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?

I shop every week at Aldi and always do this - lift up the bags and show that they are empty and nothing under them. If it stops some shoplifting -good . Takes all of 2 seconds and I don’t feel remotely humiliated. I hope the woman who was trying to smuggle out two sides of salmon was though.

I rarely shop at Aldi and use the self service till if I do , as with every supermarket they weigh your empty bag . I assume partly an anti stealing thing as I have some heavier bags that always need a cashier to check them. No issues at all except maybe with the shoplifters who make this necessary in the first place
CCTV can't watch every second of every customer, but oddly the OP would be fine with being covertly watched through the shop but not openly asked to look inside her bag
If they asked to see inside my small handbag I would feel different as it could have more personal items in , empty bags I just don't see an issue.

Is this when you have your bags opened up in the trolley ready for packing? I couldn't care less and can see how it would be an easy way to steal. Presumably by 'treat everyone like thieves' they mean they don't discriminate and just have the blanket policy. Seems very fair to me. Lots of people do steal - don't be so brittle.

its an empty plastic bag
why does that matter?

I'd like to live in one where people don't nick things from shops, pushing up prices for everyone. I do think Aldi's approach is likely a lot more effective than security guards.

It wouldn't bother me at all.

They are just doing their job, and I'm not a thief, so why would it?

I wouldn’t mind anyone checking an empty shopping bag. I thought you meant handbag as you said personal.

But then we don’t seem to have this where I am. Maybe you look dodgy?

How would you cope with random checks if you used self scanner in Waitrose? Get those every so often when they unpack your shopping to check you have scanned everything

It's no different to them getting someone to double check a £50 note. A lady in the range loudly declared that she would have to double check it because whilst she knows she is honest but she doesn't know that for certain about me. I just let her get on with it, she was just doing her job and she was right, she doesn't know me.

We got taught LISA (look inside always) and BOB (bottom of buggy) when I worked in ASDA it's pretty standard of the shops and management to expect a suspicious attitude. Cahiers just use their discretion about wether to be discreet/polite or not.

“they just prefer to harass the decent customers instead”

No, they check all customers - apart from anything else, they can’t then be in trouble for singling people out. There’s an Aldi near where I live - it’s almost automatic these days to show them my bag, or if I have shopping from elsewhere to let them know. If it deters shoplifters, then carry on the good work.

Couldn’t care less to be honest. I don’t have an issue with a handbag check going into an event or venue, so why would I care about someone looking in an empty plastic bag? I self-scan at the supermarket and am occasionally selected for a full rescan, it just is what it is.

I don't mind it at all. But I was brought up in Australia and they have staff stationed at the exits of shops to check your bags before exiting so it's normal to me.

No because thieving is rife. Tesco and Sainsburys regularly do spot checks on items in baskets so can’t see the difference tbh

At my local Aldi they ask to check everyone's bags before you start packing, I don't have an issue with it. Shoplifting is rife at the moment so shops need to at least try to prevent it.

Doesn’t bother me at all. I kind of flap my empty bag upside own at the cashier so they don’t have to ask these days. Shoplifting is at epidemic levels and it affects us all by causing higher prices.

How do the workers know who a “decent person” is? Shoplifters arent all the same, some are well dressed, look respectable, etc.

On a fundamental basis it’s exactly the same as airport security. They have a large number of customers some of whom may have ill intent and no way of knowing at first glance who the bad actors are. Thus they search of them which is both fair and thorough.

Just because one has more serious consequences than the other doesn’t make them materially different.

They have cameras at the till and have to be seen to check carrier bags or they will be pulled up for it. My friend works at Aldi; if I use the checkout he is on, he still has to check my bag because it isn’t worth his job not to do it. I don’t take it personally!

It’s the same principle. It’s to check that there is nothing in there that you aren’t allowed to put in there.

I have no issues having my bag checked at either place. I have nothing to hide and I want them to catch the ones that do. It benefits us all and I’m not so precious to think that my empty carrier bag or packed hand lugga ge is anything to talk about.

It’s their policy and they are doing their job! Stop taking it like a personal attack.

Wouldn't think twice.

I would judge the people making a fuss about it though. They are generally the ones with something to hide.

Doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not like they are doing a full police style strip search. They are looking in a bag.

Well that’s not totally true. I’ve been shopping at Aldi for years and never once had my bags checked. Perhaps I live in a better area than I thought.

In 25 years of being a home owner no-one has ever ever stolen my cutlery. And I know and trust everyone who comes into my house. Same can't be said for Aldi and it's shoppers.

Strangely never had bag checked at self serve only the manned tills.

I don't like it either and thought they had stopped it. I don't go in very often so not noticed it recently.