Aldi Rathmines - You MUST use THEIR basket .....

mathepac

A thought just struck me - ouch!.

Do shoplifters shoplift into bags or do they just stuff things into their jocks or inside their puffa-jackets? Apart from the brazen hit and run types you see on the telly, don't they have secret pockets in their clothes for hiding jars of curry sauce and pickled cabbage?

H3llR4iser

Basq wrote: »

As mentioned, anytime I go in.. I tend to just get a few bits..

.. balls if I'm arsed getting a trolley and arriving up with 5 items in it.

If everyone did this, there'd be no trolleys for those who actually need it.

Oh my, you are not forced to use a trolley, if you get 5 items you can carry them easily in your hands!

The problem here is different, people going in with their own bags and temporarily putting things in them before getting to the till. I admit it happened to me as well, going in thinking "I only need 2 things" and then ending up doing proper grocery shopping, using the canvas bag I had to transport the groceries home as a shopping basket. If you stop for a second and think from the store staff point of view, you can easily how the widespread use of such a practice can pose an issue for them:

1. It might look suspicious, especially if the person putting products in his/her personal bag is carrying more than one bag, and lead to false accusations like this case: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056881989 ;

2. It can cause confrontations and delays as people would see being asked to inspect their bags as being accused of theft;

3. It can spread and evolve into people putting stuff in sports bags, pockets, handbags and the likes, causing more concern on the part of the staff and more potential false accusations, fights and issues;

4. In all of this, real shoplifters would have it easy - pack their bags full of stuff, go and stir sh1t "are you fûcking accusing me of stealing?" style...

So, use a trolley or a basket where provided, costs you nothing and avoids quite a few headaches...

Basq

Basq wrote: »

http://tottenhamonmymind.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/vic_bob_handbags.jpg

Great in theory but sometimes it might be 3 items.. sometimes it might be 5 items.. sometimes 6 items.

If you can manage to balance a 2 litre of milk, some bread, a pack of striploin steaks, a few bags of jellies, some ketchup (etc.) in your hands (and not risk the milk or ketchup falling), fair dues to yourself!

I've used great restraint in not thanking your post because I like the link so much. [I could even hear cries of "OooOOOoooH" when I saw it]

But there's no reason for you to avoid the trolley. People seem to be coming up with loads of silly reasons to NEED to use a bag, when there just aren't any. Speaking of silly reasons to use a bag:

kristian12 wrote: »

I use my own bag in Aldi as i'm not driving due to an injury and that way i know i'll be able to carry the weight home, on the few occasions i've used the trolley i've had to phone somebody to come and collect me as i've over done it. So there are other reasons than just not being assed to use trolley. I wouldn't object them looking in my bag though and using a bag in very common in our Aldi.

I don't drive at all, I don't have a licence. I've never needed to call someone to pick me up because of an inability to judge how much I can carry.

kristian12

true-or-false wrote: »

I don't drive at all, I don't have a licence. I've never needed to call someone to pick me up because of an inability to judge how much I can carry.

And i would have been the same before i started driving but after shopping for a family and driving for 19 yrs you get out of the habit and do tend to think "Oh i need this and i need that", using a bag means i don't have to rely on others and can judge the weight and know when to stop shopping if they supplied baskets it'd be different i'd use them. Just because you disagree with somebody else's reasoning does not make it a silly reason.

Honey-ec

Samba wrote: »

Come on, you're clutching at straws there.

Eh, no I'm not. I used to work for Aldi and I'm telling you the exact reasoning behind the policies they have in place.

Samba wrote: »

I understand the concept just fine, but you're entirely missing my point. Customers should be instructed to leave their bags at the front before entering, simple as. It's a proven system on continental Europe and 99.9% of stores I've used have no issue with customers using their own carry shopping bags, regardless of whether they are freezer bags, plastic or cloth. :rolleyes:.

Which would be fine, if Irish people were prepared to accept as a given that their bags will be checked at the till to make sure they haven't forgotten to remove anything, and that doing this is making absolutely no judgement on their good character. But if nothing else, this thread has done an admirable job of demonstrating that Irish people have a huge problem with what they see as a presumption of thievery on their part.

Plus, installing lockers, asking staff to check each customer's bag - all of this costs time and money. I can't speak for other retailers, but every Aldi store in Ireland operates with a skeleton staff- as few as three people per store. They want their checkout operators off the till as quickly as possible so that they can return to stocking and carding the store. Checking every customer's bags on every transaction means potentially having to leave a staff member on the checkout for their entire shift. Which means getting an extra body in to cover their floor tasks. Aldi are not going to do this when a very simple "no using your own bags" is going to achieve pretty much the same control on shoplifting.

Everything comes down to the bottom line, unfortunately.

branie

Michael O'Leary must have taken over Aldi!

Samba

MissFlitworth wrote: »

From people like the OP - pretty much zero risk unless he forgot to pay for something. By giving actual shoplifters , as in people who come into the shop specifically just to rob stuff & that's how they get their groceries so they're good at it it & will either go batsh1t or into brazen liar mode when caught, opportunity to stash things in bags as they walk around the shop absolutely raises the risk of theft. If the OP with is one cotton bag is walking round the store putting biscuits into it and someone security feels is a shoplifting risk walks in and wants to start filling their own shopping bags from the shelves what do they say to them? "Sorry - he can do it because he doesn't look like a scumbag, you however must use a basket Madam".

