Would you have unpacked your shopping and repacked?

[SweeetFemaleAttitude]

Just did a huge weekly shop at Tesco and as I was leaving I was asked for my receipt, that was fine. Then after a pause the shop assistant and security explained they were doing random trolley checks, and asked to check the receipt against the shipping.

I wasn’t impressed, but calmly stood back and said ‘please ensure everything goes back in the correct bags, I’ve sorted it for a reason’.

They then said they expected ME to unpack items as they ticked it off the receipt.

I just laughed a bit inside at the idea. I’d just done a big shop and pissed around with a self service machine wasting a lot of time compared to a human scanner. Red lights for no reason, waiting for tag removal, waiting for another random fault, waiting to weigh my own bags and check them before I started. The idea of then standing there and unpacking for their pleasure was not something I was prepared to do! I’m talking a big trolley load of stuff, and a big job to stand there bending over it lifting. Not like a Costco check for the big items, loads and loads of tiny bits and cans.

I just calmly said ‘no’. I was told it was a policy to do random checks and I wasn’t suspected of theft. I said they may have a policy, but I didn’t work for Tesco and therefore they were unable to direct me to complete any tasks. I’d fulfilled my contract, paying for goods. If they had reason for concern then I’d wait for them to check it themselves, or go through cctv but I expected it to not delay me unreasonably or my shopping to be left unpacked or manhandled.

Ended up with ‘permission’ from a grumpy manager to leave, who had been watching from a distance and came over. I was honestly calm and kept my tone polite, I was quite annoyed by the self check out already and was making an effort to remain calm knowing I was a bit irate. Never been to this store before, not planning to go again! My usual store always has a open checkout to use with a person.

aibu- you’d have stood there and unpacked, it’s policy

yanbu- nope, you don’t work there and it’s not your job to facilitate their security checks.

If it were my 17yr old working there I'd be mightily annoyed with them for not doing their job and trying to be lazy and get the customer to do it for them, clearly. I worked in sainsburys from 16 to 19 and you do the work and help the customer, not inconvenience them.

Meh, I’ll be called Karen before I pack my shopping twice for Tesco 🤷‍♀️

I would also have refused to do it.

If they suspect theft they should check the bags themselves. Otherwise if they are going to replace staff with self service machines they can fuck right off if they think I'm unpacking my shopping so they can tick off my receipt.

They can't stop you leaving, I'd have just flashed them my receipt and walked out.

Brilliant well done you! How ridiculous and unreasonable of them.

FWIW, my nearest big store is a Waitrose and I do use the self-checkouts sometimes. I’ve been 'randomly' checked LOADS of times. Whether it’s because I also occasionally shop at another Waitrose 200 miles away where my family lives, and that gets flagged up as odd somehow, I don’t know.

But at one point, almost every other self-check shop triggered a rescan and I really complained (politely), explaining that it had happened at least 5 or 6 times in a few months. The assistant was astounded and told me that their head office had told them that customers should only be getting one rescan a year. I’m fed up with it too.

She didn't use self checkout, she had no option as there were no cashiers there!!

YANBU

You were right and they were incredibly unreasonable.

I think I’ve maybe missed it as I generally go to cashiers if they are available. At my local store it’s pretty decent with availability

I've never been asked to unpack my shop so that sounds odd. They don't unpack everything anyway, they just check a set number of items.

Am I missing something?

Well done you. Beautifully handled. I am going to ask the staff in the local Sainsbury's when the Christmas do is this year as I spend so much time at the self serve that I feel I have earned a place at the table

I’d have politely told them to sod off. I understand when a random check is initiated at the till and have no problems with that as there’s an algorithm that chooses those. But to make you unpack everything that’s just ridiculous and if they’d ask me to help I’d be telling them my hourly rate is £75.

If a store has an increase in thefts then they need to look at why and put strategies in place that aren’t likely to cheese off honest customers.

I did similar a few years ago. Big shop, bored and fidgety toddler and apparently when I scanned the four bottles of bleach, I had scanned four of the yellow when in fact I’d collected three yellow and one blue because there were no yellows left (stick with me, I know this sounds dull).

It turns out, they are considered different products, although the only difference is one is blue and the other is yellow! Soooo, I was expect to empty my shop because I had a blue bleach that wasn’t on my receipt although I had paid for four bottles?!!?

No way. I was in that bloody Tesco everyday. I pretty much knew all their names, I refused point blank. They were sheepish, agreed it was ridiculous and off I went. But now I know that if you think you’re saving time my scanning multiple products at once, remember not to scan five croissants and then decide to throw in a danish as ‘it’s the same price’ because you’ll be labelled a thief!

I work in Tesco on tills and self serve/scan & shop. Scan & shop checks are done BEFORE any payment is made and are instigated by the ‘computer’ that controls the hand held scanners. The scanners indicate when a check is required. Store staff have zero control over this- we cannot instigate checks or select who gets them. Numbers of checks change on different days/times- possibly related to losses on certain days? I have never had to check a customer’s trolley after paying. Sounds like a rogue Manager to me.

I had to do this once a few years ago when I had to pick up a child from school. It was Sainsbury's so I hadn't paid and I just said that I didn't have time right then for them to scan everything (which is why I had done self scan in the first place) but I could pick it up once they had scanned and repacked it with my dc in about an hour. I think they just cancelled the check so I could take the shopping.

Well done OP for keeping your cool and being polite. If I am stopped or delayed for any reason, I decline to take the frozen items so if already paid I would say “meet me at customer services with my receipt when you’ve finished so that I can get a refund on everything that is now defrosting”. If not yet scanned, I get them put to the side as I no longer want it.

And what if OP drops something fulfilling the demands of the store staff? It's on the shop to replace anything damaged if they want to do a security check. As it's on them to choose the items.

The OP is NBU.

They could take care to randomly check trolleys with only one or two bags though.

And the self check lane was the only one available to the OP iirc

But she could have asked for one to be opened.

Anyone who uses self checkouts are doing so, knowing they could have to have a check once they’re done.

How are stores meant to deter thieves if they don’t randomly check shopping.

@Nowherenew
They wanted the OP to unpack and then repack all of her bags. They weren't going to do any of that themselves.

Scanning 10 items is slightly different than going through an entire shop!

But they need to check not op. The staff do all the unpacking and repacking. Yes and replace any frozen goods!

So if they think someone had stolen something they should just let them walk out without checking?

😂 I always tell my DC they can scan the shopping and then they'll have something to put on their CV!

Why don’t you put it on Twitter? You’ll need to name the branch and time so they can check it.

My nephew works for Tesco. If they have to do a check then they repack.

If you’re found to be telling the truth, you’ll get an apology and some vouchers.

If you don’t have a twitter account, it’s easy to make one and we’ll worth doing as you’re annoyed.

Yes, do this OP. I’m sure you’ll get lots of support if this thread is anything to go by.

I also have a relative who works for Tesco and staff are meant to unpack and repack for you.

Tweet them now!