To be really annoyed by this at Sainsbury's

[dcsp]

I was at a large branch of Sainsbury's yesterday evening. None of the staffed checkouts were open, so I went to the self-checkouts. On the way out of them they have fitted gates which don't open until you scan your receipt.

If there was a person barring my exit from a shop until I showed them my receipt, I'd feel insulted by what was effectively an accusation of theft. Having a machine perform the same role felt similarly insulting.

I appreciate that retail theft has increased, but treating every one of your customers as if they're a thief until they prove otherwise is not the right thing to do! (also I expect most theft at self-checkouts happens by people who do still check something out therefore have a receipt).

@dcsp by shopping at Sainsbury's you are agreeing to follow their rules as soon as you set foot through the doors the same as Costco.
Supermarkets aren't a "public place" They are private companies who can have rules. Don't like those rules... don't shop there.

A lot of this security is also performative rather than effective with the current patterns of shoplifting

It certainly is. It's so extremely simple for a shoplifter to buy a single cheap item in order to get a receipt and easily get away with 99% of their goods free of charge.

In fact, as we keep reading that the current policy of supermarkets is to let shoplifters walk out unchallenged, how is it going to stop them when there's a barrier demanding a receipt? Either it will be a barrier that it's easy to kick down or jump over or it's going to be something strong and cage-like, in which case, surely that's false imprisonment?

The Australia situation mentioned above is very concerning. I now it will have the "If you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear" crowd brushing it off as unimportant, but it's a serious infringement of privacy. Apart from genuine criminals always having a way around things (e.g. bags with false bottoms), being forced to show your opened handbag to a stranger (and any other strangers looking on) - containing all of your personal items - is outrageous.

Moreover, what happens if you've already bought something that they sell from a different shop? This is also discriminatory towards people without cars and likely also disabled people. If you do have a car and are able to keep whizzing back to it to drop off your shopping from every shop before going into another, all well and good; but many people aren't in that privileged position.

by shopping at Sainsbury's you are agreeing to follow their rules as soon as you set foot through the doors the same as Costco.

Do they clearly display these rules by the door as you enter the store, so you have the easy option of accepting them or declining and leaving again before you do any shopping?

In all fairness, as someone with a disability, I far prefer to have a guy do a quick once over a trolley in Costco rather than juggling walking stick, trolley, parking card & still having to waft a receipt over an insensitive barcode scanner just to escape with my purchases.

Shoplifting is reportedly at a record high. As companies increase prices to combat losses, all and any loss prevention measures need to be considered. I’d rather more manned tills or a greater security presence than the Sainsbury’s solution (and I say that as a woman who had her own tech company that specialised in barcode & RFID tech).

Well no, I’d actually prefer no cost of living crisis, no one living in poverty or having to shoplift wholesale to make a few quid to feed addiction or whatever.

But since a comprehensive socio-economic strategy policy isn’t on my Thursday to-do list, I’m sticking with the friendlier guys on the door approach for us buggers with one working mitt thanks to using a perambulation device to, you know, perambulate.

Even with staffed tills, there's nothing stopping somebody expensive items directly in their coat or bag and then paying for a certain amount of goods as normal.

If anything, that would probably work better for them, as there's the perception that shoplifters would use the robot tills, so they're 'hiding in plain sight'. Do you have to show your receipt after leaving a staffed till (assuming there are any available)?

@FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper well true they don't have a list of "rules" stuck to the door.
So then basically if a person discovers this is their system and they don't like it then they don't have to ever shop there again. If they are happy to be petty and possibly inconvenience themselves by travelling further to a different supermarket then that's their choice.

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy you might have a disability but you have a cracking sense of humour and brain!! Love your post

What I don’t like is the feeling being penned in like an animal!!

I went into Sainsbury’s last week to make a clothing return, had a 5 minute mooch around the clothing section again and left empty handed!!

I couldn’t get out of the blooming place! So had to track someone down to let me out.

