Would you object if Aldi staff checked your personal bag?

[vruskin]

Are you aware that ALDI has a policy of treating cuztomers like thieves.
I was at ALDI Caterham yesterday.
The cashier checked my empty plastic bag inside even though it was very obvious that there was nothing in it.
I then complained to a manager who didn’t even apologise and said that it is their policy to treat every customer like they were thieves.
Would you object to it? I felt disrespected and humiliated. How would you feel?

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I don't have to miss the days of covid restrictions and 'worship authority' to not mind being asked to show my bags are empty, I just have a different view to you and it's really not worth (to me) creating a scene over or even giving it a minutes more headspace than it takes to have it done.

Considering the backdrop of the police and justice system not giving any, or harsh enough consequences when shoplifting occurs, . something does need to be done, and seeing as shoplifters don't tend to wear a badge, and by design try to blend in, it's quite unrealistic to expect anyone, even a police officer, to look at someone in the few seconds available and reliably identify a shopper from a shoplifter, every single time. And that's why it doesn't bother me. I also don't look upon shopping as an 'experience' nor expect it to be positive, negative or anything really, it's just shopping. My local Asda has put security tags on the baskets to try and deter people from just walking out with them, that's how low some people will go, and I don't particularly want to pay for other people to have stuff free, because prices will rise to cover it.

OK

I see a distinction between 'treating everyone like thieves' and 'applying the rule to everyone to deter thieves'.
I've never had or seen this done in Aldi or Lidl where I live, so I wonder if it applies to shoplifting hotspots rather than everywhere?

On the other hand, I always place my reusable bags on the conveyor belt ahead of the shopping so a cashier would see I'm not hiding anything.

I would certainly feel affronted if anyone asked to check inside my handbag or backpack- or turn out my pockets like a naughty kid.

I can remember the days when food shopping was enjoyable. Music playing. Point of sale displays. Members of staff being cheerful. Full shelves and food items that weren’t full of palm oil and petroleum derivatives. Ah. Halcyon times. We just didn’t know it at the time of course.

It is absolutely not illegal to search a person without a warrant.
You do not have a clue what you are talking about.

I'm fully aware of that. But some shoplifters say it and anyway, who wants to be spat at?

They are checking bags4life or shopping bags to ensure they’re empty and haven’t got a sneaky hidden steak in there you ‘forgot’ to put in the conveyor belt.

They aren’t checking your handbag.

Yes I see why they do this. As COL has gone up, so has shop lifting food. Lots being stolen, so they either recoup those costs by charging us more across the board or they check everyone’s bag - fairly across all of us.

I would rather my costs remainder lower and they spot checked a bag 4 life than followed me round store on CCTV.

You are describing my local Tesco - music, POS displays, helpful staff. I can't say the same about palm oil, but I try to avoid it if I can.

It would be helpful to include that this is untrue in your post, otherwise it just perpetuates incorrect information.

My point is the mere threat of a shoplifter saying this is quite intimidating, and frankly fucking disgusting.
To spit at anyone in any circumstance is deplorable.
I don't need a lecture about what I need or need not post.
I'm not here to educate the masses. I'm here to say that I feel sympathy with supermarket staff.

Don't tell me what i can and cannot say. You are not the thought-police.

A) it's a perceived racist experience - i am pointing out that it may just be coincidence (given it's just one occurrence and no other evidence is offered)

B) the OP stated that she is white. A white person searching a white person's bags really is stretching the limit on her feeling hurt. It's not like she's had a lifetime of lived experiences of racism which I'm denying.

C) pointing out an alternative scenario is not gaslighting.

D) free speech exists. You feel happy to "talk over me" without regard to my feelings.

I would find it hard to believe

I know you find it hard to believe.

You are extrapolating from a single incident and have decided on one possible explanation that fits the facts you know and your expectations of the world.

There are other explanations. Coincidences do happen.

When someone cuts you up on the road do you assume they hate you personally or that they're a muppet who doesn't look where they're going? Same incident, different interpretations.

Let me think...when has somebody asked to see inside my bag?

Going into ToysRUs about 20 years ago, everybody had to show their bags in and out.
Shopping at Boots pretty much every time the self checkout is used because it doesn't deactivate the security strips on things like Clinique or La Roche Posay and twice because another shop hadn't deactivated their security tags which clearly worked on the same frequency. One time I couldn't get a receipt as it was out of paper, so I had to pull up the Advantage Card app to show the purchases matched the amount showing as going out of my bank app.
Couple of times when somebody else had gone through the same time as me at M&S, once at a Sainsbury's Local, couple of times in a packed Co-op or Tesco's.
Pretty much every gig I've been to for the last 15 years and every club forever.
No idea on the number of times I've had checkout staff at Aldi or Lidl, though. It's just asked at the till or going in, I open my bag or chuck it on the belt, they see nothing's in there, say thank you, I get on with my day.

It's a quick glance in a shopping bag/basket/the plastic crate thing on wheels, not detention under the PACE Act.

Only people I've ever seen kick off about it have been shoplifters and racists (where the security guy has been black) - and they're probably also shoplifting or intending to.

Of course I am. How about you? Patronising much ?

That’s appalling and illegal - no rights to stop and search or look in private property

You can say what you like and I and others will draw conclusions about your attempt to shut down someone’s experiences and be dismissive about racism. It’s not on so stop trying to justify it.

Oh and btw, I have heard countless white people say that they had no idea how ingrained racism still is until they had a partner who is not white.

Anyone else from the westcountry and remember Trago Mills exits? Bag checks on exit were mandatory along with paper cut outs of Police Officers holding up their latest number of shoplifting arrests!

Theyve more recently cut back on staff and relocated tills to the doors, but it doesnt feel right!!

I miss calling my till receipt an escape pass!

It isn't illegal. The customer can refuse and the staff are allowed to refuse entry.

As a retail worker I am so glad I don't have to do this! I feel bad for the ones that do, they must get so much shit for it.

My ALDI has never asked to check my bags. I think if they did make it policy I would shop elsewhere as I don't like shopping in places that seem rough. I dont go to our local LIDL anymore as you are constantly watched by burley security guards and you have to keep your receipts out to open the gates at the exit, it just all has a bit of an unpleasant vibe.

This happened to me in Germany about 30 years ago. Now that the UK has caught up with Germany in the use of reusable bags, it happens here too. Wouldn’t bother me unless I was repeatedly targeted while others weren’t.
More recently, the alarm went off in Tesco as I was leaving with an empty bag as they didn’t have what I went in for. The security guard came over and asked to look in my bag. I showed him, he said fine and then I left. No issue.

You are correct. You can refuse, and then the store can refuse to let you enter.

Although if you have empty shopping bags I fail to see what the issue is.

To be fair, I don't recall being asked for a bag search at any of my local Aldi stores.

You're behaving like a child.
I can only assume you are one.

I notice you fail to address a single point of what I said to her or to you.

Don’t speak - you said
You can say what you like - you said

Not exactly a consistent thought process is it?

Are you related to Trump?

I shall not bother replying to your next little output