Aldi customers who refuse to allow bags to be searched will be refused service in shoplifting crackdown
3 August 2023, 18:02
Aldi workers have revealed the discount supermarket is refusing to serve shoppers who don't want their bags searched.
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One staff member claims a new bags search policy, where customers are asked to put their shopping bags on the conveyer belt so they can prove they are empty, could see them get turned away if they decline.
They told The Grocer: "We are asking that they allow us to look in the bags to see they are empty."
If the bag is not, "we have been asking to look in the bags to make sure none of our items are in there", the worker claimed.
"We have also been told that if anyone refuses to show us, we are to refuse the sale, although this has not happened yet in our store."
Others have made similar claim on a Facebook group for Aldi shoppers, saying they have been told to put everything, including their empty bags, on the belt.
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A worker said: "It's an awful feeling having to ask customers."
Aldi has said the policy is made by stores and it is not a nationwide rule.
It has been reported that the measure is expected to be short-term and only enforced in some shops.
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The claims come against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, and a renewed focus on shoplifting as prices at the checkouts soar.
Earlier in the week, there were reports that the Ministry of Justice is looking to issue mandatory prison sentences for repeat shoplifters.
The plans come after Labour revealed 94.3% of crimes went unsolved in the last year, according to new figures.
A Home Office statement said: "Shoplifting strikes at the heart of local communities and we expect police forces to take this seriously – deterring this kind of crime but also catching more offenders.
"We have delivered more police officers in England and Wales than ever before and invested a record of up to £17.6bn in 2023/24 into policing, including for more visible patrols in our neighbourhoods and better security such as CCTV and alarm systems."
