Aldi Bag Search

[Irene Swaine]

3 minutes ago, Mister M said:

Have explained that I bought some shorts for my holidays. Not sure why you brought thrush cream into the debate....Have you got a smelly discharge that's plaguing you? Might explain your tetchiness.

To be fair to ECCO, having personal and sensitive items in your bag is another reason why bag searches are an invasion of privacy and dignity.

[ECCOnoob]

1 minute ago, Irene Swaine said:

And it's natural that you wouldn't want to return to somewhere you felt insulted. The customer experience plays a vital part in gaining repeat custom. 

Again with this "feeling insulted".

 

If the security guard selected a provable biased targeted profile every day.  Or if a guard dramatically grabbed someone by scuff of the neck, shouting 'stop thief' screaming at the top of her voice for them to open their bags and then proceed to name call and mock their clothes and purchases - then yes there is cause for complaint. 

 

A security guard politely asking a  andom selection of customers to produce their receipt and have a cursory checking a bag before sending them their way is a whole different matter.

 

IMO anyone who thinks takes the latter as 'insulting' and boycotts an entire retail group over it is completely overreacting. 

[ECCOnoob]

20 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

And it's natural that you wouldn't want to return to somewhere you felt insulted. The customer experience plays a vital part in gaining repeat custom. 

Again with this "feeling insulted".

 

If the security guard selected a provable biased targeted profile every day.  Or if a guard dramatically grabbed someone by scuff of the neck, shouting 'stop thief' screaming at the top of her voice for them to open their bags and then proceed to name call and mock their clothes and purchases - then yes there is cause for complaint. 

 

A security guard politely asking a  random selection of customers to produce their receipt and have a cursory checking a bag before sending them their way is a whole different matter.

 

IMO anyone who thinks takes the latter as 'insulting' and boycotts an entire retail group over it is completely overreacting. 

[Irene Swaine]

7 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

Again with this "feeling insulted".

 

If the security guard selected a provable biased targeted profile every day.  Or if a guard dramatically grabbed someone by scuff of the neck, shouting 'stop thief' screaming at the top of her voice for them to open their bags and then proceed to name call and mock their clothes and purchases - then yes there is cause for complaint. 

 

A security guard politely asking a  andom selection of customers to produce their receipt and have a cursory checking a bag before sending them their way is a whole different matter.

 

IMO anyone who thinks takes the latter as 'insulting' and boycotts an entire retail group over it is completely overreacting. 

You may consider it "overreacting" but ultimately, if the customer has a negative experience, they won't return.

 

Most times, these security guards work for a third party company and can be quite rude and unprofessional. I had one follow me out of Boot's shouting "show me your receipt, I didn't see you pay!". And guess what, I didn't return to Boot's ever again. It was mainly the attitude but also if he had been looking and doing his job properly, he'd have seen me at the till paying 30 seconds before. 

 

Does ALDI have notices to warn customers that they will be looking in their bags? When my former employer did bag searches, we were made aware at the start of employment and signed a consent form. I can imagine the unsuspecting shopper not taking kindly to having a stranger rifle through their personal belongings.

[ECCOnoob]

12 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

To be fair to ECCO, having personal and sensitive items in your bag is another reason why bag searches are an invasion of privacy and dignity.

But the main topic on the discussion here is shopping bags.

 

I'm sorry but I just don't get it.

 

If someone can hold their embarrassment enough to be purchasing, let's call them intimate products, from a shop, select them from the shelves, walk around with them in their basket or trolley, whilst under constant surveillance and filming from cameras, giving them to an assistant at the till......how is that any more or less embarrassing than a security guard asking to see a receipt and having a quick check in a bag on exiting. 

 

Do they really think the security guard is going to care. Do they think the security guard is going to call them out in front of everyone laughing and pointing about the fact they've got femfresh or jumbo pack of condoms or pile cream in their bag.  

[pfifes]

33 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

??   

 

My response was to MisterM. 

 

You running two accounts??

No.  But I replied because I disagreed with your points and rather than repeat my response mentioning an earlier post that explained why I think you are incorrect on this.

[Irene Swaine]

6 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

But the main topic on the discussion here is shopping bags.

 

I'm sorry but I just don't get it.

 

If someone can hold their embarrassment enough to be purchasing, let's call them intimate products, from a shop, select them from the shelves, walk around with them in their basket or trolley, whilst under constant surveillance and filming from cameras, giving them to an assistant at the till......how is that any more or less embarrassing than a security guard asking to see a receipt and having a quick check in a bag on exiting. 

 

Do they really think the security guard is going to care. Do they think the security guard is going to call them out in front of everyone laughing and pointing about the fact they've got femfresh or jumbo pack of condoms or pile cream in their bag.  

The OP didn't say they were specifically shopping bags, they just said bags. That could include someone's personal bag, holdall or rucksack. 

 

Tesco do check shopping bags at self service which is fine, no problem there. But to look through someone's personal belongings is an invasion of dignity. As you say, there could be tampons, condoms, medication etc in there that is private.

[gaz678]

3 hours ago, Mister M said:

I haven't. 

I probably didn't express myself very well: "I haven't been stopped since going into Sports Direct" meant I haven't been stopped by a security guard since going into Sports Direct on that only occasion.

OK 👍 

[pfifes]

7 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

But the main topic on the discussion here is shopping bags.

 

I'm sorry but I just don't get it.

 

If someone can hold their embarrassment enough to be purchasing, let's call them intimate products, from a shop, select them from the shelves, walk around with them in their basket or trolley, whilst under constant surveillance and filming from cameras, giving them to an assistant at the till......how is that any more or less embarrassing than a security guard asking to see a receipt and having a quick check in a bag on exiting. 

 

Do they really think the security guard is going to care. Do they think the security guard is going to call them out in front of everyone laughing and pointing about the fact they've got femfresh or jumbo pack of condoms or pile cream in their bag.  

Believe it or not, some people wouldn’t be happy at being singled out as ‘suspicious’ even though it’s a sometimes apparently a random check.  Just suppose you bought a large jar of pile cream and some laxatives and were asked to have your bags searched in a busy shop.  And the guard picked up the jar of pile cream and packet of laxatives whilst everyone was looking and ask of you had a receipt?  What if your neighbours saw and started smirking or chuckling? And then the word got around your neighbourhood that you were suspected of shoplifting and have piles and constipation?  You are not telling me you wouldn’t be bothered about that?

[RollingJ]

1 minute ago, pfifes said:

Believe it or not, some people wouldn’t be happy at being singled out as ‘suspicious’ even though it’s a sometimes apparently a random check.  Just suppose you bought a large jar of pile cream and some laxatives and were asked to have your bags searched in a busy shop.  And the guard picked up the jar of pile cream and packet of laxatives whilst everyone was looking and ask of you had a receipt?  What if your neighbours saw and started smirking or chuckling? And then the word got around your neighbourhood that you were suspected of shoplifting and have piles and constipation?  You are not telling me you wouldn’t be bothered about that?

A very unlikely scenario - IMO - but you must have some weird neighbours if that is what happens in your neck of the woods.