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?

Actually, no scrap that. I'm down several teaspoons. I bet it's that bastard 7 year old from next door who I let through my house to collect his football from the back garden. I did think he looked like butter wouldn't melt. Now I now why.

This has never happened to me in any supermarket. I would be surprised, too, OP, simply because it's never happened before.

I pop into Aldi on the way to my cousin's house all the time. Nobody checks my bag.

Yes, they are treating you like a potential thief. From their perspective you absolutely are a potential thief, as am I, as is everyone else who walks in the shop.

The check takes seconds, and will genuinely stop a common method of shoplifting. I think you're being precious to be offended by it.

It wouldn’t other me if it was everyone. I have never been in Aldi anyway but I guess any shop could have this policy

Depends. A quick check because an alarm went off on my way out? I wouldn’t mind.

However once an alarm went off when I went into a Zara and they checked my bags and even made me take off my shoes, all this by the tills, not even changing rooms. I was young and caught off guard so I did it, but if it happened today I would probably have told them to do one.

Do you take umbrage at the theatre and feel like you are being accused of sneaking alcohol in. At the airport are they accusing you of being a bomber?

it’s a simple policy to deter/catch thieves . If you don’t steal it shouldn’t affect you. And better they check everyone than start profiling people

I think it’s a great idea - you do realise that the cost of shoplifters nicking stuff and selling it on is added to the cost of goods. The Shareholders of supermarkets are doing very well at the moment so the supermarkets don’t suffer -we pay for it!

Happens in South Africa too. Ive also seen customers go through a pat-down.
Thats life.

It’ll become more regular here too as times get harder & thieving activities get worse.

If you’re not a thief, why worry?

Aldi and Ryanair is the future you people deserve

😂😂 I'm keeping this in the "random insults to throw at people I don't like" bank.

Good for you I guess. I’ve never been anywhere in Germany where they’ve not. Obviously not where you live though!

How old are you?! This has always been a thing in supermarkets. If anything I think thry do it less than the used to in the 80s and 90s (or maybe I look less dodgy now 😂). They also ask to see the bottom of your pushchair/mobility scooter.

And yes it’s much more stringent in Australia, Germany and. Spain

I couldn’t care less. I don’t steal so if someone wants to look in my bag and see the plethora of hair grips, tampons and random bits and pieces then they’re welcome to do so.

Same as they check my bag before I enter Hillsborough. No bother.

Has never bothered me, they don’t always ask to look in bags, but if they do then fine.
I don’t think they’re assuming I’m a thief, it’s just part of their job. I don’t take it personally at all, they’re always polite and friendly and just assumed it was store policy to randomly check.

Blame shop lifters not Aldi
I completely understand why they do it
life is too short if your that outraged just go elsewhere but I do think this is the start of a trend
unfortunately thieves don’t wear signs indicating to staff who they are

working in retail is bad enough without customers being a knob and making there job even harder
it’s a company policy rather than the staff’s choice
why take it so personal when they do it to everyone
im sure your reputation won’t of been tarnished by this interaction

No, I have never had this in Aldi either. I once had my shop checked at an Asda self-scan but that's it.

One where people don’t feel entitled to take stuff that’s not theirs…. Why not put the blame on the shoplifters? If no one stole, there would not need to be bag checks would there?

I worked at Aldi and staff are meant to check empty bags. If you were to buy a pair of shoes in a box staff are meant to open the box to check inside it and inside the shoes. If you empty your shopping on to the conveyor and then put your bags in to the trolley, staff are meant to check under the bags once you get to the till

Your issue should be with Aldi, the staff have done as they are told. If a mystery shopper came in to the store and they didn’t do these things they would fail the mystery shop

HTH

This has never happened to me either. I’m 41, never had a bag checked in my life. I shop in Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Sainsburys regularly.

Checking plastic bags IS a “normal security method” though. And it’s just a shopping bag, not your “personal bag” - that would be your handbag surely!

I've worked on tills too and we get all sorts of crap thrown at us. I got hit in the face once by a cat food can because someone objected to something once. I was about 17 I think. As a PP said- why be a knob about it? Why make someone's day harder than it needs to be?

It's not personal. It's because some people are thieves. Quite alot of people are in fact. And rather annoyingly they don't have a little tattoo on their face identifying them as such.

(I have had someone steal from my house- a friend of a friend who was staying as a favour. As it happens my reaction was to not check bags at the door but to turn our spare room into my study and refuse to allow anyone to stay ever again. Dramatic, but effective.).

I avoid shopping at any shop that has measures that slow me down and make shopping less pleasurable.

I particularly dislike having to scan my receipt to exit through a barrier, but I would also include having my bag routinely checked as something I’d prefer to avoid.

There are plenty of shops which don’t do this, so I actively choose those, and tbh I’m happy to pay a bit more for that if necessary.

Must be a local thing as they don’t do it in any branch I’ve been to. Our Lidl has a security guard from 3-6pm now due to thieving school kids though they only spot check, I’ve never been

I’ve never been searched at Aldi but I have a few times in Tesco and Morrisons.

It sounds like Aldi is trying to be proactive rather than reactive.

Tbh if you’re someone shop doesn’t like being searched then Aldi having a blanket policy of regularly checking people is probably better than other stores which pick on specific people.

I have my bag and pockets searched almost every day for work, so it’s second nature to be more comfortable with it.
I prefer this than being specifically picked out to be searched.

I am not sure how they would prove you haven’t stolen anything though.
I guess they’re looking for alcohol and expensive cuts of meat/cheese.

Shoplifting is prevalent! I’d rather have my bags checked than have to pay increased prices so the shop can cover their losses. I’ve had my bags checked in Lidl before and since I hadn’t stolen anything I didn’t have a problem with it!