I'm not sure if Coles is rolling out their new loss prevention technology Australia wide or just in some areas profiled as being dodgy.
In our local stores, if I enter to browse and/or do price comparisons and try to leave without purchasing anything, I have to ask permission to be allowed out which I find demeaning and embarrassing. This is a first for me, not being free to leave a market empty handed without having to explain myself. What's next, being frisked, or detained?
Sometimes after checking online, only to find out no stock when visiting the store.
Furthermore, sometimes local stores have promos on products that are specific to that store only.
Just call them and ask what's the special today
Why do you need stock if you are not buying?
This happened to me about 3 or 4 years ago. I
t was at Bunnings and I was there to buy a cheapie Ryobi whipper-snipper for $95.
There was one left but the assistant couldn't find it.
Later, I rang Bunnings and asked the receptionist if I could talk to the manager. I explained I wouldn't be abusive but just had information about what's been happening to me regularly, regarding stock that wasn't in the store.
The manager rang back and we talked for about 5-10 minutes after which she said she would send me the $235 Ryobi with the 5ah battery for the same price!
When it arrived I actually got it for free. An item can't leave the store without a receipt and since I hadn't paid yet they printed out a receipt for $0 and that was that.
Open communication in our society helps?
My tips: tell the person at the entry (Aldi., Big W, X store [X being generic]), that I am here to do an exhange or a return/ or are carrying in another item from somewhere else, if it is a significant item.
I always open my bag clearly to the staff, even if they are checking out someone else, to show I bought nothing./
Or open my palms to say (or do say) "I bought nothing please check my bag/s…".
I don't run off, but slow right down when leaving to give them the opportunity to do whatever checks are required.
I don't have any problems, but can be delayed if there is a blockage of people.
OK, but try and raise your hands to the 'automatic' gate whilst the self checkout person is busy with 3 other people at the other end of the checkout area, see where that gets you
Yeah this is part of the problem…
If they want to detain me for leaving with an item I brought in, I will be quickly reminding them that false imprisonment damages are thousands of dollars per minute.
Innocent until proven guilty, they can call the police if they think I'm shoplifting. People like yourself empower them to think that they're above the law because they operate a business on a certain block of land… I assure you that they are not.
Worst part is, when a group of undesirables walk out with a trolley full of stolen goods they will do nothing to stop them at my local coles, probably because they don't want to pick up a bloodborne disease.
*In before downvoted and told "yeah but it's just more convenient to be subservient to the teenager standing at the door being paid minimum wage by a multi billion dollars corporation."
Even though you were downvoted I agree.
"We need to check your bags".
"I'm ok thanks"
"No we do"
"If you've seen me take something, you're welcome to detain me and call police, otherwise I am leaving, thankyou."
@lysp: If there is a near-impossible to miss sign before you actually enter the store that says "it is a condition of entry that you present your bags for search upon reasonable request", then..yeah no worries, but such conditions need to be… In simple language and virtually unmissable.
Those seem to have disappeared for most stores though, excluding the odd family-owned IGA.
@Assburg: Reasonable request though. Surely assuming every single person is shoplifting and wanting to inspect their bags isn't reasonable.
@Phoenixzeus: This is exactly why these Smartgates are installed.
assuming every single person is shoplifting
@Assburg: Even if you actually signed a copy of those terms and conditions they still can't force you to do anything, or detain you for breaking them.
@trapper: Not 100% true, they can ask you to leave and get the police to force you to leave if you don't.
If I'm leaving without buying anything, I'll do just that. I don't give a F what store policy might be about permission or whatever. I'm not some SovCit type but when it comes to basic stuff like this if you put an obstacle in my why I'm gonna go around it. I'm likely not carrying anything you have any business checking so I'll just be on my way.
excactly lol, the only stores this makes sense for would be like Spudshed in WA or Aldi or a local fruit and veg. they dont have the recourses to stop you leaving for browsing, but they may have a kmart person at the front wanting a peak in the bag lol
How to look for clearance-stickered items online?
I jump over the automatic gates if they manually lock them. They look at me and say nothing. Thats the good thing about living in bankstown canterbury area
Most of the time its an error at the gate.
They mostly always open for me.
Sometimes they dont register you approaching them.
So I walk back and approach again.
Or give the staff member a confusded and unimpressed look so they let you out.
Me too. Of course if you're fat this may not be an option.
Put your back into it. Mass equals force.
Cool story bro. Just tap them to open, they deliberately designed them to not actually trap anyone.
I will start shrieking like an ape if this happens to me, good on you.
The irony is that Coles themselves are the real thieves, Woolies too.
Yes.
Woolworths: $32.50
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/208575/moc…
Coles: $22
https://www.coles.com.au/product/moccona-classic-medium-roas…
Foodland: $13
https://shop.adelaidesfinest.com.au/search?category=Moccona&…
Woolworths: $32.50
Just wait a couple of days, price is due to drop.
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/62921/115407/screensho…
I get it. But that whole scheme is just crap.
I always support everyday low prices, which includes disliking price-beats. Support the first to offer the deal.
@Ulysses31: yep the whole yellow tickets / promotion thing is a social sickness, and flybuys and there time based promotions even worse. Take the cost of managing the promotion campaigns, printing and managing the promotion labels out we would see a much better daily prices. definitely support whoever has the best daily price. but problem is many non ozbargain people have it in their heads if there isn't a colourful label on it its not a deal.
btw.. I don't get why people going to battle with the gates if they are just in to browse? I just walk through one of of the assisted checkout isles instead. Gates are normally at the self checkouts at least at my local stores.
What app do you use to get that price history graph?
Is this a website extension, share your secrets
That Woolies price is downright thievery.
