Absolutely sick of the shop workers and there headsets

[Pjsallday]

I live in a very working class town. There's a fair bit of shop lifting etc and I know the shop assistants have alot to deal with it but I'm sick of feeling like a criminal when I walk into a shop. Went into sports direct today to buy my kid a tracksuit and immediately as I enter I hear the man on the door describe me (height, approx age, hair colour) to all staff on the headset. I was taken aback. Anyway I looked around for what I needed and couldn't find the right size i asked a assistant and he recommended i order online as theres more choice. Fair enough. I ended up purcasing some sports socks instead. Person at the asked me did I get everything I needed I replied no, there wasn't much to choose from and I'd take a look online once I got home. I put my socks in my bag. And as I walked away from the till the assistant on that served me again told.all other staff my description and that i had the purchase in my own personal shopping bag and not a sports direct one. I was then asked for my bloody receipt at the door and could they see the socks in my bag. I was embarrassed as there a 3 pack of bras I got from another sholq in the bag and he was proper peeking in. I know they have to prevent shoplifting etc but it was a uncomfortable experience. I don't really know what I expect from this thread and I probably am bring unreasonable but those headsets really wind me up!

That sounds really extreme! I wouldn't go back

Blimey. Was it a shop in a prison compound?

Goodness me that sounds ridiculous, were you the only blooming customer. Surely they've all got better things to do than track you so intensely.

That is totally ott.
I wouldn't be going back.

That does sound very extreme.

'Proper peeking at your bras' made me laugh though 🤣

… and these shops wonder why people don’t spend money in them. I would have walked straight back out.

I always make a point of getting my receipt because you can never be sure when you’re going to be stopped which is still considering most shops don’t want to print one.

That shop probably is on special measures, likely had a lot of thefts and now they have to do things like this.

I'd have asked them politely why they were circulating my description to other staff

I've genuinely never experienced anything like this.

Or even their headsets?

Horrible experience but I would image if they don't do this crap they'll lose do much stock to shoplifters the place will close.

The problem is the scum going onto the shop not the staff already in there.

I love my headset. It's all that stands between me - as the only visible person on the shopfloor - and any person who wants to come in and dish out abuse/walk out without paying/etc etc. I can talk to the guys out the back and have a big bloke come down and stand next to me any time. Without a headset I'm a sitting duck target.

Our local sports direct do this, which is the reason I stopped shopping in there.

I refuse to shop anywhere I'm treated like a criminal. I went into the new Lidl in town. It's been open for a couple of months, and I'm not a Lidl shopper, but my partner and I decided to take a look. We were watched like hawks at the self checkout and had to have our receipt scanned like in B&Q to leave the store. That's my first and last visit. Back to Waitrose I go. Aloso I won't get petrol at a place with those nasty rubber bumps at the entrance and exit for the same reason. I am not a criminal, so stop treating me like one.

I think this is quite common in Sports Direct. There are two branches near me, the one in the massive main shopping centre doesn't do this, but the slightly more shabby one on the retail park always does. Its directly linked to the shoplifting problem, I suspect.

The management and staff of the shop don't have a choice, likely they have had a lot of shoplifting and have been told to observe every customer or lose their jobs. If you have nothing to hide, why not just co-operate helpfully?

I would have told them no they could not look in my bag. They don’t actually have the right to.

Don’t blame the shop, blame the shoplifters and people who buy from them.

Our local Sports Direct is the same, it's because they've had massive, massive shoplifting problems. It's more hassle for the staff than it is for individual shoppers - I went in to buy trainers for DS recently and he found three styles he wanted to try. They've had so many pairs stolen they can only bring out one pair at a time so the staff end up doing multiple stock room trips instead of being able to nip in, bring you three pairs, leave you to try them on and get on with serving someone else.

A friend of mine worked in sports direct nearly 15 years ago and they had to be patted down/strip searched before they could leave at the end of every shift. It's a cruddy store, the shopping equivalent of Ryanair.

I mean I do feel very sorry for the staff and the abuse/threat from shoplifters. I totally get it. I understand they need to keep an eye on folks but it isn't just the staff hearing what he's saying it's every bleeder in the shop!

@PrettayGood belive me i felt like I was walking the green mile!

@HomeworkMonitor don't get me started on Lidl!

I shop in their myself so I'm not being judgemental but it does attract some lower-end customers. My local one has a bridalwear section. "Can I interest madam in an off-white track suit?"

'Look lads, BRAS!!! They put boobs in these, I've seen it on the internet!!!'