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.

I’m not on Twitter, tbh after hearing bag checks are common I’m less annoyed (though I’m still not going to unpack a full trolley). I thought this was a new expectation and a store with a new wild and unusual idea. It seems just a version of what is happening in other stores- in a more annoying implementation
It annoyed me, but ultimately I didn’t really suffer more inconvenience than a 60 second chat. No one was very rude, bar the manager having a grumpy look and being a bit flat toned. They handled the refusal pretty respectfully in the whole. I wasn’t detained or made a show of or called a thief.

You're fine, OP, I also get a bit formal when I'm annoyed and trying to rein it in.

It was a 'random' check. They didn't think she had stolen anything.

I’m not on Twitter,

Make an account. Or let me know the store and time and I’ll do it on your behalf and post their response. 😊

I’ve had random checks several times.

None of them have ever asked to see my receipt, which was fine.
Then paused and then said they were doing random checks and would need to check every item against the receipt.

I’ve also never had a full trolley checked before, as numerous PPs have said it’s usually for a set amount of items.

So it’s pretty clear they thought OP had stolen stuff.

Supermarkets are privately owned by billionaires. In any case, losses are paid by the customers, not the trader.

Most of the big U.K. supermarket chains are publicly listed, not privately owned. They're also some of the biggest dividend payers so probably a mainstay of many pensioners' investment portfolios.

I'm doubly confused over the losses comment. Food retail is one of the most competitive markets in the U.K. and it's not just a case of adding a premium for wastage to prices (which I wouldn't want to pay as a customer either). But, either way, shoplifting does reduce margins and frankly neither the company nor customers are net winners.

I dont think you were unreasonable at all. I wouldnt have faffed about doing that either. Id have just said "if you don't let me leave then I want to return the whole trolley load, so please can I have my money back if you're seriously expecting me to unpack it"

Nope. I also am strategic in packing. They want to unpack, they get to do it how I've done it. Shopping at the big supermarkets now is shit: you get to do it all yourself and pay masses for the privilege

Bloody hell can't believe supermarkets are doing this.Good for you I'd have said similar.
I had a bag check the other day.Didnt mind because

1.it was in an airport
2.it was in the interest of the safety of other people on board
3.it was in a fucking airport!

No way would I be getting my food shopping searched.

I think you handled it brilliantly. I would never self scan as this is the end result, all suspects and doing staff out of jobs.

Me too!
I bet they've lost a (good) customer if you have other options to shop

It's not airport security

Well done!

Yup and I'd expect someone to tell me and ensure I agreed to it on the way in BEFORE I started shopping

Jeezo. They weren't asking you to do this for fun, they were just trying to do their jobs. I'd have gone ahead and unpacked my shopping, probably quicker than standing there arguing with them.

I’d have done the same.

I’d also complain to head office. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

It is in no way normal to do random checks to see if your customers are thieves.

No one in their right mind would agree to have Tesco waste their time like this.

YANBU. I'm heartily sick of doing other people's jobs for them. I already have my own full time job thank you very much.

I live in the US and it is never done in my area because there is cctv at all the self service tills, and also supermarkets know that customers rightly resent being treated as thieves and have a choice as to where they take their business. It would cost them more than the value of shoplifted items , in other words.

Yes. Because the cost in customer good will when you randomly check bags is likely far higher than the value of anything any specific customer is stealing.

I for one would never return to a shop where the management was prepared to alienate customers by such heavy handed (and likely completely ineffective) efforts to deter shoplifting. Technology does a far less offensive job, and more effectively too. But it's cheaper to be very obviously treating the customers as thieves through use of random public checks.

And your question has nothing to do with my post.

Make an account. Or let me know the store and time and I’ll do it on your behalf and post their response😊

Agree with tweeting them. Do it OP. It’ll take minutes to set up an account or take this poster up on their offer.

I'm with you OP. I hate those bloody self checkouts, especially when they don't provide enough staff to deal with the multiple times the thing doesn't work for stupid reasons.

I had similar in ALDI. I put my stuff on the conveyor belt. Pushed my trolley through with two empty ALDI bags in it. The checkout person said "I just need to check your bags" and stood there waiting for me to lift them up to show her.

I just pointed to them and said, yeah sure. I wasn't going to go out of my way to lift them up and show them to her. She was treating me as though I was trying to steal something. If she wanted to check if I was a thief then the onus was on her to check. So she had to walk round the back of her till to look in my trolley to see that I did actually have two empty bags.

I can remember going shopping as a young kid about 6/7 with my DM and Dbaby sister, so about 45yrs ago.
My DM had done her big shop, family of 6, at Savacentre (sainsburys)and had nearly everything on the conveyor belt when the lady infront dropped a large container of milk which spilt everywhere.
Someone came to clean the floor and till and the woman told my dm she needed to move to another till. DM asked if someone could help and was told no she would have to do it. My DM, who was unbelievably stubborn and bloody minded, simply said 'oh no. I don't think so. Someone can just put it all back instead ' as she picked up DSis, took my hand and started to walk off . Someone from customer service tried to intercept her on way out, now offering to help, but she just swanned straight past them.
She later wrote a letter of complaint, got a lovely apology and vouchers!

How do you do a big shop and go through a self checkout? I only go through there with a basket as there isn't any room for a trolley. But regardless I've had checks at the scan yourself shop check out, but that's been just ten or 15 items which they try and scan in the bags if possible. Mostly I shop online though.
I don't think you were out of order refusing to repack your items - if they insist on random checks two people can do it and repack ( when I go to food store in the US they never let you pack - but how many bags they waste is appalling - especially as they put a paper bag into a plastic one! I haven't used my own bags as I'm not the one actually shopping).

It turns out, they are considered different products

Well yes. They are different products.

Of course you have to scan the right things!

I'm on OP's side on this thread, but you were wrong here.