Aldi customers are voicing their opposition to a new security feature being trialled in several stores, after the supermarket chain followed the lead of rivals Coles and Woolworths.
Security gates, commonly seen at other supermarkets and retailers like Kmart, are operating in some Aldi stores on a trial basis, the supermarket confirmed to Yahoo News.
Customers shopping at locations with the new feature are required to scan their receipts at a machine before leaving the store from the self-checkout area.
“We have team members available to help guide customers through the process,” an Aldi spokesperson said.
As with other grocery store chains that have installed anti-theft security gates, shoppers are not pleased by the innovation.
How can people leave if they don’t buy anything at Aldi?
Fearful shoppers who haven’t yet walked through the new security gates say they’re sceptical about their efficiency, especially if someone does not end up buying anything.
“I don’t always buy stuff from Aldi. I love to have a browse of Special Buys. People will try to use the entrance to exit. Congestion galore. This is a bad idea,” one person said.
An Aldi store in Melbourne has been spotted with the new checkout gates. Source: Supplied
Another shopper who has visited an Aldi with the new gates claimed all they do is “create more congestion”.
“When it’s busy, it is so difficult to get out. You are stuck. Particularly when there are big trollies blocking the path.”
Aldi assured people they will be able to exit the store through the manual checkout area if they don’t buy anything.
What if a shopper does not have a receipt?
Others wondered what would happen if someone chooses to select “no receipt” at the checkout. One Aldi customer said it happened to them.
“I pressed no receipt, not thinking, and had to wait for a staff member to let me out,” they said.
Aldi said in situations where people do not have a receipt, staff in the store are there to help.
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Previously, a Melbourne shopper said he can’t see the new machines “lasting long”, explaining that he was forced to wait behind several shoppers before the receipt scanners would work properly.
“These things scan worse than the original Myki reader, so you’re kinda stuck in the store till they work,” he said.
Others have said the new system is “beyond annoying”, and some have threatened to shop elsewhere.
“We are not cattle, sick of this crap. I’ll just keep going to my local butcher and green grocer,” one person said.
One shopper believes the Aldi security gates won’t last long. Source: Supplied
70 per cent rise in retail theft across Australia
Security gates are becoming a necessary evil for retailers.
Across the entire industry, 70 per cent of retailers have reported a rise in customer theft in the last financial year.
And while they can be “good”, security, risk and communications expert Scott Taylor previously told Yahoo News, the security gates aren’t a complete answer to stopping violence or theft, and retailers run the risk of alienating shoppers with the move.
“[It’s] causing some frustration because sometimes you can get issues with them, and then you’ve got the person who might be aggressive and violent, now trapped behind the gate there with you,” he said.
Scott said retailers have realised that, at the end of the day, they need to support their people in dealing with crime, as 87 per cent of retail workers report experiencing verbal abuse.
“You’ve got to protect all your assets, and it’s not just your property and your reputation; you need to protect your people,” he said.
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