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.

Just well done

I'd like to think I would handle it just as you did, should I ever be in the same situation, you did brilliantly. It isn't good practice by the store, even if they did offer to unpack/repack, as if you have done a fairly big shop, maybe with frozen items, it is best to get home and put them in the freezer as soon as you can, not having to faff around unpacking whilst they find and tick off the items on the receipt to prove your purchases, then having to repack all over again.

^You missed out the bit where everyone clapped!*

Yep. And she won’t contact them either. 🤔

YANBU, this pisses me off hugely. I’ve always taken the view that if they want to rescan my shopping they can unpack & repack, and not put the bananas underneath the potatoes either 😡😡

How much stuff did you have?
I only go through self ones if i only have a few bits not loads of bags that need sorting

applause

Read this earlier today on fb:

"Dear Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Lid, Aldi, Waitrose, Morrisons, and all other stores that have self checkout.

You are heading towards almost exclusively self-checkout now.

The lady checking receipts at the exit was stopping
everyone.

I didn't choose to participate in that nonsense, I had already

🛒 filled my cart
🛒 emptied my cart
🛒 scanned the items
🛒refilled my cart

and so I just skipped the exit line and left.

I heard her saying "umm - Excuse me " as I kept walking and raised the receipt above my head, leaving the store.

You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be.

I'm not interested in proving that I did your job for you.

• If you want me to be a cashier with no training then that's vour problem not mine.

• Keep employing young people and give them job opportunities.

YOU DON'T PAY ME TO SCAN MY OWN SHOPPING.

YOU DON'T GIVE ME STAFF DISCOUNT FOR WORKING FOR YOU.

Signed ....All of us

These are jobs that are needed to have for young and old
………………………

Copied and pasted, because I agree 100%."

Good for you! That's appalling, I would be making a complaint and shopping elsewhere.

Ove never known anything so ridiculous! Usually the randon checks simply involve a member of staff randomly scanning a set number of items.

i think you were spot on, but I would have wanted to go further - comply with their request, unpack everything, then repack it and then go to the customer service point and request a refund for every item the shop staff touched while ‘randomly checking’ shoppers trolleys (but individual refunds! Yes, I am that petty!

These checks are not random - whenever I do a big big shop then there is a check and as you say it’s a total pain. I am going to follow your approach next time. Excellent work !

Apologies if this has been covered already-what happens if you haven’t scanned something (either through a genuine error or to evade payment), and this is discovered through a spot check? Because those checks are done in store aren’t they- I thought you hadn’t ‘shoplifted’ unless you leave the shop with the goods you’ve not paid for?

A man did the same as OP a couple of weeks ago in Tesco.
I thought he was a wankier...

Apologies if this has been covered already-what happens if you haven’t scanned something (either through a genuine error or to evade payment), and this is discovered through a spot check?

I can answer this as it happened to me. Totally unintentional, I think I scanned a couple of items with my handset while I'd unknowingly pressed the remove item button. I thought I'd added them but they won't add in that screen. The old handsets in our Tesco had really quiet volumes so it wasn't obvious.

If they find unscanned items during a scan as you go random check, they'll add them to your basket which you go ahead and pay. If it happens more than once or twice, you're then flagged for enhanced security and pretty much have 10-30 items scanned on most subsequent scan as you go shops.

Eventually you revert to non shoplifter status, breathe a sigh of relief and count your lucky blessings. Again, I understand their position. Yes it wasn't deliberate but they have to have safeguards for scan as you go.

@sep135 Thankyou! This can’t be much fun for the staff either, I imagine.

Excellent response. I too get overly formal and polite when I'm seething with rage (in public).

None of our local Tesco have these, as they're smaller, rural ones so I've never had this happen. I also get my big weekly shopping delivered because I'm lazy (and it's cheaper than a nearly hour round trip in the car costs). But I've used self service on small checkouts in other places and never had a check. Maybe Aldi/Lidl don't do this? Sounds infuriating!

Well done you!!! I’ve had a similar incident in my local Next store, not many items but felt like a ruddy criminal.

If I’m ever stopped again I’ll ask what evidence they have to make them think I’m shop lifting. I have never ever stolen anything in my life.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable! And I love your comment about it being their policy, not yours! Unless you agree to a policy before you shop, you are quite right to have refused to unpack! I would have done the same! Good for you for standing your ground!

No issue with the random checks per se but totally unreasonable to expect you to unpack then repack your shopping so they can do that. I'd make a complaint to Tesco to be honest, many people wouldn't be as assertive as you

I would’ve done the same as you, OP. Fair enough if they want to do random checks, but they should do the work.

it would be interesting to know if this sort of thing actually stops shoplifters. It must piss off a lot of honest regular customers.

Brilliant response! I sometimes shop in Tesco and if this happens to me I will be assertive like you, very well done 😊

The new tesco shop/pack as you go are hit and miss.
I use two stores, 1 you need to be admitted to the till and 1 you need to be allowed out off. I’ve often had a random 5/10 items rechecked but staff pick the items. There’s a different store I use that does random checks on the whole shop, but they scan each bag and repack for you.
Tesco claims it to stop shoplifting. I’d just say to tesco, if you don’t trust your customers, hire the staff to work the tills and pay them a decent wage

I think that you have to leave with items unpaid for before it's theft ... So they can't be accusing you of that inside the store.
If they want to check their machines then let them do that.

very impressive op, its true it may be there policy, but unless that policy also states that the public need to un pack the items, then i would guess thats the duty of the store manager or staff member @SweeetFemaleAttitude

I’ve taken a screenshot of your response to refer to if I’m ever in this situation. I’m in awe!

Its happened to me twice. It's so embarrassing with people walking past as well. Both times that same manager stood a good few metres away and instructed one of the newer/younger lesser paid staff to do it all. I think it's embarrassing for them as well but the manger looked like she was enjoying herself. I've not been back, as I had my toddler with me both times and she was crying and I was getting frustrated and was shaking, even though I've never stolen anything in my life.
I think I've just got a guilty face as I'm always the one that gets stopped at airports too.