You’re not penned in, you can leave by the entrance to the queue if you’re feeling trapped.

Not in the one I was in !
even the member of staff I spoke to and the security guard acknowledged it was ridiculous.

The security guard who was waving people to carry on when the beeper went off without bothering to look at what they’d got that could be causing the issue !! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Blame the shoplifters OP. It's because of them shops have to put these measures in place. But I live near a very large Sainsburys and you don't have to show your receipt to get out. It must depend on the shoplifting rate in your area.

It’s been the norm in Europe for several years- I don’t like self service but it’s easy enough, you’ve just been given your receipt so blip it and go

Bull! I must have seen twenty Facebook posts claiming to be the person who did this. As previous posters have said you and other customers are the ones who pay for shoplifting AKA theft.

Are you ok with tapping your ticket on the train exit barrier? I mean, do YOU look like the kind of person who wouldn’t pay?

Don't like being assumed to be a thief? Don't use a supermarket. They're factoring in their losses to costs because they're not even trying to reduce loss anymore. Actual customers are very much seen as undesirable now, they prefer the click/ collect/ deliver model. Much like banks, actual stores cost them overheads they don't like

A few weeks ago an assistant at my local Sainsbury said that day a couple of people came in and calmly removed £500 worth of clothes, walked out without being challenged.
Staff are terrified of being assaulted if they challenge.
The big thieves do not bother going to the checkout at all.

I'm with you. They expect us to spend our hard earned cash with them, work for them for nothing at self service checkouts and then lock us in till they've checked us out. Hell mend them. It's why I buy as much as possible online. I'm routinely gobsmacked by how many people meekly accept really shit customer service here.

I can not understand why so many people in this thread think this is acceptable. Sainsburys have removed checkout staff to save them money; they channel us down the self-checkout route for their convenience not for their customers. They then have the brass neck to require customers to print out a receipt (that isn’t environmentally friendly) to prove you are not a thief. It’s insulting, frankly, if they want to distrust every customer then bring staffed checkouts back so you can at least have some human interaction when you are being vatted. Aldi/Lidl seem to manage it.

Actually I'm with you. I don't even ask for a receipt in my Sainsburys so I'd be stuck! I think this isn't as bad as being searched though. I hate having my shopping checked at the self service machines.

I think it's more to the point that why are virtually all supermarkets only putting one staff member on the actual tills now and making everyone use self checkout. For a few items it's fine but for your big shop the self checkout is a bloody nightmare. I don't see the benefit of it, self checkout is stressful, slow, annoying if you're buying age restricted products and invariably go wrong.

I get why they are doing it but I went to the keycutters unit today as my car was telling me the battery on the fob was low and its one of those fobs that is sensed by the car, so you can't start it with a normal key... The only way to get to it was through the main entrance and then I had to be asked to be let through to the corridor where the keycutters/drycleaning franchise is. I felt a bit daft having to ask to be let thought! (sings "please release me, let me go")

Actual customers are very much seen as undesirable now, they prefer the click/ collect/ deliver model.

Do you think so? I'd have guessed that it would cost them a lot more to have a paid member of staff having to do your shopping for you and then another to deliver it to you, as well as all the overheads of the vehicle and the fuel.

Maybe they're playing the long game and intending actual stores with customers in them to become obsolete before too long, so that the only option is to order online; and then they have staff in a big warehouse (so no expensive/space-inefficient display stands) picking it all - I can see how that would work out considerably cheaper for them in the long run.

What if you dont buy any thing? Item you went in to buy say filo pastry. Is out of stock?

What if you dont buy any thing? Item you went in to buy say filo pastry. Is out of stock?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. Surely a shoplifter could very easily fool the new system by just pocketing a few expensive things and then just walking out. If anybody challenges them, they can just say they were after [very specific item they know the shop doesn't sell] and they didn't want anything else, hence they have no receipt. There's no way a shop could force you to buy something before they let you out.