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5th September 2023
12:08pm BST
Sainsbury's shoppers have said they are having their bags searched after using the self-service checkouts at the store.
In a post on the social media site Nextdoor, one shopper asked if other customers were experiencing the same thing.
They said they had their bags look at last three times they'd shopped at the supermarket chain.
Their post said: “I’ve used self-scan since it started and have had my bags checked maybe twice in all that time until this week. The last three shops I’ve done at Sainsbury’s in Surbiton Basin have been checked, including a close inspection of my bag and sun hat.
"I know this is random – well, I assume it is random – but is shoplifting on the rise at Sainsbury’s and other shops? Their staff are helpful, products are good, my nearest shop too so this isn’t a rant. I just wondered if there is a problem?”
Other shoppers responded to the post with similar experiences.
A source told the Telegraph that staff who monitor the self-service checkouts had been told to "scrutinise a bigger number of customers going through them".
They said: "There were fears some shoppers might miss an item or two when scanning. They were introduced in the first place because often these stores have low staff levels, and shoplifters felt they could just walk through the self-scan area and out the store without even buying anything.”
As the cost of living crisis has continued across the nation, a number of supermarkets have reported a rise in shoplifting, prompting some to implement extra security measures.
Aldi introduced a similar bag-searching policy earlier this year, with checks to be carried out by security guards in the store on all of a customers bags to try and prevent shoplifting.
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