Supermarkets discussion

[DynamicSpirit]

We just got suspected of shoplifting at Asda

Went through the self checkout and got bleeped exiting, member of staff asked for receipts which we didn’t have (if you want receipts don’t make the ‘do you want a receipt’ optional!)

They printed the last receipt but that was no good as we had scanned our shopping seperate so that was my receipt

Eventually the staff checked with the security who checked the cameras and gave us the all clear, only to get stopped again at the exit by the security who questioned us again until we convinced them we weren’t trying to nick a few quids worth of shopping!

If we were actual shoplifters we would have just done a runner out of the store…

EDIT : Found out my partner had a make up item with a security tag on it that they had bought from Amazon which is obviously what set it off!

Oh blimey, that's a really crappy experience. Doesn't sound like a brilliant way of handling it by the shop.

If I recall correctly, on the rare occasions in supermarkets when something I've carried has caused the security scanners to bleep (usually at Sainsburys), the usual reaction by security staff has been to get me to walk back through them without bits of my shopping, to track down what the offending item is. (Library books are pretty good at setting the security alarms off).

I always make sure I get a receipt from the self-checkout. I don't want to be stuck without one if there's ever a problem with something I bought (although I might consider clicking 'no' to paper receipts if there was an option to email them to you instead). Your post gives me another reason to make sure I always get a paper receipt.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Oh blimey, that's a really crappy experience. Doesn't sound like a brilliant way of handling it by the shop.

If I recall correctly, on the rare occasions in supermarkets when something I've carried has caused the security scanners to bleep (usually at Sainsburys), the usual reaction by security staff has been to get me to walk back through them without bits of my shopping, to track down what the offending item is. (Library books are pretty good at setting the security alarms off).

I always make sure I get a receipt from the self-checkout. I don't want to be stuck without one if there's ever a problem with something I bought (although I might consider clicking 'no' to paper receipts if there was an option to email them to you instead). Your post gives me another reason to make sure I always get a paper receipt.

The whole thing of making you request a receipt could go in the "things you'd ban" thread. It's a particular pain at my local Tesco where in an evening they won't remove tags from bottles of spirits until you've paid and showed them your receipt.
Presumably it's intended to cut down on waste and reduce paper use, but printing fewer receipts is hardly going to change the world is it? It just smacks of greenwashing to me, and there are probably a million things the big supermarket chains could do that would have way more of an impact and wouldn't inconvenience customers. I'm all for things that help the environment, but things like this feel more stick than carrot, and barely scratch the surface anyway.

Trying to remove card tickets on the railway falls into the same category. I like collecting them, and they can prize them out of my cold, dead hands!

 

[87electric]

I had an experience with Lidl where they assumed I had shoplifted. I was in the store for like 2 minutes trying to find the new range of craft beers they were promoting. I walked straight back out, empty handed, as I couldn't find them.
I was called back inside the entrance by a staff member. He asked to see a receipt for my shopping. I said I had not bought anything so I did not have a receipt. He said I was seen in the alcohol aisle. You are correct I said and explained what I had been looking for with no joy. He asked me to open my backpack and then I realized he thought I had shoplifted. I told him I was not opening my bag for him. I asked him what he thought had happened but he skirted around the issue without actually calling me a thief. He then said that my bag looked heavy and asked to me to open it again. (Well yeah, the bag was heavy as I had my camera and lenses from a Class 37 photo op about 10 minutes beforehand). Again I refused to open it. He was embarrassing me in front of all the customers walking by so I decided to call his bluff and try to embarrass him and the store in return. I told him to call the police down to the settle the matter in front of them. He had a headphone set on and it was obvious someone was reviewing video footage in the store while we talked and they informed him of the non theft. He then told me I was free to go. No apology.

If they see an offence committed then sure, go after the person, but don't do it on sus with a crap line of "Your bag looks heavy".

