BillyGr wrote: ↑April 30th, 2023, 4:58 pm
There is an easy answer that does NOT require anything difficult.
Simply post at every entry that NO ITEMS are allowed to be bagged UNTIL THEY ARE CHECKED OUT.
The only needed exception would be for prescriptions if the store has a pharmacy, but those the pharmacy can bag (and even staple the bag shut with the receipt attached if they wish, to be sure nothing else gets added to the bag).
That way, ANYONE putting ANY ITEMS in a bag can be stopped and checked at will (since they are not following the rules set by the store).
They can leave the bags (folded up/unopened) in the cart or even the bottom of the hand basket until they get to check out, then open them (so that it is easy to see that they are empty) and start filling them as items are rung up (by either cashier or customer).
The store can stop it if there are only a couple of customers in the store bagging items as they shop. The problem is at any given time there are dozens of customers bagging items as they shop. The store does not have dozens of security employees to go around and tell these customers to not bag items as they shop. Furthermore, I have observed multiple times when employees tell customers to stop bagging items as they shop, the customers ignore the employee, spit on the employee, or are otherwise disrespectful to the employee. Telling someone to not use reusable bags on the sales floor is not something a normal floor employee should be doing because it is a potential theft interaction. That is the type of interaction that needs to be done by loss prevention/management only and probably with a witness. You tell the shoplifter to not fill their reusable bags on the sales floor and they will pull a knife or gun on you as they bolt toward the exit with their partially filled reusable bags. Meanwhile since they get to the exit before loss prevention since they have a head start, there is no chance at a stop taking place.
Stores have done exactly as you state: they have posted signs stating not to use reusable bags until you have paid. Some have even played radio announcements telling customers to not use reusable bags while shopping. It doesn't matter. Customers do not listen. So many customers do not listen that they basically provide "cover" for the shoplifters to help them blend in.
The rule should probably be ANY customer with reusable bags MUST use a cart and said reusable bags (or backpack they bring in with them, duffle bag, whatever) MUST remain on the bottom rack of the shopping cart AT ALL TIMES. Period. Any deviation from that will be grounds for trespass.
The next stupid thing California has done since Veteran wants us to focus on California specific rules (given the links I sent above were mostly non-California stores having issues with reusable bags and shoplifting) is California has banned the plastic produce bags or any "pre checkout" plastic bag. That is all good and well. They have replacement Compostable bags that can be used (probably made by the company who lobbied the California politicians to ban the plastic bags) and some stores notably Trader Joe's already use those Compostable produce bags. The problem? These Compostable bags are not clear/see through. So you have another loss prevention problem- customers can underring produce since nobody can see what is actually in the bags. Customers can further conceal small items like spices, drug items, etc. within the produce bags and it will be impossible for loss prevention to detect exactly what is in the bag because the bag is not see through. Even with cameras recording everything at checkout it will be very difficult to prove theft/concealment with these new non-see through Compostable bags.
Now, this could be easily resolved by having human cashiers process every transaction. They could ensure the bags had just fruits in them (when looking in to get the PLU). But with self checkout this is another shoplifter's dream.
High theft stores in California including 99 Ranch/Food 4 Less/FoodsCo already have gotten specific "super thick plastic bags" for the 10 cent fee that are clear/see through. The reason for this is to ensure bags being brought back into the store are empty, and also so they can ensure customers do not somehow stuff the bags with unpaid merchandise after checking out, or if customers do, since the bags are clear/see through, they can prove a theft took place using the camera images.
It is pretty easy to prove theft when a customer does not go through a checkout at all. You can say they stole everything because they did not go through checkout. It gets much more complicated to prove theft when a customer does go through checkout and pay for some items, but chooses to conceal some items in a reusable bag or a Compostable produce bag.
But keep on pushing these reusable bags. They are terrible for the environment, worse than the thin plastic bags they replaced. All customers will pay the price for increased theft, as well as customers in larger cities dealing with additional security measures due to these stupid policies to make the plastic police happy that in the real world hurt the environment more than they help it.