Customers visiting hardware giant Bunnings and grocery chain Aldi are reporting self-service check-outs being closed regularly at stores across Melbourne, but both companies deny any widespread policy to shut down lanes to combat theft.<\/p>\n
Shoppers in Melbourne\u2019s southeast and west have taken to social media to comment on long lines at stores while self check-outs remain cordoned off.<\/p>\n
Many have complained of long queues at manned counters, with lanes only opened when a staff member is available to watch over customers as they scan their own groceries.<\/p>\n
While pictures of Bunnings self-service areas being blacked with promotion tents and stock have also surfaced online.<\/p>\n
Customers in Carnegie, Chadstone and Cheltenham have all reported the same experience, with one online reviewer writing: \u201cThey seem to be funnelling the entire store through a single cashier checkout.\u201d<\/p>\n
One mother shopping at Southland said Aldi staff only opened a self-checkout lane once a second staff member could be brought in to watch over her while she did her weekly grocery shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like I was a thief. The guy watched me the whole time like a hawk, it felt horrible,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t they just hire more staff and bring back the old registers rather than treat people like this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Other shoppers reported online that some Bunnings stores appeared to be blocking off self-check-outs during weekdays to prevent theft, and only opening on weekends.<\/p>\n
Despite the mounting online complaints, both companies have denied there is a widespread policy to shut self-service check-outs due to theft concerns.<\/p>\n
An Aldi spokesman said: \u201cWe consistently review our checkout protocols to ensure they remain effective, to keep the shopping experience smooth for our customers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn some stores, we close our self-checkout lanes in quieter times to ensure we keep our store operating as efficiently as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bunnings Director of Stores, Rod Caust said theft was an ongoing issue but stores had no widespread policy to close self-service check-outs.<\/p>\n
\u201cRetail crime remains a significant challenge across the sector, and we continue to invest in a range of measures to help address this issue and support the safety of our team and customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur customers tell us they value the personalised service and support they receive from our team, which is why our preference is to have customers served by a team member at a register wherever possible. We also provide other convenient options, including self-service check-outs and mobile devices, which can be used during busier periods to help manage queues and minimise wait times.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Customers visiting hardware giant Bunnings and grocery chain Aldi are reporting self-service check-outs being closed regularly at stores…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":881671,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[377709,432492,391468,376871,379226,378662,378100,450855,450837,450845,450883,450865,425909,445141,450853,450857,49208,450863,401947,450846,64,63,450872,64877,450851,450838,99,450843,450844,426290,51521,450864,450850,450870,108372,450839,425382,450868,42297,647,182210,450869,450859,450861,450867,450856,450877,450873,450836,390774,450842,450854,431950,407491,450858,1861,42543,450879,188069,450848,75444,450871,390728,450862,450852,78124,450835,1314,450860,450876,127292,62478,450874,376724,450849,450880,450878,450866,408091,450847,268839,450841,422968,58040,450881,450882,450840,425696,80173,399368,450875,28131],"class_list":["post-881670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-s-south","tag-s-southeast","tag-a-change","tag-a-game-changer","tag-a-hawk","tag-a-move","tag-a-range","tag-a-register","tag-a-second-staff-member","tag-a-self-checkout-lane","tag-a-significant-challenge","tag-a-single-cashier-checkout","tag-a-staff-member","tag-a-team-member","tag-a-thief","tag-a-widespread-policy","tag-aldi","tag-aldi-staff","tag-an-ongoing-issue","tag-any-widespread-policy","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-both-companies","tag-bunnings","tag-bunnings-director","tag-busier-periods","tag-business","tag-carnegie","tag-chadstone-and-cheltenham","tag-check-outs","tag-customers","tag-grocery-chain-aldi","tag-hardware-giant-bunnings","tag-her-weekly-grocery-shop","tag-lanes","tag-long-lines","tag-long-queues","tag-manned-counters","tag-measures","tag-melbourne","tag-mobile-devices","tag-more-staff","tag-no-widespread-policy","tag-one-mother-shopping","tag-one-online-reviewer","tag-online-customers","tag-other-convenient-options","tag-other-shoppers","tag-our-checkout-protocols","tag-our-customers","tag-our-preference","tag-our-self-checkout-lanes","tag-our-store","tag-our-team","tag-our-team-and-customers","tag-people","tag-pictures","tag-promotion-tents-and-stock","tag-queues","tag-quieter-times","tag-retail-crime","tag-rod-caust","tag-self-check-outs","tag-self-service-areas","tag-self-service-check-outs","tag-shoppers","tag-shut-self-service-check-outs","tag-social-media","tag-some-bunnings-stores","tag-some-stores","tag-southland","tag-stores","tag-the-entire-store","tag-the-guy","tag-the-mounting-online-complaints","tag-the-old-registers","tag-the-personalised-service","tag-the-retail-giants","tag-the-safety","tag-the-same-experience","tag-the-sector","tag-the-shopping-experience","tag-the-whole-time","tag-theft","tag-theft-concerns-an-aldi-spokesman","tag-their-local-bunnings-and-aldi-stores","tag-their-own-groceries-while","tag-this-issue","tag-wait-times","tag-weekdays","tag-weekends-despite","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}