 

[Gloster]

The Co-op locally has reduced the time that you have to touch the screen in order to get a receipt at the end of your transaction from five to three seconds. This is in addition to it coming just at the point when your attention will have been diverted elsewhere: checking your change, opening your bag, etc. According to one of the staff the aim is to allow them to shave half an hour a day off the staff’s hours: it hasn‘t worked as they now spend more time using their key to help customers get the receipt they weren’t quick enough to get.

 

[Kite159]

The whole thing of making you request a receipt could go in the "things you'd ban" thread. It's a particular pain at my local Tesco where in an evening they won't remove tags from bottles of spirits until you've paid and showed them your receipt.
Presumably it's intended to cut down on waste and reduce paper use, but printing fewer receipts is hardly going to change the world is it? It just smacks of greenwashing to me, and there are probably a million things the big supermarket chains could do that would have way more of an impact and wouldn't inconvenience customers. I'm all for things that help the environment, but things like this feel more stick than carrot, and barely scratch the surface anyway.

Trying to remove card tickets on the railway falls into the same category. I like collecting them, and they can prize them out of my cold, dead hands!

In those Sainsburys & other supermarkets which have introduced exit gates where you need to scan a receipt to exit (not like it will stop someone scanning loose fruit as carrots) do the self service tills give options to request a receipt (rather than printing it out by default, as even with a £3,50 meal deal you need to scan)

 

[wilbers]

IMHO, by far the best supermarket chain in the land is Booth's. 'What/who is that?' I hear you ask....or at least those of you who don't live in Lancashire/South Cumbria/North Cheshire/Western Yorkshire. Booth's is a small family-owned chain of high quality supermarkets - you could say the Northern equivalent of Waitrose - based in Preston. The founder E. H. Booth was a small family grocer in Preston - much as William Morrison was in Bradford - and the present day shops are a by-word for quality, range, friendliness and helpfulness of staff, wide aisles, wide checkouts and full diasabled accessibility. The range and quality of their delicatessen products, cheeses, beers, wines and spirits are legendary and they specialise in selling locally-sourced produce. Like Waitrose, they are not cheap but, given the quality of their produce, they are exceptionally good value. At the last count, they had 22 stores in Barrowford, Burscough, Carnforth, Chorley, Clitheroe, Fulwood, Garstang, Hale Barns (Altrincham), Ilkley, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Knutsford, Lancaster, Longridge, Longton, Lytham, Penwortham, Poulton-le-Fylde, Ripon, St Annes-on-Sea, Settle and Windermere. The Clitheroe store is in the old railway goods yard alongside the station and the Windermere store has been built within the old Victorian train shed of the original station. AFAIK, they have only closed one store - that in Salford's Media City - due to the astronomical rent outpacing the takings.

You've missed out some, including Penrith. Wikipedia says they have 28 in total.

For a town its size, Penrith is very well served by supermarkets. As well as Booths there is a large Sainsburys, Morrisons, Aldi, Iceland, M&S. And smaller than supermarket sized food shops there are 2 Cranstons (one a small butchers, one a food hall), Spar, Grahams, 3 more independents including a Polish shop, and the various ones attached to a garage.

My default weekly shop is Aldi followed by Morrisons.

 

[Mojo]

The whole thing of making you request a receipt could go in the "things you'd ban" thread.

As it's advised to shred receipts I'm quite happy to not receive one when doing small visits, especially when at work, because it saves me the hassle of running them through the shredder, which is even more annoying nowadays as shredders don't seem to have an "on" function and receipts often struggle to press the "trigger."

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I had an experience with Lidl where they assumed I had shoplifted. I was in the store for like 2 minutes trying to find the new range of craft beers they were promoting. I walked straight back out, empty handed, as I couldn't find them.
I was called back inside the entrance by a staff member. He asked to see a receipt for my shopping. I said I had not bought anything so I did not have a receipt. He said I was seen in the alcohol aisle. You are correct I said and explained what I had been looking for with no joy. He asked me to open my backpack and then I realized he thought I had shoplifted. I told him I was not opening my bag for him. I asked him what he thought had happened but he skirted around the issue without actually calling me a thief. He then said that my bag looked heavy and asked to me to open it again. (Well yeah, the bag was heavy as I had my camera and lenses from a Class 37 photo op about 10 minutes beforehand). Again I refused to open it. He was embarrassing me in front of all the customers walking by so I decided to call his bluff and try to embarrass him and the store in return. I told him to call the police down to the settle the matter in front of them. He had a headphone set on and it was obvious someone was reviewing video footage in the store while we talked and they informed him of the non theft. He then told me I was free to go. No apology.

