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.
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
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.
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.
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
They've installed gates like the one when you enter the store.
don't shop there. simple
This is a normal procedure. There was a situation where I refused a search because I felt uncomfortable with their request for me to remove my clothes. I suggested they review the CCTV footage of me walking around instead.
I ended up waiting for about an hour while they reviewed the recordings. Every aisle is covered by cameras, so they can track if anything was taken off the shelves.
Even after that, they still insisted I empty my pockets and performed a pat-down.
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.
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.
performed a pat-down
Make sure you yell out "Get your hand off my penis!"
My mum does this.
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.
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?
I'm not sure if Coles is rolling out their new loss prevention technology Australia wide
They are
I have to ask permission to be allowed out which I find demeaning and embarrassing
Why is that? Just ask the person to open the gate, you didn't have what I wanted. Life goes on.
Just ask the person to open the gate
Nah, mate! It is far easier for the likes of OP to post a click bait story on OzBargain.
You can push those doors open quite easily.
They slide.
Push it harder
That's what my wife keeps telling me.
Yes. That involves pushing.
The new gates they’ve installed are utter shite in my experience, they don’t open half the time so the attendant has to walk over to open it.
.. which I find demeaning and embarrassing
Captain overreaction…. You better get used to it.
how many people checking out do you think give a toss that someone is being stopped by the gates?
Agreed,
"Ask for permission" ≠ requesting staff open the gates.
on your mark…..get rubbery….. limbo
This happens to everyone who doesn't buy something tho….
Their gates are mostly manually open.
I purchased a few things and had to ask the staff to release me. I was waiting for a good 15 seconds before the gates opened.
Sometimes the gates don’t open and I’ve had to get the attention of the attendants but most of the time it is fine. The trouble is people would load up with trolleys with meat and then saunter out without paying. With this they have to abandon the trolleys. This isn’t cost of living petty theft this is people selling to order for things like restaurants.
I have no idea why people get so huffy about a little bit of inconvenience. Unfortunately thieves don’t come with a mask, stripey top and a bag labelled swag. Thieves aren’t announcing their intentions when walking into the store. Anyone could be a potential thief. I lock my front door to make it hard for thieves to take my stuff, I don’t have an issue with Coles making it a bit harder for thieves either.
Then again I grew up in a time when we learnt resilience. Shit happens and you move on. We didn’t write blog posts complaining about the minute we lost waiting for a gate to open.
So many of these posts seem to be people who have made very few real contributions to this site.
What's next, being frisked
Who doesn't enjoy a good frisking. Be sure to post it up as a deal.
Some people pay good money for a good frisk….
I was at Big W the other day and there was an announcement that if you are rude to staff they will call the police. Given they run at a loss, they might want to focus on fixing the bottom line first.
I'm fine with that, the solution is to not be rude to staff. Completely different to being accused of shoplifting due to not buying anything.
Dunno where you're getting that they run at a loss, according to the Woolworths Group last set of financial statements they made a profit of $14M last year. It's down a lot, but not into negatives.
Your facts and indifference to non sequiturs are no shield against the sword of feelings and makingshitupedness.
I thought they open automatically if their is a trolley approaching them…
How do they actually work?
tracks you as you enter the self serve area, once youve paid the gate will open up for you as you walk towards it.
Just ignore them, don't look at them, don't speak to them, and walk out. I really doubt somebody getting paid minimum wage will try to tackle you and pin you to the ground.
People need to stand up to the nanny state (& the corporations), using what Thoreau termed "civil disobedience". The essay is out of copyright but I am sure there are capitalists trying to monetize it. Free here: https://archive.org/details/CivilDisobedience-HenryDavidThor…
Just ignore them and continue to walk out. If they lay a hand on you to physically stop you from leaving then that is common assault.
You don't need to ask permission to leave the store. they cannot detain you lol.
But yeah the loss prevention technology is pretty gimmick
Yeah I think its disgusting what things are coming too. And I won't be surprised that people will just sleep on these obvious increasing issues until it becomes too late.
Just leave or ask the coles employee if they can open them up for you?
Coles is a business that needs to make money for its shareholders.
What annoys me is people who justify stealing because coles/woolworths are the 'real thieves'. The loss will need to be recouped from somewhere, paying customers with prices increases.
At the end of the day coles/woolworths are introducing this tech to deter thieves.
Shop smart and get genuine specials or make your own farm and eat from that.
Just browse and/or do price comparisons online.