Can DD’s work do this?

[Rollergirl11]

DD (almost 18) works part time for one of the main supermarket chains. For the last few weeks store managers have been asking to check their bags on the way in to work to see if they have anything that they could have bought from the store and asking for receipts. Today DD was asked to empty her pockets to see if she had anything. She had a Carmex lip balm. The manager asked if she had a receipt for it. DD said no as it was hers and was used and half empty. Manager said he needed to initial it in case she was checked on the way out.

Can they do this?! I am pretty sure DD doesn’t have to empty her pockets on request or submit to a bag check and is under no obligation to prove that items on her person have or haven’t been purchased from the store. Does anyone know? This has only been occurring the last few weeks.

Why just as well? It’s not like they’re doing a cavity search 🙄🙄

Because life is too short to have your Carmex lip balm initialed by your manager who is constantly taking vape breaks in smokers. I wonder if he’s had his vape initialed by his boss on his way in. 🤔

My friend worked at Tesco probably 20 years ago and they used the check bags randomly on departure. So not new at all.

Checking them on the way in is her manager trying to protect her from accusation. But I agree with PP I would find it hard to work for a company that assumed I was likely to be a thief .

What does the manager's break have to do with staff stealing things?

I worked in a shop in the 1980s and bag searches were done then so it's not a new thing.

Maybe we should be more shocked that retail staff are stealing stuff rather than that shops are trying to prevent it.

They've perhaps got a problem with one member of staff stealing and need to find out who it is.

But..so what? They'll search that too then

Probably

Well yes, and I can understand them checking on the way out, but on the way in??

That's to help the staff.

I worked at Tesco 20 years ago and random searches were standard practice. Used to have to empty pockets and take off shoes.

We had a canteen card we could top up, and other than that, all I ever had on me was my bank card and car key. Cash was strictly not allowed on your person, ever.

I don't think it's unreasonable at all, it takes a couple of seconds. In your DDs case, if she's got overnight stuff I think it would be reasonable for her to ask for a female to do the bag search, as she'll have underwear etc in there.

Me too in my PT supermarket job when I was in 6th form 30 years ago. It is just an irritation that comes with the job.

If there's a known problem with unexplained loss, they won't say so but will increase the checks.

Her answer about the lip balm was fine and obviously accepted OP, and the manager marking it was to say he'd seen her take it in. It's all routine.

I worked in a shop in the 1980s and bag searches were done then so it's not a new thing.

Yep, I worked in a bookshop back then. There was a good staff discount, so I bought quite a lot of books while I was there, but if you then carried a book you'd bought around with you, to read at lunchtime or on the train, you needed to have the receipt with it, because bags were checked on the way out in the evening.

I can also remember being gently reprimanded for taking money (small change) onto the shop floor, and which is a big no-no but nobody had told me and I was too green to have worked it out for myself. We live and learn. That's part of the value of PT jobs for teens.

Standard in many jobs, not just retail. We had some major theft issues at work (years ago) - my boss and myself had to search everyone's bags and after everyone had left, the building as it was possible it was hidden with intent to take out over the weekend (many people were key holders) we found multiple items in peoples bags, samples/pre release items mostly which were embargoed so mustn't leave the premises (they claimed they always took things home and did return ) never found the main missing items though.

Does this annoy your daughter or just you?

I worked in Tesco when I was a student. Over twenty years ago. We had bag checks, locker checks, monitored constantly on cameras. Theft was a huge problem.

I made a point of never bringing anything to work with me. Just a complete hassle. And if o bought anything at lunch I went to marks and Spencer (they only did their own branded stuff then).

if this upsets your daughter as much as it upsets you then supermarket work isn’t for her. They will never trust staff - because they can’t afford to and they treat everyone the same. I didn’t mind at all. It’s not personal. And I wasn’t stealing!

You're used to it I guess.
I'd absolutely hate it.

If she’s got nothing to hide what does it matter??

It's degrading though isn't it?
For the assumption to be made that you could easily be a thief and to have to prove your innocence every day, as it were.

There would be uproar if they applied the rule to every customer. Think of it like that.
If they searched all customers on entering and leaving the premises.

They also check on way on as you Could take in a receipt and then steal the item

I worked for a big UK supermarket back in the 1990s. We had a system on the way out where you took a ping pong ball out of a dark bag held by the security guard (which you couldn't see into). There were 4 different colours of balls and which one you pulled out determined the nature of your search: no search, bag search, staff locker search or car search.
Staff theft was a huge problem. Checking stuff on the way in seems like a good idea to protect the staff. I can't remember them doing this to us but also I don't think I ever took much into work besides my locker key and prepaid card for buying lunch / stuff from staff vending machine. Also, supermarkets didn't sell the range of non-food items that they do nowadays so you were much less likely to be entering the store with something in your possession that you could have bought in-store.

We were also discouraged from taking cash into store, so as to avoid being accused of nicking it from the till. If you needed to top up your lunch card, you had to go straight in and use the machine in the canteen to do it before your shift started - before you'd have had any access to cash on the job.

It’s not personal though, if it’s standard for every staff member to be checked. It’s not like the manager is waving everyone is then loudly announcing “oh here comes Jenny, we all know what you’re like, right Jenny empty your bag and pockets over here”.

I worked for a supermarket in the late 90's. No personal belongings were allowed on the shop floor and all belongings had to be locked in a locker.

Bag searches were random.

This is very normal in retail. If she's got nothing to hide I would tell her to tell her to comply. As a PP has suggested, it may be easier to have a separate work bag with only her essentials in (no change or 'extra' items that she won't need on her shift).

At my place of work they do random checks of pockets etc. But also checking we have our work badge on etc.

We always get receipts for things we buy but it's just a little check.

I think she can refuse or ask for another staff member with her.

Worked b Harrods 30 years ago as we left the staff entrance at night there were members of the security team checking bags, at Christmas even more so. A week before Christmas we had the staff leonidas chocolate sale absolutely every bag was checked before you got to the sale point as that had become a huge night for people attempting to take stolen items out.
Working in a store with 5000 staff it was a reasonably regular occurrence to hear of someone dismissed for theft.