If they see an offence committed then sure, go after the person, but don't do it on sus with a crap line of "Your bag looks heavy".

Out of interest, why not simply let the security guy see in your backpack? If he's seen you in the alcohol aisle and you left with a heavy backpack and without buying anything, then it doesn't seem unreasonable that he might want to check. And refusing to let him look is certainly going to look suspicious (both to the security person and to any people walking past).

I had a in-store security guy want to look in my bag a year or so ago (in TKMax - I can't recall the exact circumstances but something I'd done while trying on shoes had apparently raised suspicions) and had absolutely no problem allowing him to see that I hadn't nicked anything.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 May 2023 ==

In those Sainsburys & other supermarkets which have introduced exit gates where you need to scan a receipt to exit (not like it will stop someone scanning loose fruit as carrots) do the self service tills give options to request a receipt (rather than printing it out by default, as even with a £3,50 meal deal you need to scan)

Some stores have scan-a-receipt exit gates now? That sounds like an incredibly stupid idea, both because of the inconvenience it'll cause to people who don't buy anything, and because anyone who does want to shoplift could easily get round that by buying a 10p bunch of carrots or something. In fact I'm writing this straight after returning home empty-handed from Wilkos (I wanted a tin opener, they'd sold out): I would not have been amused if I'd had to find a member of staff to ask them to let me out of the shop!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

As it's advised to shred receipts I'm quite happy to not receive one when doing small visits, especially when at work, because it saves me the hassle of running them through the shredder, which is even more annoying nowadays as shredders don't seem to have an "on" function and receipts often struggle to press the "trigger."

That seems rather extreme. My receipts from food shopping eventually just go in the regular waste, after accumulating in my reusable bags for a few weeks. The only ones I keep are for things that might need returning such as electrical appliances or clothes. I can't imagine even the most dedicated identity-thief being able to do much with the knowledge that I bought some whisky a month ago, let alone going through the communal bins to find that out!

I only shred stuff that would be of value to the sorts of people that might try to steal from me- bank statements and the like. If anyone managed to get anything from me using a receipt from Lidl six weeks ago, I'd almost admire the chutzpah!

 

[Bald Rick]

I had an experience with Lidl where they assumed I had shoplifted. I was in the store for like 2 minutes trying to find the new range of craft beers they were promoting. I walked straight back out, empty handed, as I couldn't find them.
I was called back inside the entrance by a staff member. He asked to see a receipt for my shopping. I said I had not bought anything so I did not have a receipt. He said I was seen in the alcohol aisle. You are correct I said and explained what I had been looking for with no joy. He asked me to open my backpack and then I realized he thought I had shoplifted. I told him I was not opening my bag for him. I asked him what he thought had happened but he skirted around the issue without actually calling me a thief. He then said that my bag looked heavy and asked to me to open it again. (Well yeah, the bag was heavy as I had my camera and lenses from a Class 37 photo op about 10 minutes beforehand). Again I refused to open it. He was embarrassing me in front of all the customers walking by so I decided to call his bluff and try to embarrass him and the store in return. I told him to call the police down to the settle the matter in front of them. He had a headphone set on and it was obvious someone was reviewing video footage in the store while we talked and they informed him of the non theft. He then told me I was free to go. No apology.

If they see an offence committed then sure, go after the person, but don't do it on sus with a crap line of "Your bag looks heavy".

Just let him see inside the bag, and then everyone’s happy immediately. Why make a fuss? The guy is quite properly doing his job. Be helpful.

Some stores have scan-a-receipt exit gates now?

