Tesco

Zippy123

Googlewhacker wrote: »

If they asked you to stop would you?

Have done so in the past but would not in the future. I know I have not taken anything so why should I have to prove it to a security guard and waste my valuable time because of someone elses mistake!?

They have no right to stop you unless they actually see you taking something. If they prevent you leaving it's false arrest and assault. If you are being assaulted you have the right to defend yourself!

Louisdf

OP, cashiers have a target to scan 20 items+ a minute (at least in Sainsbury's), it is very difficult to scan that number of items and have a long conversation at the same time. If they could slow down, they would. But I do agree that as you are on crutches, another member of staff should have given you assistance with packing. I used to work on checkouts, and I would always open bags as most people took about 5 minutes opening them up.

mum2one

Louisdf wrote: »

OP, cashiers have a target to scan 20 items+ a minute (at least in Sainsbury's), it is very difficult to scan that number of items and have a long conversation at the same time. If they could slow down, they would. But I do agree that as you are on crutches, another member of staff should have given you assistance with packing. I used to work on checkouts, and I would always open bags as most people took about 5 minutes opening them up.

I know what you mean re the scanning, yrs ago I worked for Safeway and till cover was on overtime for me, but a hello, do you need any assistance, thank you, buy, to me are basic principles that I would expect, I hold my hat to anyone working on the checkouts, as I know 1st hand how abusive some customers can be, but its the bad apple that gives everyone a bad name. x

angelicmary85

Becles wrote: »

Is that why I sometimes get random items that I didn't order and are not on my list? I couldn't figure it out, but if they are doing several people's shopping they must be putting other people's stuff in my crate.

I asked one of the ASDA delivery men why I tend to get only 1 or 2 items per carrier bag. He told me that the 'pickers' get certain areas to do and they collect everything at once for the deliveries going out in same van so someone will do fresh for a few deliveries, someone will do frozen, bakery etc and then it gets sorted out before being loaded into the van.

kwaks

If the alarm went off at Tesco as I was leaving then I would be going to the customer service desk for them to remove the tag.

As the security guards tend not to actually work for a lot of the shops directly I would have no hesitation in telling them, nicely at first, that their assistance is not required.

MissGolightly

sounds absolutely awful!

i'm obviously blessed in my local tesco. if the alarms go off when you walk out, the security guard certainly looks up from his little camera box place, but almost everyone just goes over to the customer services desk, goes through their own shopping and takes out the items that might have a tag on, give the advisor your receipt, everything sorted. i'm sure the security man would chase if people just continued on, but the majority of the time, it's just catching the security guys eye, then off to customer services desk!

SallyForth_2

kwaks wrote: »

If the alarm went off at Tesco as I was leaving then I would be going to the customer service desk for them to remove the tag.

As the security guards tend not to actually work for a lot of the shops directly I would have no hesitation in telling them, nicely at first, that their assistance is not required.

Same here! Last thing I want is to get home and find a ruddy tag still stuck to a garment. In these situations the best approach is always to have the upperhand and get someone in the store to rectify their mistake pronto. Far better that than allow them to get into a 'you're a thief' mode.

As for the 'not wanting to go with the Security man' Frankly I think the OP was being a little bit silly. This is hardly a down a darkened alley sort of situation.

zyonchaos

Zippy123 wrote: »

They have no right to stop you unless they actually see you taking something. If they prevent you leaving it's false arrest and assault. If you are being assaulted you have the right to defend yourself!

Zippy would just like to point out you are wrong on this, they have the power to Detain you and that is not false arrest, they are detaining you until such time as say the police can arrive to arrest you. It is not assault unless they do not specifically tell you that they are detaining you until the police pitch up.

As for the OP not going with the security guard, I dont blame her, she is well within her rights to ask for a manager to be present or even another staff member or even a random member of the public. The security guard dealt with her in the completely wrong manner, and needs to be re-educated as to how to deal with people.

Hopefully OP has all this sorted out satisfactorily and that there is some kind of compensation heading her way and her daughters.

mum2one

SallyForth wrote: »

Same here! Last thing I want is to get home and find a ruddy tag still stuck to a garment. In these situations the best approach is always to have the upperhand and get someone in the store to rectify their mistake pronto. Far better that than allow them to get into a 'you're a thief' mode.

As for the 'not wanting to go with the Security man' Frankly I think the OP was being a little bit silly. This is hardly a down a darkened alley sort of situation.

I don't think I was being silly, I certainly was not prepared to be paraded through the store with the security guard when the mistake was the cashiers.
Its the principle of the matter, I felt threatened by his attitude and the situation so I was not prepared to move.

Nukumai

zyonchaos wrote: »

Zippy would just like to point out you are wrong on this, they have the power to Detain you and that is not false arrest, they are detaining you until such time as say the police can arrive to arrest you. It is not assault unless they do not specifically tell you that they are detaining you until the police pitch up.

No - a store Security Guard has no more power in these situations than does a member of the general public. If they "detain" you, they had better be correct in their assertion that you have committed an indictable offence (eg. shoplifting). If they are wrong, then they are open to allegations of false arrest and assault. The sounding of a store alarm does not, in itself, necessarily give the Security Guard grounds to "detain" you. In fact, the police advise that the alleged theft should be witnessed (ie. the actual act of taking and concealing the item).

The police, on the other hand, may make an arrest on mere suspicion - a significant difference.