It’s opportunistic pricing, Coles does it too.
foodland is the same list price as coles, $22, just at the moment they have a sale. woolies and coles also alternate with sales on it. Though the standard woolies list price is an absolute ripoff.
Food land is on sale.
Prob should include that man…
You're not comparing apples to apples there
Foodland is having a 40% sale, without that it retails the product for $32.50 which is the same as Woolworths, and more expensive than Coles base price.
Also Foodland only has two stores which are located in South Australia, whereas Colesworth is accessible in near all areas.
As others have said, give it a week or two and Colesworth will do their sale bringing the price down too.
Foodland is normally $22, the same as Coles. Currently on sale at $13, save $9 (add that $9 back on and you get $22).
underrated comment
No they're really not - they're a business in the act of making money, like all of them!
Can you clarify how you were stopped from leaving ??? Were you unable to just saunter out through the self service area ?
Some stores now have auto closing gates that stop you just sauntering out.
Damn…I like a good saunter…:)
Walked through them the other day, pushing them open. Hopefully I broke them. I may be married but I ain't a prisoner of Coles.
I jump over them if they are locked
I do the same, if it doesn't open soon as I get there I kick it open with my foot
The self service doors at my local Coles slide back, they can't be pushed and I can't jump over them. If they don't open, I wave at the attendant who opens them with a clicker.
I have yet to see a bogan hero kick or jump over this door. I'm sure it happens, but I haven't seen it. I'll ask around :)
prisoner exchange for a temp time frame me thinks.
This is what I do every time, force them open and go about my day - I don't even stop when the staff try to talk to me about it.
They've installed gates like the one when you enter the store.
There are Perspex gates at the exit/s to the checkout area and they won’t automatically open if the camera discerns that you’re not carrying anything.
Are the gates only at the self checkout area? Can you walk through a manned checkout? Unless you're fat you can squeeze through even with a customer there.
don't shop there. simple
Hope you're not the "dont bring tipping culture to Australia" type…because you could use that argument easily for tipping…
you would have had a better reaction if you stripped off naked in the checkout area… :D
"Price check on eggplant, checkout 4"
I have had good success attaching a Coles bag with oranges and doing the helicopter.
You spelled "erection" wrong
This needs more context. Who was asking you remove your clothes? How and by whom were you restrained from leaving? No employee is going to man handle you into staying.
facts, supermarket policy is to not confront any thieves as an employee and to not give chase.
Loss prevention staff do stop you
This needs more context. Who was asking you remove your clothes?
Agree.
How attractive/handsome are/were you?
Gender and sexual preferences of the one asking?
Needs more info.
and an ms paint diagram
When I was in retail you could only ask to look in a bag, but nothing else. To do anything more they had to call the cops and the cops did the search.
Even some cops cannot perform searches as a sergent used to have to be present, but they have probably changed the rules by now.
Yeah, pretty sure the story is rubbish or it's some incredibly overzealous staff who were opening themselves up to all kinds of issues. Stores need to put signs up now that a condition of entry is that they may search your bag, I've never seen a sign that said a condition of entry is you may be asked to remove clothing as part of a body search.
Stores need to put signs up now that a condition of entry is that they may search your bag
You can still decline though, nothing they can do.
@trapper: Correct, as per the QLD Gov't website:
"Retail shops can do bag checks to prevent theft. Bag checks can include looking into bags, parcels, containers, prams or trolleys. Bag checks are voluntary—you can only do them if the customer agrees. The Australian Consumer Law doesn't cover bag checks."
performed a pat-down
Make sure you yell out "Get your hand off my penis!"
My mum does this.
Shopping with a strapon on?
.
Why are you touching her there?
I see you know your judo.
You really need to give us more context on this. It sounds like something out of Playboy Magazine.
yes, they are starting to do this more and more, were concerned that pants are too baggy and jumper able to conceal items and asked to remove, refused and had police come to review footage (took about 45 mins for them to get there). I was gong to coles to get the size 4 coffee filters and they did not have any in stock so walked out of the entry and was stopped by coles employee, who was very concerned with my activity.
cops seemed annoyed that they had to be there, asked me why i left store without purchase and then they looked at cctv with coles employee. I was dressed in my work clothes and it was about 5:30pm, im mid 30s.
You honestly let a couple of supermarket employees detain you lol for 45 mins?
My thoughts haha
they were saying they would press charges, had my name and company info from my work clothes i was wearing and were threatening to call my boss and say they had caught me stealing (which I was not). I can't risk losing my job.
@wordplay: It sounds like you need to contact a solicitor if there is even a shred of truth to what you're saying.
That's a serious overreach.
Anyway, let's say you weren't stealing, as you say you weren't. If the store manager calls your employer, causing you to lose your job, could you imagine the repercussions?
The police don't just take the staff/store manager's word that someone is stealing. The prosecutor needs to satisfy the burden of proof.
What would likely happen in this situation is that the store manager would check the CCTV after you leave the store, find out they were wrong, and move on with their life. This happens so often that they know the drill. There is zero point in involving the police unless there is evidence to prove the theft occurred.
Of course there is such thing as citizens arrest but it would almost never happen in a supermarket by employees because of the legal repercussions if either party is harmed in the process.
Even after that, they still insisted I empty my pockets and performed a pat-down.
Time to start shopping in your mankini
🧢
Lying shit.
Remove your clothes?
Get the hell out with that BS.
Never happened.
Likewise the empty your pockets request never happened.
What makes someone want to just flat out make up such lies?
This seems extremely unlikely.
1. It's against policy - which to be fair, a lot of employees will ignore.
2. I'm fairly certain it's illegal for supermarket employees to frisk you.
3. Does anyone do this? Retail employees barely bother to ask you if they can check your big bulky backpack unless they have managers hounding them because they aren't meeting their KPIs.
Remove your clothes?
Just browse and/or do price comparisons online.