Yes. The one in our re-tilled Tescos lasted about 3 days before they gave up, as it was singularly ineffective. Anyone up to no good would just carefully tailgate. I’d quite like to know the thought process behind them - someone must have thought it was a good idea.

Meanwhile I set off the alarms at Tesco roughly every fourth time I use it. I’ve never been stopped. I’ve worked out that what is triggering it is actually - and very oddly - either my Tesco credit card or my rail staff pass!

 

[DannyMich2018]

I no longer shop at Asda, only went in last week as some Muller yogurts were on offer, I just hate the self service tills there with their cameras on, it's like been spied on, also it's not the supermarket it used to be- boasting about been the cheapest supermarket and always won the Grocer price every year, for many items these days other supermarkets can be cheaper, it's laughable shopping in there.
I use Aldi for much of my shopping, the only big 4 I think is any good is Tesco which even if you look at non Club Card prices are the most competitive shop by price I think.

 

[GusB]

The Co-op locally has reduced the time that you have to touch the screen in order to get a receipt at the end of your transaction from five to three seconds. This is in addition to it coming just at the point when your attention will have been diverted elsewhere: checking your change, opening your bag, etc. According to one of the staff the aim is to allow them to shave half an hour a day off the staff’s hours: it hasn‘t worked as they now spend more time using their key to help customers get the receipt they weren’t quick enough to get.

That makes my blood boil. A couple of weeks ago I challenged one of the Coop staff about the time allowed to collect a receipt and I was advised that they could print one out if needs be, but the three second thing is ridiculous. If they're trying to save on staff costs, I can't see how they're going to achieve it by potentially creating extra work. I like to have a paper receipt because a) I want to make sure I'm bring charged the correct amount for the goods that I buy, and b) I use the Google Rewards app that gives me a few pennies for scanning my receipts.

 

[Hadders]

Shrinkage (as it is known in retail) has increased massively in recent years. This is a problem across the retail industry and there are many factors behind this, some within the control of retailers, some not.

Like fare evasion on the railway there is no 'golden bullet' that will solve the problem. Things like CCTV cameras on self checkouts and exit barriers will not in themselves solve shrinkage but they are part of an overall package of deterrent used by retailers.

I suspect we'll see more of this sort of thing in the coming years.

 

[wilbers]

Why do they call it "shrinkage" instead of shoplifting? Does it encompass more than just shoplifting?

It brings to mind shrinkflation [products getting smaller] rather than anything else.

 

[Phil56]

That makes my blood boil. A couple of weeks ago I challenged one of the Coop staff about the time allowed to collect a receipt and I was advised that they could print one out if needs be, but the three second thing is ridiculous. If they're trying to save on staff costs, I can't see how they're going to achieve it by potentially creating extra work. I like to have a paper receipt because a) I want to make sure I'm bring charged the correct amount for the goods that I buy, and b) I use the Google Rewards app that gives me a few pennies for scanning my receipts.

All the more important to check your receipt at the Co Op. The one in our village constantly over-charges, firstly by charging more than shelf-edge markers and secondly by not giving discounts. Their receipts are also not clear. They show a discount (say a card holder discount), but when you add up the till receipt, it's not actually been deducted from the total, especially on multi-buy deals like meal deals.

 

[Hadders]

Why do they call it "shrinkage" instead of shoplifting? Does it encompass more than just shoplifting?

It brings to mind shrinkflation [products getting smaller] rather than anything else.

Shinkage is made up of lots of different things. Shoplifting is only one of them.

Shrinkflation is an entirely different thing.

 

[GusB]

Why do they call it "shrinkage" instead of shoplifting? Does it encompass more than just shoplifting?

It brings to mind shrinkflation [products getting smaller] rather than anything else.

It's not just shoplifting. A lot of the shrinkage I've encountered was entirely internal. I've seen situations where someone has dropped a case of jam, broken one jar and then dumped the whole case in the waste pile. The broken jar and contents could easily be cleaned up and the remaining jars wiped down, but it has taken so long to process it that the whole lot has to be dumped.

