Safeway's new "unload EVERYTHING" policy!

[Cynthiabutterfly]

The stores here have gone from "get a free 2liter soda if we don't offer to 'help' you with items in the bottom of the basket" to the bagger rushing over and putting all your stuff on the belt for you. They literally run towards me as soon as I get near the line. And they have the BOB signs... I always wondered what that meant.

It's irritating that thieves have caused this kind of hassles for us customers and hard working people at the stores.

[southsider]

Originally Posted by Cynthiabutterfly The stores here have gone from "get a free 2liter soda if we don't offer to 'help' you with items in the bottom of the basket" to the bagger rushing over and putting all your stuff on the belt for you. They literally run towards me as soon as I get near the line. And they have the BOB signs... I always wondered what that meant. It's irritating that thieves have caused this kind of hassles for us customers and hard working people at the stores.

The thing is thieves haven't caused this. Company management caused this. There are other ways to handle loss prevention. Ways that will not alienate customers. All it takes is common sense and being aware of signs that somebody may be trying to steal. I mentioned earlier I grew up in retail. When somebody is trying to steal something they act nervous, they are constantly looking around and they do things that are out of the norm for the average shopper. You also keep an eye for one person distracting the checker while the other person walks off. When somebody is acting like that then you take additional measures. You do not - I repeat - do not treat everybody that comes into your store as if they were a potential criminal.

They may be able to ban somebody from the store if something is left in the cart but they can not bring charges unless the person walks out the door with unpaid items.

This is one step. When do you speak up? When they strip search you before you leave a store? The checking of a receipt does not do any good. It is just meant to intimidate customers and make them feel off guard. They have no right to do it unless you say it is ok.

[RainyNights]

Originally Posted by southsider This is one step. When do you speak up? When they strip search you before you leave a store? The checking of a receipt does not do any good. It is just meant to intimidate customers and make them feel off guard. They have no right to do it unless you say it is ok.

I think your whole post was right on but the "bold" sentence speaks volumes as to how I personally feel..... What is next?

[shannonpa]

Originally Posted by DianeScraps Genuardi's is doing it too, and making the cashiers go out of their spot, around the bagger, to check the cart and make sure it is totally unloaded. This is a REAL pain if you are doing mutliple transactions back to back!

I noticed that too. I thought it was weird that this old man had to walk all the way around, especially since I just bought a few small things. I wondered if I looked suspicious or something. I just feel bad for the employees. What a PAIN to do that for EVERYONE!!

[CouponingCraze]

I started to notice my stores doing this too. But I didn't have a conniption over this. LOL... I too was buying a lot of water and pop. To be exact I had 20 packs of the aquapod and 10 packs of sunkist soda during the buy 10 save $5 deal. My cart was FULL and everything had to be unloaded. As a customer, yes it was a pain but safeway had someone there to unload everything for me. I didnt mind. It didn't take much more time for them to do this. unload it from one cart to the next. I know it's a loss prevention thing and so I abided by it. My stores are all friendly and I didn't feel it to be necessary for me to make a big deal out of this since the loading and unloading was done by a safeway employee. They have to do what they feel is right and they had manpower to do this.

If I didnt have help and I had to personally load and unload all of this, then maybe I would have been a little peeved but then again... I would just ask them to call a manager over and have someone load and unload it. :D

[ladyeeyore7]

I'm glad my store doesn't do this! If the loss is that big wouldn't it be better, in terms of customer alienation and expense, to remodel the stores with the kind of cashier stations where the carts go thru to the cashiers like they use to be years ago.

[southsider]

Originally Posted by ladyeeyore7 I'm glad my store doesn't do this! If the loss is that big wouldn't it be better, in terms of customer alienation and expense, to remodel the stores with the kind of cashier stations where the carts go thru to the cashiers like they use to be years ago.

Are you talking about the carts where the front end flipped open. There either was a short conveyor belt or none and the cashier took items out of the cart scanned them and then put them on the conveyor belt to be bagged.

[RainyNights]

Originally Posted by CouponingCraze #1 I started to notice my stores doing this too. But I didn't have a conniption over this. LOL... #2 My stores are all friendly and I didn't feel it to be necessary for me to make a big deal out of this since the loading and unloading was done by a safeway employee. #3 They have to do what they feel is right and they had manpower to do this. #4 If I didnt have help and I had to personally load and unload all of this, then maybe I would have been a little peeved but then again... I would just ask them to call a manager over and have someone load and unload it. :D

See this is where I differ, I guess. First I don't feel that speaking up against a ridiculous policy is having a conniption...but that's just me!

2nd the employees at both of my Safeway are AMAZING friendly from the youngest to the oldest...from the manager, the stocker and even the bag girl. Another reason why I feel speaking up against this is important....it is unfair treatment, not just to their customers but the employees I have come to like!

3rd "manpower" that is just it too.... at least at most of my stores... they do NOT have the manpower to handle this. There are longer lines because of less cashiers and with the economy they are not going to be hiring any more any time soon and this adds to even longer lines and more back ups for no real good reason!

4th again I guess this is where I differ! SOME people may feel they have to put everything up themselves....people that may not be as physically fit as I or you! Also, again not all of the cashiers are... one wears a wrist brace. I realize they have to lift but NOT 5 31lb boxes back to back.

I guess I am looking out for everyone that may be effected and not just how it effects me. I feel it is unfair to their customers and their employees... Yes you can have a manager call someone for "help" but is it the manager that will be doing all that lifting and lugging? I doubt it! And for what??? YES if there was a legitimate reason for this I would understad it the only reason I got "conniption" worthy was because there si NO reason for treating all your customers like they are criminals and adding more work to your employees but then again I tend to look at the whole situation and who may/may not be effected and not just myself.

[RainyNights]

Originally Posted by southsider Are you talking about the carts where the front end flipped open. There either was a short conveyor belt or none and the cashier took items out of the cart scanned them and then put them on the conveyor belt to be bagged.

That would be a good idea! Doesn't food lion still use that set up? Still a lot of unnesarry work for their employees. I wonder if putting up all my water and cat litter at one time would break their belt....LOL!

[southsider]

Originally Posted by RainyNights That would be a good idea! Doesn't food lion still use that set up? Still a lot of unnesarry work for their employees. I wonder if putting up all my water and cat litter at one time would break their belt....LOL!

If it wasn't for the poor emplyees, I'd say that was one way to handle it?

******************************************

CouponingCraze You say it doesn't bother you but one thing I noticed over the years is that there is a trend for stores (not just grocery) to haveless and less respect for their customers. They are also acting more and more as if they were the law. What happened to such things as the customer is always right? Bit by bit customer service is disappearing.

All you need to do is read through this site to come across story after story of somebody saying a store accused them of doing something illegal, of committing coupon fraud or of stealing. All they did was come to this board and were able to put deals together. Some members have been banned from a store and why - just because they put things together to get a great deal.

Little things add up. Changes are made in little steps. Things that are done to customers today would not have been tolerated say 20 or 30 years ago.

Just out of curiosity what would it take for you to say that a store was going too far?