Bags checked at Aldi

One Christmas I bought a bottle of Sherry in a festive box. The woman at the till opened the box to make sure I hadn’t substituted a bottle of something more expensive in there! I would never have thought of that.
There has been a huge upsurge of shoplifting recently, one could blame the food inflation rate but the news that I have read seems to be putting the blame on people stealing to resell for drug money.

Probably a good idea in some ways. When I lifted my bags last week to put them in the car I found a yogurt and 2 bananas that had slipped underneath and not been checked. It would be easy to hide stuff if you wanted to steal.

The Morrisons nearest to us are not selling aged steaks anymore as they keep getting stolen.

I pack my bag at the till, takes no time at all and no difference from packing it back into the trolley. I am quick, though and if I was a slow packer I wouldn’t do it. I would get annoyed if someone was really slow but most seem to be pretty quick in there.

It happened to me in my local Aldi last week too. I was shocked but when I thought about it not really surprised. Families must be very desperate.

I object when folk dont use the packing area in Aldi and Lidl. That is what it is there for after all. Manager in local Aldi told me mens razors and pack of cheese are their highest theft items. I noticed that Wilko had put security tags on washing liquid bottles. Sign of the times.

Aldi and Lidl have their till areas designed for you to get through quickly with very narrow surface areas - goods are meant to go straight into the trolleys and then to be re-packed in a more leisurely manner at the shelves provided. Having lived in Spain for some years you would be pulled up by staff and other customers and not just in Aldi and Lidl's as all Spanish supermarkets are designed that way.

I've not experienced this anywhere yet but probably because I buy so few items at a time. Must watch around me.

I’ve no problem with it at all I don’t nick things so they can look all they like

I don’t mind if it stops the thieves.

NotSpaghetti

BlueBelle - because this means you have to handle it all a 3rd time.

No you don’t you put it from check out to trolly from trolly to bags IN dedicated bagging area that’s twice
That is the expected routine if you pack at check out you hold everyone up

I think it's perfectly reasonable.. if Aldi can't curb shoplifters we will all pay higher prices

At our Aldi they check the number of bananas you have as lots of people key in the wrong number.

Georgesgran

When DD2 worked in M&S, she was instructed to look at the raw meat, inside the tin foil trays in the cardboard sleeves, as people were putting the more expensive beef roasts in the slightly less expensive chicken breast sleeve. There’s always been shoplifting and I read once that a big proportion of that was by staff, but again M&S did random locker searches.
It must be getting a real problem now with Smart Shop and the like.
I’d have no problem being challenged, as long as it’s in a polite, low key way.

Gosh, how do people even think of these things? It would never have occurred to me to even try that. Mind you, I did read just recently that some people are scanning expensive fruits or veg - such as avocado - through as something cheaper like potatoes instead. The way some people's minds must work...
I remember once buying a bra from Tesco, going through the normal checkout and getting home to find it still had the security tag on it. I immediately jumped in the car and went back and explained to them at the security desk, showed them my receipt and they were very apologetic - but couldn't understand how it hadn't set off the alarm when I exited the store. I felt like a shoplifter - even though it wasn't even my mistake.

I agree with Ex Dancer , so much easier to have shopping put straight back into the trolley, then wheel it to the long counter opposite the tills , then pack at leisure. Sometimes in Morrison's when I do a big shop I can almost feel a panic coming over me as the cashier whizzes through my shopping and I am struggling to pack my bags! Hate it - shopping more and more at Aldi now .

I felt sorry for the staff in my small village Co-op the other day. They had seen a woman pocket some gin on CCTV. On being challenged at the till (she had made some small purchases), she denied it and was allowed to leave the shop. Her accomplice was in a car at the roadside with the engine running and made a fast getaway. I can see this policy is to protect staff, but shoplifting is one of the reasons prices are high. I would never feel upset if my shopping or bags were checked, I have a clear conscience.

Yes but not everyone is like you GG.

Kate1949

I had this happen in Aldi once years ago. It didn't bother me. Our Aldi has a long, wide shelf and a big sign 'Please pack your shopping here'. It annoys me when people ignore it and pack their bags at the checkout thus holding up the queue. It's selfish.

Not selfish at all, still putting exactly the same amount of items into exactly the same trolley at exactly the same speed.

Card ready in my pocket to pay.

BlueBelle - because this means you have to handle it all a 3rd time.

In France it is the norm. Whenever we go to the supermarket over there we hold our bags out for inspection. It is very cursory, with soft bags, you can see from outside whether there is anything in it.

But in these straightened times, the temptation to try to get away with stuff1 is enhanced and this is why self-scanning checkouts are always staffed and seasoned shoplifters have a whole catalogue of methods for taking food or passing off expensive food as cheaper.

Why should anyone be embarrassed by checks like this. People are always misinterpreting other people's actions, usually for the worse, so you may have done all sorts of innocent things over the years where someone has been looking at you assumed you were doing something wrong, this is just another such occasion, only this time you think people think you are dishonest, they probably do not.

I was checked at the Aldi self service till because I had scanned baked beans. "High Risk Item" was flashing on the screen.
Apparently they are one of the things that are most often stolen.

I pack in Aldi at the till with freezer style bags sat open in a row I can do this just as quickly as putting the stuff back in the trolley. I also have my card ready to pay so no faffing about looking for my purse.

When DD2 worked in M&S, she was instructed to look at the raw meat, inside the tin foil trays in the cardboard sleeves, as people were putting the more expensive beef roasts in the slightly less expensive chicken breast sleeve. There’s always been shoplifting and I read once that a big proportion of that was by staff, but again M&S did random locker searches.
It must be getting a real problem now with Smart Shop and the like.
I’d have no problem being challenged, as long as it’s in a polite, low key way.

I had this happen in Aldi once years ago. It didn't bother me. Our Aldi has a long, wide shelf and a big sign 'Please pack your shopping here'. It annoys me when people ignore it and pack their bags at the checkout thus holding up the queue. It's selfish.

We just have our bags open in the trolley at Aldi and put goods straight into them.

We load shopping on belt in groups for each bag (cold, veggies, bread, biscuits etc and then cleaning products) really easy.