Then there are the checkout staff who simply see that a customer has six bags of crisps and scan the first one six times, even though the customer has chosen six different flavours... "They're all the same price - what does it matter?"

Shoplifting is a massive problem, though, and was when I started in retail nearly 30 years ago.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Why do they call it "shrinkage" instead of shoplifting? Does it encompass more than just shoplifting?

Could also be (less than scrupulous) staff possibly helping themselves to an unauthorized 100% staff discount.

 

[wilbers]

Then there are the checkout staff who simply see that a customer has six bags of crisps and scan the first one six times, even though the customer has chosen six different flavours... "They're all the same price - what does it matter?"

Ah, that'll mess up the stock figures unless all the times it happens randomly cancels each other out. That happened to me last time I got the 10 Mueller corners/rice for £X.XX offer in Morrisons, but other times they have scanned them all in. I still miss the blueberry fruit corners - that and strawberry were my two favourite varieties.

 

[Hadders]

It's not just shoplifting. A lot of the shrinkage I've encountered was entirely internal. I've seen situations where someone has dropped a case of jam, broken one jar and then dumped the whole case in the waste pile. The broken jar and contents could easily be cleaned up and the remaining jars wiped down, but it has taken so long to process it that the whole lot has to be dumped.

Then there are the checkout staff who simply see that a customer has six bags of crisps and scan the first one six times, even though the customer has chosen six different flavours... "They're all the same price - what does it matter?"

Shoplifting is a massive problem, though, and was when I started in retail nearly 30 years ago.

Absolutely agreed! Reducing shrinkage in retail is a massive part of my day job, and it's not getting any easier.

Shoplifting is very visible but only part of the problem
Fraud and organised crime
Internal theft and fraud (a far bigger issue than many think)
Staff not following correct processes
Delivery and invoicing errors
The list goes on.....

Retailers only know the true scale of shrinkage when a full stocktake is completed and in a large store this might only happen once a year.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 May 2023 ==

Ah, that'll mess up the stock figures unless all the times it happens randomly cancels each other out. That happened to me last time I got the 10 Mueller corners/rice for £X.XX offer in Morrisons, but other times they have scanned them all in. I still miss the blueberry fruit corners - that and strawberry were my two favourite varieties.

This doesn't cause shrinkage as such becuase you've paid the correct price but it corrupts the inventory file on several different products. This in turn impacts future orders which impacts customer facing availability and ultimately future sales and waste.

 

[Mojo]

Sainsbury’s near where I work has installed these barriers a few months ago. Judging how often the alarms go off I suspect a not insignificant number of people just push through them. I had problems the first few times I used them but realised they can’t actually scan the barcode on the receipt because the light shines through it, you need to fold the receipt over to get it to read it.

Then there are the checkout staff who simply see that a customer has six bags of crisps and scan the first one six times, even though the customer has chosen six different flavours... "They're all the same price - what does it matter?"

Aldi’s seem to have multiple varieties of products with the same barcode and also in the same box on the shelf. On the reciept it shows as both products, for instance two I got the other week were “Butter/Cannellini beans” and “Red/green Pesto.” Always wondered how they manage their stock control when they do this but perhaps they don’t really care.

 

[GusB]

Aldi’s seem to have multiple varieties of products with the same barcode and also in the same box on the shelf. On the reciept it shows as both products, for instance two I got the other week were “Butter/Cannellini beans” and “Red/green Pesto.” Always wondered how they manage their stock control when they do this but perhaps they don’t

I also find it puzzling that they have more than one variety in the same case! I have to be honest and say that I haven't noticed that they have the same barcodes for different varieties, though. I struggle to understand how they can manage stock levels in this way; maybe this is done at warehouse, rather than store level.

 

[wilbers]

I also find it puzzling that they have more than one variety in the same case! I have to be honest and say that I haven't noticed that they have the same barcodes for different varieties, though. I struggle to understand how they can manage stock levels in this way; maybe this is done at warehouse, rather than store level.

