AIBU to think staff shouldn’t be searched after work?

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My 16 year old son has got himself a little part time job at a discount clothes store, beginning with M. Pay is dreadful (£4 odd an hour,) job is mind numbing, but he’s sticking at to gain experience. I’m sat waiting to collect him at 9pm last night and I wondered what the delay was for 5 mins by the door.
I witnessed the manager searching all the bags of the staff leaving. My son didn’t have a bag, but still had to wait to be let out afterwards. He said this is standard practice each shift.
I am already disgusted by the pay, finding out he wasn’t paid for his induction and chasing 8 hours pay he’s not received, to now witness this! Utterly appalled that they would treat their staff this way.
I am trying To convince him to resign but he wants to find another part time job first.

This is standard. The same happened to me when I worked at House of Fraser when I was 18. I forget the stat, but most thefts from store are by staff.

Happens is every retail job

Absolutely as the first reply has stated - most retail theft is carried out by staff and it will be in the ts and cs of employment that bags and lockers can be searched.

Standard practice, I had to do it in the late 1980s in Dorothy Perkins and my DD had a job in Next recently and they do it too.

It doesn't sound particularly unusual.
Focus on feeling proud of him wanting to work to get experience and sticking it out till he gets something better.

Standard for some places. I used to work in savers and we had to show our stuff before leaving.

Anything we purchased there had to have the bar code scribbled out and the receipt stuck to the product itself

This is pretty standard in retail. You have a point about the poor pay etc but the bag searching isn’t really a big deal.

This can be quite common in retail jobs. I can see why you find it a bit bazaar but it is most likely because it is easier for employees in retail to steal stock and it’s probably happened before which is why they are searching

I think that if your son has nothing to hide then it isn’t going to be an issue

£4.81 per hour minimum wage for 16-17 year olds. Super shit :(

I definitely valued the experience of working somewhere shitty and mind numbing and minimum wage when I was 16 - but only for a few months before I stopped and instead did a mix of volunteering and more extracurricular stuff. If you don’t need the money, life is too short and he’s better off doing something not mind numbing.

Thanks for all the replies. I had no idea this was usual. I am just really shocked having always worked in an environment where staff are trusted.

No, thats totally understandable. Do you thin they should ignore the possibility of theft by staff?

The minimum wage isn't set by the store, most retail jobs pay that

They should obviously pay correctly, that's a valid gripe

Oh - and not surprised by the searching. As others have said, standard in retail - and indeed happens in some hospitality jobs too.

This is standard practice in retail. You need to save your indignation for something worthy of it.

I got my first job in Clarks at 15 in the late 90's and we were searched. The majority of thefts from the store were by staff. One of my colleagues used to try to steal shoes or hand bags every shift

Standard. At my first job we were told about it but it happened rarely

All staff were search after every shift when i worked at a catalogue company. Clothes, pockets and bags

A boy at sixth form was probably single handedly behind the downfall of index, he used to steal to order during his part time job and everything was half price. Used to wander round the common room with the catalogue.

£4.81 per hour minimum wage for 16-17 year olds

it might depend where you are OP, but things have shifted in the last couple of years. Many of the bigger retailers/fast food places are paying all their staff at a higher rate just to attract and keep the younger ones. It is most definitely worth him looking around.

Standard for retail unfortunately. One of the many reasons I would never go back, I found it really dehumanising!

It is normal.

DP has been with the same company 20 years, he is subjected to a random search very very occasionally, new staff are checked more often.

Tbf ex staff members have stolen 1000's of high end electrical appliances from the company over the years leading to criminal prosecutions in some cases.

I remember a friend worked for a womens clothes shop in the 90s, they were searched after every shift but one of her colleagues would put bras and knickers on and stole quite a few!

Happened at Miss Selfridge in the late 90s! That was £2.08 an hour at the time.

Very standard, happened when I worked at Debenhams in the 80s.

I was going to post this - 16 year olds round here can easily get £10 (or more - there is a bit of a wages war started up with retailers trying to outdo each other) an hour. So it may be worth your DS checking out what others pay (or you may not be in a shortage area of course).

As I’ve said, my son doesn’t take a bag, but it was the adult staff members who I presume have been there some time being searched that shocked me.
Thanks for the info, at least I know it’s standard not some sort of humiliation by their store manager to the staff .