Big W will be rolling out new security gates at its stores across the country, following in the footsteps of rival retailer Kmart, which introduced the controversial gates last year.
The gates, introduced as a security measure to help minimise retail crime, started popping up in supermarkets Coles and Woolworths in recent years. Aldi followed suit this year.
And now, Big W shoppers will start to see the feature appear at retail stores around Australia in a bid to combat theft across its network.
A Melbourne shopper spotted the entrance gates at the Queen Victoria Village store this week. It’s understood they were installed during the store’s upgrade in November last year.
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Big W spokesperson said the gates “are one of a number of initiatives to minimise retail crime across our store network”.
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The Big W Queen Victoria Village store in Melbourne is one of 20 stores nationally that currently have the gates.
(Yahoo News Australia)
“They’re part of a broader program to enhance safety for our team members and customers while helping to prevent theft,” they said.
“We know the majority of our customers do the right thing, and we thank them for doing so. These measures are designed to deter the small minority who do not.”
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More security gates to be rolled out across Big W stores
So far, the new gate technology is in place at 20 Big W locations across Australia, with plans to roll it out to more stores as they’re upgraded.
“As we continue to upgrade and renew our Big W stores across the country, we will introduce these gates to more locations,” the spokesperson said.
Rise in retail theft prompts anti-theft security measures
In recent years, the controversial gate technology and added surveillance in retail stores have sparked backlash from shoppers.
It comes as retailers across the country are grappling with a sharp rise in crime, particularly theft, abuse and physical attacks on frontline staff.
Security gates are just one anti-theft measure being used. Coles recently announced it will add weighted shelves, audio reminders about CCTV, and locked display cabinets in some stores.
And while this can all be “good”, security, risk and communications expert Scott Taylor told Yahoo News, gates aren’t necessarily the answer to violence or theft.
Instead, he said retailers run the risk of alienating shoppers with the move.
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