Other examples are some of the jams, cat food (dried, pouches, treats), muesli. Standard number of each variety on the little cardboard trays so no adjusting proportions in the warehouse. It must work and be more efficient though - likely enough people that if their preferred variety isn't there will get something else as an alternative. Substitution is fine from a retailers point of view as they aren't losing a sale through shortage of goods; just as long as it doesn't happen so often that the customer decides to go elsewhere.

 

[yorksrob]

I had an experience with Lidl where they assumed I had shoplifted. I was in the store for like 2 minutes trying to find the new range of craft beers they were promoting. I walked straight back out, empty handed, as I couldn't find them.
I was called back inside the entrance by a staff member. He asked to see a receipt for my shopping. I said I had not bought anything so I did not have a receipt. He said I was seen in the alcohol aisle. You are correct I said and explained what I had been looking for with no joy. He asked me to open my backpack and then I realized he thought I had shoplifted. I told him I was not opening my bag for him. I asked him what he thought had happened but he skirted around the issue without actually calling me a thief. He then said that my bag looked heavy and asked to me to open it again. (Well yeah, the bag was heavy as I had my camera and lenses from a Class 37 photo op about 10 minutes beforehand). Again I refused to open it. He was embarrassing me in front of all the customers walking by so I decided to call his bluff and try to embarrass him and the store in return. I told him to call the police down to the settle the matter in front of them. He had a headphone set on and it was obvious someone was reviewing video footage in the store while we talked and they informed him of the non theft. He then told me I was free to go. No apology.

If they see an offence committed then sure, go after the person, but don't do it on sus with a crap line of "Your bag looks heavy".

I often walk into supermarkets (usually smallish metro type ones) take one look at the beer range, then walk straight out again, so your experience is somewhat concerning.

 

[Man_with_beard]

Lidl and Aldi might be two different supermarkets but I am quite sure their products are made in the same factory but just come under different packaging. An example is their cartons of milkshake always taste exactly the same. Infact the cartons at Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op all look alike and taste the same. Could they be produced in the same factory?

 

[jon0844]

b) I use the Google Rewards app that gives me a few pennies for scanning my receipts.

Google pays me 13p per receipt and Amazon 50p (but only 10 receipts per month, whereas Google is unlimited as far as I can see). I always want a receipt as those payments quickly add up. Google pays 3p for not having a receipt, mind.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Lidl and Aldi might be two different supermarkets but I am quite sure their products are made in the same factory but just come under different packaging. An example is their cartons of milkshake always taste exactly the same. Infact the cartons at Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op all look alike and taste the same. Could they be produced in the same factory?

Quite probably, albeit with very minor product ingredient variances.

Fairly sure that Fox's Biscuits (Batley) produce almost identical 450g chocolate biscuit selections for M&S, Waitrose, Tesco, Aldi, amongst others, as well as their (Fox's) own label version.

 

[themeone]

EDIT : Found out my partner had a make up item with a security tag on it that they had bought from Amazon which is obviously what set it off!

My car fob nearly always sets off the exit alarm (and sometimes the entry alarm too) at Aldi. I just walk off now, security can run after me if they really want to.

 

[skyhigh]

Lidl and Aldi might be two different supermarkets but I am quite sure their products are made in the same factory but just come under different packaging. An example is their cartons of milkshake always taste exactly the same. Infact the cartons at Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op all look alike and taste the same. Could they be produced in the same factory?

Probably yes, but "they're produced in the same factory" is really a pointless metric. Different customers have different formulations, quality standards etc. Just because they are made in the same place doesn't make them the same product.

 

[Acey]

Probably yes, but "they're produced in the same factory" is really a pointless metric. Different customers have different formulations, quality standards etc. Just because they are made in the same place doesn't make them the same product.

Almost correct,many years ago I worked for a time at a biscuit company ( Chiltonians ) and we made the same biscuits ( Nice.Bourbon etc) to be wrapped under different brand names ,Our own,as well as Priceright,Caters and a few other then current supermarket chains,we even made some for a well known competitor ,the thing is they were the same biscuits in different wrappers at different prices ! of course not every company is the same and things may be different now !