DianeOZ

Same as Dotty - I flash my open bag as I walk out the door before they ask. Mind you there could be anything in there cos that's all it is - a quick flash!

Di

Does K Mart, Target etc have CCTV?

jayr

No, they've been stolen

MrsDagboy

LOL!! Well at least you are keeping me amused this morning jayr!

Pollyana

hmm, can you use CCTV cameras to set up one of these webcam things? If so, theres a market over Clayfield way for whoever nicked them from Target!

Jacqui

As a teenager I worked on the checkouts for a while. There was one couple who would come in with two trolleys, sit their small child in the one with mum and separate. The bloke would completely fill his trolley and the woman just put a few things in hers. They approached the checkouts at the same time and always chose the isolated one at one end. On cue, the kid would take his shoe off and throw it on the floor behind the till. The checkout girl would then rummage around on the floor looking for it, while dad disappeared out the door with his goodies. They obviously tried this trick once too often though and got caught in the act the day they came through my checkout.

It's not just the customers though. One of the staff in her 50's always took her glasses case with her to the checkouts (you weren't normally allowed to carry anything with you, handbags were left in the lockers). She never actually wore her glasses though and one of the supervisors became suspicious. Turns out she was deliberately short-changing customers and putting the change into her glasses case. In the newsagents I used to run, one young employee regularly offered to empty the bins, a yukky job which the others hated doing. I thought this a bit strange, so sneaked upstairs to watch her out of a window. I saw her hiding something out the back so went to check afterwards and found a packet of cigarettes. It turned out she had been stealing cigarettes and selling them on the school bus! I sacked her, of course!

It doesn't bother me too much showing my bags over here, except the other week I had been shopping for bras and knickers for my developing 12-year old and guess what, as I walked out of another store, I set their alarms off, so I had the delights of the security lady emptying out the undies while all these blokes were going by. I'm sure there must have been somebody thinking "she's a bit hopeful, she'll never get into those dainty little things!"

HiddenPaw

I've just come back from the gym and popped into the local supermarket en route.....rucksack over my shoulder. Having read this thread this morning, boy did I feel guilty when I got to the checkout! I blurted out to the assistant that I didn't require plastic bags as I would pack everything into my half-empty rucksack, and promptly ripped it open under her nose, to prove that the only thing in there was a smelly pair of socks and a towel!!

annalooby

Think I was a bit rotten to some spotty little teenager in Target's doorway the other day. I went in and he checked my bag - I was in a hurry and was like - what are you worried about me taking things in for?? He just looked at me kinda dimly (lights on no-one in etc) Anyway - they didn't have what I wanted so I came out again all of five minutes later - only to be stopped again. So I lifted up the flap of my bag and, while gazing over my shoulder at some pretty checkout girl he said- 'cheers no worries' .

Now, Ok so it may have been PMT or just the heat but it really p*ssed me off! I promptly asked him what was the point in me opening my bag if he wasn't even gonna look and made him hold out his hands whilst I emptied the contents, tampons n'all, to him for inspection. A manager came over pretty quickly, hushed him to another department and told me all the garb about it being store policy etc and that - get this - in future I'm sure it wont be necessary madam!!

So people - make a fuss once and it wont happen again!!

Jirrupin

Did they give you a badge to wear that says "search not required" or do you just wear a look of indignation

renth

They asked me if they could search my bag.

I just said "sure, but you may as well ask her yourself"

Jirrupin

You sound like my hubby

Goodpubmisser

When I first came to Australia I lived in suburbia in Melbourne. There was a supermarket on the way home from the railway station that I frequently visited.

I found that if I was dressed in a singlet and shorts they always asked to check my bag. However if I ever went in on the way home from work dressed in my collar and tie, they never asked to check my bag.

After a while they recognised me as a local and I never had my bag checked. A bit of Australian snobbery I think?

tennisoz

TennisOz

tennisoz

TennisOz

HiddenPaw

No! More like naivety for thinking that well-dressed people don't shoplift!!

Pollyana

Yes, I AM aware I've resurrected a thread from a year ago, but there are two reasons - one, it hasn't been discussed since! and two - I wanted to check Mrs Dagboys answer. It did - as I thought - refer to bag sizes, but thats all......so does anyone know the legality of this one:

Going through supermarket checkout today with The Bloke and I feel like c**p, got a virus come back, skin problem cos it hates the weather, and cos the malls are all cold with air con (and cos its piddling down outside) I'm wearing a jacket. And this cheeky mare aged about 12, wearing one of those lovely shirts that leave vast expanses of midriff, tells me to remove my jacket and empty it out!
Now I'm not sure if thats legal - I'm sure in the UK you could refuse to have to remove clothing in public? I am absolutely furious at the moment - even more so cos I had even walked all the way back down two floors to put my bag in the car so I wouldn't have to empty it. Its certainly lousy cistomer service policy - "Scuse me take off your jacket and empty it please" doesn't exactly encourage people to return does it! Anyone know the legality of it??

I did take it off - and emptied out wallet, phone, pens, keys, air mail stickers, shopping lists, ATM receipts, dirty tissues - think she regretted it in the end!

(By the way, if anyone fancies stripping off in front of a jumped up tarty checkout bird, it was BiLo at Lutwyche )