Secondly if you have a storewide policy that no one puts anything in a shopping bag before they've paid for it and you catch someone on a camera sticking things in their shopping bag then walking out the door without paying for it you don't have to deal with 'oh, but I was using my shopping bag as a basket and I forgot to pay for stuff, definitely not shoplifting me'.

Shoplifters are brazen & Irish people are litigious fcukers who would rub their hands in glee if they were falsely accused of shoplifting because everyone has this idea in their heads that an accusation of theft = a nice big claim. Asking people not to use their bags until they pay makes it that bit easier for the store to see & stop actual shoplifters.

I agree with the last part. But as long as people can freely walk into a shop with any bag they like, the risk factor is always going to be sky high. The risk reduction this policy will achieve is always going to be negligible.

Standman

You are not entitled to do whatever the fuck you want in their shop. Just use the basket, it's not a big deal.

kristian12

kristian12 wrote: »

Just because you disagree with somebody else's reasoning does not make it a silly reason.

True. Apologies for use of the word "silly". I get why you find it easier to use the bag, but I think it's a very far reach to think that your very specific situation justifies stores allowing people to use their own bags. Surely if it is such a hassle for you, given that your circumstance is hardly an hourly occurrence, you could just speak to someone when you enter the store and explain your reasons for using a bag (in stores where you're expected to use a trolley/basket).

Samba

Honey-ec wrote: »

Plus, installing lockers, asking staff to check each customer's bag - all of this costs time and money.

If you make it considerably harder for people to shop lift by no longer allowing them to enter with bags full of personal belongings and other shopping, you reduce risk of theft, this saves you money and so the lockers pay for themselves in the long run.

The same applies to every other point you've made.

Do you honestly think that all these huge European superstores such as Carrefoure haven't considered all of the points you've raised?

kristian12

true-or-false wrote: »

True. Apologies for use of the word "silly". I get why you find it easier to use the bag, but I think it's a very far reach to think that your very specific situation justifies stores allowing people to use their own bags. Surely if it is such a hassle for you, given that your circumstance is hardly an hourly occurrence, you could just speak to someone when you enter the store and explain your reasons for using a bag (in stores where you're expected to use a trolley/basket).

Ah no apology needed Differences of opinion are what makes the world more interesting.

You're right i could speak up if it was expected or policy that people used baskets or trolleys. I think the issue here is the fact not all Aldi or Lidl stores have the same policies so different things are expected and accepted in different areas. As i said ours don't supply baskets and have only in the last month or so had the smaller trolleys. If baskets were provided then i'd have no issue using them.

Honey-ec

Samba wrote: »

If you make it considerably harder for people to shop lift by no longer allowing them to enter with bags full of personal belongings and other shopping, you reduce risk of theft, this saves you money and so the lockers pay for themselves in the long run.

I'd imagine it's more the long-term cost of increasing the number of staff on each shift that'd be the off-putting part, but without knowing what their losses due to shoplifting are, your guess is as good as mine.

I do know that a large car dealership I used to work in got rid of their overnight manned security because the DP worked out that he could have had up to four cars a year stolen off the lot and it still have it work out cheaper than paying the security company.

Samba

Honey-ec wrote: »

I'd imagine it's more the long-term cost of increasing the number of staff on each shift that'd be the off-putting part, but without knowing what their losses due to shoplifting are, your guess is as good as mine.

No need to guess, there are ways for estimating losses attributed to theft.

Honey-ec wrote: »

I do know that a large car dealership I used to work in got rid of their overnight manned security because the DP worked out that he could have had up to four cars a year stolen off the lot and it still have it work out cheaper than paying the security company.

I'm sure there are many other examples of certain things that aren't financially viable, but if something is and you can justify the costs and increase long term profitability in the process, it's a no-brainer.

GodlikeRed

Judging by OP's respones, I'm going to vote TROLL.

awec

I shop straight in to my own bag too, I use the superquinn self scan usually.

At the end you just hand over the scanner and pay, no unpacking and repacking the bag at all. There are random spot checks, in my experience it happens once every 5 or 6 shops.

downey2003

Victor wrote: »

Both Aldi and Lidl provide baskets.

Not in my town they don't.

downey2003

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

In Irish law a customer's personal bags and handbag can't be searched.

Don't think that's correct.:)

noodler

I would have thought that the reasons for them doing it was as plain as day.

To prevent a situation where there are 50 people all with the same shopping bag walking in and around the supermarket and the staff being left unable to tell who has paid already and who is just walking out.

I wouldn't say it is perfect or anything but the reason for it is clear as day to me.

Although I get a little self conscience if I forget to get a basket in Tesco and throw a tin into my coat pocket until I get to the checkout.

J_E

APM wrote: »

In Spain you can go around using your own shopping bag and when you put your items on the belt you also put your bags.

The cashier looks in + verifies that the bags are empty and passes them to you to pack your shopping into.

No reason why this shouldn't be possible if ALDI are so worried about the customer stealing items.

Actually, that's not always true. Some supermarkets have storage areas where you put your bags, handbags, etc. into before you shop, as there have been many incidents of shoplifting in the area.