To think they should have apologised for wrongly accusing me of shoplifting?

[Tyzbiscuit]

I was in a well known supermarket today with DP picking up a few things for dinner. I scanned my shopping at the self checkout, paid and printed the receipt (all while being watched by a member of staff standing right behind me.)

There wasn’t much room and we had 2 bags so DP packed one on the paid for side and I packed another nearer the scanner. As I put one of the items in the bag, it must have scanned on the scanner again without me noticing.

As we were walking away, the member of staff started shouting ‘excuse me!’. I stopped and turned to see him staring at me accusingly and pointing at the self service screen. I asked what he meant and he said I had to pay for the item and shouted the price loudly across to me. Everyone was staring at this point, it was embarrassing. I explained I’d paid and didn’t owe anything and showed my receipt with the item on it. He still just stood there until his supervisor (I assume) came over and told him it was fine and that ‘this happens sometimes’. There was no apology from either of them. As I turned around I heard the supervisor telling the staff member ‘well done for checking’ and it honestly gave me the rage. Why is it ‘well done’ to wrongly someone of shoplifting and then not apologise?

It’s left me with a horrible feeling and I feel judged as someone who would go around stealing. I think that bar codes should be deactivated once the item has been paid for to avoid this sort of thing happening. I feel like raising this with the supermarket because I am still angry.

I'm sorry but I think yabu. Why shouldn't they have said well done for checking. The staff member was doing their job and were perhaps new. It is their job to check and they were obviously not familiar with the issue with the tills. I agree the supervisor should have apologised to you for the till issue though. I personally wouldn't waste another second of time on it.

How would they deactivate a barcode?
I often buy 2 or 3 of the same thing....you know they all have the same printed barcode right?

You accidentally rescanned something and left the checkout with money showing as owing.
I am not exactly sure how as you normally finish packing before you pay. But this was your error. And the staff member was doing his job.

This was caused by you accidentally starting a new transaction and scanning an item you’d already paid for. Presumably due to frenzied packing in front of the scanner instead of to the side where scanned shopping goes to be packed. This falls under user error.

I can’t blame the shop assistant for their reaction as the self checkouts are the #1 place where theives shoplift.

Bar codes can’t be deactivated because they are not unique to each purchase. Every 700g box of Kellog’s corn flakes has the exact same bar code.

Did you apologise for making a mistake and wasting the shop staffs time?

Happened to me many times but unlike you I've never just walked away and left it.

It doesn't take a minute to call a staff member over, infact you said yourself that one was standing right behind you, would have only taken a minute to explain and you'd have been on your way.

I agree with you OP. Those tills are not exactly user friendly, ie its easy to upset them, plus once someone has proved they have paid, I would be expecting an apology. Actually more that that, I'd be expecting them to come over and check rather than yelling it out in front of everyone, precisely because you can mortify someone innocent.

The staff member wasn't doing they job very well.

To shout 'excuse me!!!!!' And point at the till, making everyone look and make the customer feel embarrassed, is not professional. I would have said 'excuse me (in a nice polite way, not shouted in an accusatory tone), there's an item still showing on the till, did you not need that or had it already been paid for?'

There's ways of speaking to people and it's all down to the tone and body language you use. If you smile and look like you're on the customer's side, they won't feel like sh1t.

OP said she didn't notice.

If I were those staff members I would have apologised. I also wouldn't be feeling this wound up in your position though, as pp said you'd made a mistake and staff member wasn't to know, so it was a mistake each really.

If you read my post, you’d see that I didn’t realise. Otherwise I would have said something.

I used to work in a supermarket and I wouldn’t have made someone feel like this. I also have anxiety problems, so things like this make me worry and I think about it long after. I just feel sad because I don’t often feel like going out but I decided to go on a walk to the shop with DP and instead this happened and made me feel worse.

Yabu. He was doing his job. How was he supposed to know the item rescanned itself. Stop trying to defect blame, your anxiety issues are not a factor here.

@Zwellers He would have known because he was watching us the entire time. He literally saw me scan everything, pay and print the receipt.

I wonder how you would feel if someone had shouted across a crowded supermarket at you to accuse you of stealing. And don’t tell me I am using my anxiety to deflect blame. It significantly affects my life so it is a factor.

The member of staff was clearly a bit overzealous but you’re taking this very personally when it really isn’t about you. I doubt supermarket staff on minimum wage want to be challenging potential thieves, it’s a difficult part of the job which I assume is why the manager praised him. He could have been more discrete and polite but he made an inadvertent mistake just as you did. Nobody will have paid it any mind, I really wouldn’t worry about this any more.

You had me until you suggested deactivating a barcode which is batshit. That’s not how barcodes work. Yes the should apologise- but also the manager was right to say to the staff member they had done the right thing, it takes balls to challenge a customer and many don’t when the should because they want a quiet life

He didn’t accuse you of stealing though. He said “excuse me” and gestured to the till that was showing an unpaid item. He called you back to resolve an issue, which you caused albeit inadvertently, by packing in front of the scanner instead of in the packing area.

You are writing like he shouted “Stop! theif! Call security..” and then ran after you and lunged at your shopping bag to wrest it away from you.

Yes, sorry rush reading, I thought you hadn't finished/ paid at that point.

I also use the scan machines but if I'd finished my scanning and paid it would have ended my transaction.

In order for an item to have been rescanned I'd have had to of hit the 'start, next customer button' on the screen.

Falsely accusing you of a crime in front of your community is defamation.

I appreciate that shop lifting is a major problem, but being publicly accused of theft could have severe implications - e.g. you work in a bank and people are gossiping that you're a thief or you're a teacher and pupils' parents witnessed it.

I would consider writing a stern letter to their head office to explain how offended you are to have been publicly shamed in front of your community.

He sounds like a jobsworth. If he was constantly watching you he would have been able to see what happened.

I hate self serve and I hate that you don’t automatically get a receipt

You scanned an item by mistake and walked off. How were they to know that you hadn’t picked up a last minute item, and not paid? Just accept you made a mistake and move on.

You’re being too sensitive.

Tesco check my receipt every time I buy clothes, I’m not offended, I’m glad they check and catch would be thieves.

You did scan something by mistake. The responsible thing would have been to flag it to staff so they could cancel the transaction.

Staff have explained to me how annoying it is when customers leave scanned items on the till, because the staff have no way of knowing if the customer has stolen the item or not.

You messed up, not the supermarket.

OP, I'm sorry that this happened to you. As someone who also has anxiety, I would be feeling the same way that you are. Your feelings are valid. Please don't let anyone make you feel like yabu. X

Honestly basic people skill and manners from both sides. It could have just gone like this:

Him: Excuse me there is an unpaid item on this machine, can I please just check your receipt?

You: Sure, I don't know how that happened!

Checks shopping.

Supervisor: Yes it happens all the time, you've just accidentally scanned something as you were packing. Thank you so much for your patience and sorry for having to call you back.

You: No problem, and sorry, I should have checked the machine before I left.

Everyone: Bye

OR insist on using an actual checkout human.

Sounds like it could have been handled better.

I don't use those things because I don't like them and the more we use them, the less choice we'll have.

I also have anxiety problems, so things like this make me worry and I think about it long after. I just feel sad because I don’t often feel like going out but I decided to go on a walk to the shop with DP and instead this happened and made me feel worse.

Maybe consider using this as a catalyst to deal with your anxiety so rather than an incident like this making you sad and thinking about if for a long time afterwards, you can just put it out of your mind straight away.

Yabu. Staff member doing their job. No issue.