kevin!

I can see both sides, having worked in long term retail. I've caught many a lifter myself and never used force, although I'm not security but a shop worker/manager
A small frail shoplifter can be dangerous, you know. A town I worked in for most of my career had many that would threaten with needles. I've been threatened myself more times than you'd care to imagine. A co worker did actually get stabbed and the waiting period for the HIV results was horrendous..you don't know the full story here.
Yes I'd complain re the force used and yes there's a huge concern if someone is stealing from a budget supermarket...but don't judge a book by its cover.. that tiny woman may be worse than any big burly male
Also the worst thing when you are about to go home is having to fill out incident reports or wait for police. Yet again. I'm guessing you've never worked in retail...I've also had shoplifters threaten to wait outside and rape me, my family, wish cancer on me..you name it. Al because I asked to look in their bag, while they were inside the shop. And in fact just removed the goods and let them leave.. not everywhere has security present

She'll have been a repeated and known shoplifter.

Security staff don't launch randoms in to staff rooms.

I did watch a member of SPAR staff once tombstone a known HIV+ smackhead shoplifter outside the shop once. But he'd threatened to stab him with a needle and the staff had enough by that point.

The same smackhead was found in the hospital toilets (the shop was over the road from the hospital) shoving his own excrement in to a leg wound so he'd "lose his leg and get Disability" 🤢

That's awful! I boycotted them since my branch stopped providing shopping baskets (only trolleys which I can't push whilst also pushing pram). You definitely NBU. Sounds absolutely awful and totally disproportionate no matter what she was suspected to have stolen.

She may have had a needle or knife/blade on her

Forgot to add that this does sound a bit heavy handed.

Again, as pp's have suggested, I didn't think security guards were able to "Manhandle" people so heavily.

Gah how horrid. I've noticed burly looking security at our Lidl. Saw one grab a woman as she left but she shook him off, shouting 'fuck off' and ran like fuck. He didn't follow her out the store. Don't think there's anything they can legally do once they've left the premises so probably leads to them being aggressive.

Yanbu it is an awful way to handle someone. I have been surprised in Aldi before, when I seen approx 4 members of staff help guide a shoplifter into the back room along with the security guard. I had never seen retail staff do this. I wonder if it is common. I doubt they are insured to play security guard.

It all kicked off in my local Sainsbury's a few weeks ago. The security guard had definitely picked out one man (who was using self checkout) to give the evil eye to. Nothing taken as far as I could see. At the door the security guard's still glaring at this man and the man made a couple of really rude remarks. It got physical. Another staff member came rushing from behind the tills to separate them. The manager came out and the security guard was sent to wait in the back while the manager talked to the staff member to find out what happened.
That's the kind of manager I'd complain to.

The manager of a shop where the culture is to support an assault? No way would I be writing to them
Complain to the head office.

You know what you saw, and if you have genuine reasonable concerns you are right to report it. What you don’t yet have - and maybe never will - is the context in which it happened.

Yes because they are shop lifting meat to feed themselves or their children 🙄

The security staff and the stores know who the constant shop lifters are.

You don't know the full details, chances are she probably threatened him with a needle or a knife.