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).

Thing is these gates are a bit pointless. I could buy a mars bar and walk out with 2 steaks and a tub of Lurpak. Scan my mars receipt and off I go.

When dd went to uni she lived near a co op.
Some of the students were putting pizza through as onions on the self scan.
It was only when the automated restock caused a huge delivery of unwanted onions that the scam was discovered.

Years ago I worked in a supermarket we had a plain clothes detective in who caught a woman shoplifting.

When taken to the office (I was along as another female) she outright said "You make it to easy so how do you expect people to not steal" about the self service tills.

That is the type of mentality the supermarkets are up against.

So no it won't offend me if our local one does this.

It doesn't stop shoplifting though, it just stops you shoplifting ALL of your groceries where you wouldn't have a receipt.

How do you get through life?

Surely the cost of shoplifting is reflected somehow in the price of groceries? Ultimately we all pay for it. I don't mind scanning anything. I'm more annoyed by the lack of opportunities to pay with cash. Like needing an extra bag at the last minute and having to pay another 30p by card, that's a pain in the ass.

YABU. Don’t like it? Don’t shop there. They won’t care.

Meh. It's just an extra 30 seconds or so (if that). It's hardly an inconvenience unless I am in an absolute rush and so far, that hasn't happened.

But feel free to shop elsewhere if you're not happy.

Only takes a min.

Maybe just don't use them then!

Use smaller shops that take much longer to get round.

You won't though, will you?

I for one am grateful for the very convenient supermarkets we have. Taking a min of my time to scan receipt, fine. It's their shop, their rules.

Better that than going under and being no more.

Then you'd really have something to moan about!

Oh I agree. They either trust me to self check out or they don't. If you don't then pay a member of staff to check out.

What if you don’t buy anything? Sometimes I pop in for a single item (cat food) and they don’t have the specific item (cat is fussy) so I leave again empty handed. Is there a “no purchase” exit?

It's not an inconvenience at all - that's not what's bothering me.

What's bothering me is the insinuation that they don't trust me to have not stolen from them - I need to prove that I've not before they'll let me go.

This is not the right way to stop shoplifters.

I work in retail and we have been told we can't approach shoplifters and our security don't go near them. They walk in, grab handfuls of stuff, and walk out. We took someone to court recently who was a notorious shoplifter, stealing 000's and they got let off for the 3rd time. They know they don't get done. It's like riding the train for free 100 times, and getting a fine once.

It is getting worse as the courts do nothing, so the security are not bothered, and the shops are powerless. Only stringing shoplifters up with stiff sentences will stop them.

@SM4713 it doesn't give you an option to decline a receipt, it just spews one out automatically.

I think the biggest gift to shoplifters is the handscan scanners you use to scan shopping as you walk around the store, and put it in the trolley.

Even if they select you for a ‘quality check’ they only pick 10 or 15 items off the top of your trolley to check. Anything buried at the bottom never gets checked.

Not that I take advantage of this of course, but it is a major flaw in their system.

Of course they don’t trust you. Why would they?

Anyone can be a shoplifter you know. Even well presented people.

Staff in supermarkets are not allowed to challenge shoplifters, scanning the receipt is to discourage thieving.

I got stuck in a sainsburys because the til I used had no paper in it to print a receipt, there were no staff to be seen anywhere. After waiting ages, I 'tailgated' someone out!

YANBU. Glad ours doesn't have this. It has self-checkouts but you don't need to show your receipt as you leave the area.

but does the robot scanner check you have scanned and therefor paid for ALL your items? as said before most theft will be "missed" items not being scanned.

They installed them in our local, but they've not been working for the past two months, so they are essentially back to square one.

They make no difference let’s face it. A shoplifter who’s going via self service will still have a receipt anyway. Just like the person who using the scan and shop and doesn’t scan something. Add that now rather than clicking no receipt everyone now has to click yes anyway.

plus where even is security anyway.

I completely agree with you. They should spend money on staff if the machines mean people are shoplifting more easily. I hate the implication I definitely want to steal stuff as well; I spend hundreds of pounds with Sainsburys each year.

This was a post on here almost word for word about a year ago

What would you prefer, that supermarkets follow the example of those in the USA and close down in areas of high shoplifting ? Shoplifting is on the increase and it’s a plain fact that if there were not security at self checkouts some would take advantage.