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).

What do you do if you don't get a receipt? I don't always ask for one - save the planet and all that.

It would annoy me too as a stupid, pointless, and ineffective waste of time.

It's not going to catch anyone who "forgets" to scan something

It's not going to catch anyone who puts expensive produce through as "onions"

Shop somewhere else then if their policy to reduce shoplifting offends you.

There may be very little choice in the area.

If supermarkets put cashiers on the tills they have to pay them, and wages, holiday pay etc have to come out of their bottom line, and increase running cost which gets put on to the prices. If you want personal service then shop at a local shop - but accept that will cost you more.

I'd find the routine use of facial recognition software for ordinary supermarket shopping much more intrusive and inappropriate than scanning a receipt.

They should have more people on tills...I would not be insulted but would be irrittated.

I wouldn't have an issue with that but I was a bit flummoxed when the security guy at Lidl wanted to check the trolley and my handbag last month. I let him get on with as obviously they do have a lot of shoplifting but I was told by an ex store detective years ago that they had to see you take something and leave without paying or they couldn't prosecute.

This. 100%. 🙁

If supermarkets put cashiers on the tills they have to pay them, and wages, holiday pay etc have to come out of their bottom line, and increase running cost which gets put on to the prices. If you want personal service then shop at a local shop - but accept that will cost you more.

Oh my heart bleeds for them, terribly unprofitable Sainsbury's and their just about managing to make a profit.

Sainsbury's make profits of £600 - £700 million pounds and pay their board extortionate amounts.

They could pass some of that on to staff and customers.

I feel the same. In fact I think it's a good idea. 👍

Provided the data isn't retained for longer than needed (so 5 mins) I wouldn't see that as any different from using security tags on products, which mean they can stop people and ask for a receipt if they've a reasonable suspicion.

Far better than the guilty-until-proven-innocent approach here.

I would have told him he could call the police before he searched my personal handbag the fucking cheek. They have no actual authority to look though your stuff.

OP, supermarkets are struggling massively with customer theft, they're begging the government and police for help.

How dare you moan about this when theft increases food prices for everyone?

Get a grip and grow up.

This copy pasta is a load of crap. Do you also like the "when we were young we drank water from hosepipe, we played in the road and no one died" type posts as well?

You're not forced to get your groceries in that shop. You don't like the rules in that shop, go elsewhere.

Do you get annoyed by security tags on products? Because that must be assuming you possibly might steal it.
Do you get annoyed by security cameras? Because that must also be assuming you might go stealing.
You say you don't mind ticket barriers for trains because "they've been like that for as long as you remember" - well you must be young because it was still common not to have barriers in the 90s/00s and there are still stations that are only just getting gates put in.
Get a grip and worry about something else.
Or shop online.

I work somewhere only adults who have children are allowed in. It's a space for children. The amount of lone adults who get hugely offended when they're told they can't come in is crazy, they all think they're being personally accused of being a danger to children when it's simple generic safeguarding policy, plus there's nothing in there for adults to do by themselves! This is similar, it's just blanket policy don't take it personally.

Insulted, really? Total non event.
I think someone has already mentioned that Costco and other membership type supermarkets check your receipt at exit and that's without self checkout. Go elsewhere if it bothers you so much, they won't care!

As a retail line manager, unfortunately we can't trust anyone not to steal.
The sweet little old lady attempting every day to get away with scanning 1 newspaper with her other 2 or 3 tucked inside it.
The well dressed office person hoping we won't see the wine or whatever under their bags.
The school kids who think it's a laugh to pinch sweets/tins of Monster or whatever.
Or the scummy looking folk that you imagine as your typical shoplifter.
It's not about you!

Their shop. Their rules.

I work in a small convenience type store with no Self checkouts.
We lose nearly £2k a month to theft

Sainsbury's doesn't know if you're a shoplifter or not. You aren't but again, they don't know that. They don't know if anyone is a shoplifter unless they see said shoplifter steal. So they're going to have put tactics in place to catch/check.

@dcsp 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.

Well lots of people steal from them, why would they give you inherent trust?

How does it work thou when u actually decline receipt ? Cus our local ones asks do you want printed receipt!

Clearly you've never been to CostCo.

I don't care if I'm checked coming out of a store. I have nothing to hide.

I feel better being checked. I know they are taking crime seriously