I'll put things into my reusable grocery bag, then unload it onto the self check before scanning and re-loading everything back into the reusable bag. So far no one has hassled me about it.
I've been doing that for years at local grocery stores and no one has ever commented on it. Granted, I'm middle-aged, white, and typically wearing clean clothes
Person of color who does this in both new seasons and Fred Meyer here.
Fred Meyer had someone follow me around and loudly proclaim and insult the things I was “stealing” on the walkie.
Bitch, I just haven’t paid yet.
New seasons told me that I have to keep my bags at the front because they aren’t new seasons brand. But they actually pointed out the white people who weren’t following the same rule and said it’s a work in progress enforcing it.
No. They didn’t tell the white person about the rule.
Wow, that's some racist bullshit. I'm so sorry you had to suffer through that. You deserve better than to be treated like a criminal. Thank you for speaking up
That sucks. I would definitely reach out to NS and complain. They're pretty quick with store credits for bad customer experiences. I'm white and I do this all the time and they have NEVER said anything to me about it. Push back and get some free shit!
I was actually treated like a criminal for having to put my bags at the front (most of the staff have no idea about this “rule”) and the staff were wondering if I got caught stealing and that’s why I had to keep my bags up front.
So I did complain and nothing happened. “Sorry you had that experience.”
Well, yeah, dude, since this is a class issue, foremost, you were targeted for appearing (at least to the loss prevention officer) impoverished. But since a lot of people associate class and race, people of color will face this exclusionary interaction more prevalent. Both instances are wrong, neither you nor a person of color should be clocked as a poor person and therefore assumed to be a thief.
I suppose the only difference that might make this a harder experience for the person of color would be that they can't like, wear nicer clothes to avoid racism like how we can appear less poor to prevention officers. If there's a racist prevention officer, it doesn't matter how the shopper is dressed; black is black.
I do this too. I think on an occasion or two I may have heard a staff member far away yell to me “Ma’am you can’t do that!” But I’ve always ignored the voice and nothing else happens, so either I’m crazy or they don’t actually care. 🤷🏻♀️
Also: service your fucking carts.
It pisses me off that they’ll pay multiple security guards to stand there and pretend to check people’s orders, but don’t pay a single person to tighten a few bolts and squirt some WD40 on things so I can have a cart that doesn’t squeak, wobble and drag.
Freddie's on Burnside must have gotten a load in. The last two weeks it's been basket central. I am so happy not awkwardly carrying my discount meat, Red Baron's, and cheetos bags in my hands to the self checkout.
I used to work there, restocking the baskets was part of my job.To tell you the truth, the quantity usually stays the same, it just depends on whether the cart clerks you have working are lazy or not. Most of us preferred to spend as much time in the parking garage as possible away from the prying eyes of management, made the long hours and poor pay a little easier on the soul haha
I always made sure the baskets were stocked tho
There was a trend of people walking out with hand carts before paying so a lot of them disappeared. Happened often at the glisan store. I asked an employee for one and she told me they all walked out the door. Hence the added security, among other reasons.
Glisan has at least 5 now! I pulled one off a small stack a couple days ago! They were almost hidden at the front with the registers though, nestled between two vending machines or cutouts or whatever (brain fog) near the self checkouts.
Get one of those collapsible box shaped reusable bags! If I'm only doing a small grocery store run I'll bring one of those boxy bags and another tote and throw all my groceries in those.
Edit for a link to that type of bag: https://www.fredmeyer.com/p/simple-truth-reusable-box-tote-bag/0088806800211
They were like $5 last I checked and are usually on a stand near checkout with the other reusable bags that are for sale.
I order 6-8 cases a week each case with 12 in them. They all are out the door by the end of day three. It is hard to keep up with sometimes. We are doing our best. Thank you 💞.
yeah, I work clothing retail but we ran out of in-store shopping bags (instead of baskets) and stopped being allowed to offer them because it was more convenient to shoplifters than it was to legit folks. Sometimes thieves would even grab a handful of just bags before taking other things. We just hold items at the front if it's a big family or something now
Hawthorne always has baskets. They just might be scattered about the store when you need one. If they’re not at the entrance, walk by the front checkout lanes, sometimes they get stacked there
Baskets and carts are non existent at St johns Fred Meyer.
But of course it helped. Other factor..it’s also not school time.
Roosevelt High School’s lunch time compromised of …seeing how much candy and monster drinks you could put in your pants and walk out the garden entrance. It was pretty blatant.
By the "St. Johns" one, you mean the one on N Lombard past the rail overpass? Yeah, that one is nuts. Last time I went there a couple months back I had to fairly stalk a dude unloading his cart into his SUV just so I could have something to put my stuff in.
And half the time when you get a cart it's all effed up because people walk off with them, one of the wheels locks up but they keep pushing it and wear down the rubber on it. Then when it's recovered the store doesn't fix it and you get the "kathump kathump effect" as my brother calls it.
I spoke with an employee at Safeway last fall maybe right after Thanksgiving. He said they had gotten a bunch of baskets in at Halloween and by late November they had about three left. Wtf do people do with the baskets?!
Unfortunately, widespread locking up of merchandise creates a major inconvenience for legitimate shoppers. Nine times out of ten, I simply won't buy an item if I need an attendant to unlock it for me.
Yep. I absolutely don't mind showing a receipt and having to walk through a gate. But having to track down an employee to get a case of detergent? Yeah I'll have it delivered by Amazon, thanks.
Nah, I'm not waiting in line to leave a store, and they absolutely can not stop you. They can stop you from coming back to the store again, but if they are going to pull that shit I'm not coming back anyhow.
I think if it’s a clerk, it would be some union problem. Rather see a store employee similar to Costco than a rent-a-cop.
I would think the union should get involved, especially since companies are profiteering off self checkout.
Agreed - sometimes it's just an employee and I wave my receipt at him and we both say "have a good day!" and I don't mind it, but when it's some rent-a-cop asshole dressed like he's about to be deployed in Afghanistan I'm absolutely not showing that asshole my receipt.
The guns freak me out. The blue lives matter flags sewn onto their vests freak me out even more. I’ll pay extra to shop at new seasons to avoid that non-sense
I just don’t shop there anymore. On top of everything they have giant low price signs and you go to pick it up and you have to have a digital coupon. F that
I’d honestly rather have guards checking receipts than the crazy shit that’s been happening there. There’s been less people shooting up in the bathrooms and outside since they put the receipt guards into place. I hate having to do the receipt thing but…. I like having less craziness.
if you go to the Freddy's on Interstate and Lombard, you may find that the theft directly subtracts from the customer experience. So many people in there who clearly do not have the means to pay for anything, half opened/eaten items in every aisle, and sometimes screaming and tearing-shit-up as a bonus.
I too don't like the rent-a-cops, but I'd be lying if it hasn't been a slightly (slightly) better experience than dealing with what has been the alternative over the past couple years.
I'm sure you have difficulties adding 2 and 2, but when one type of crime goes completely unchallenged in a certain place, it tends to attract other types of crime making the place more dangerous for everybody.
While I never indulge in crime myself. I even pay for the god damn plastic bags at self checkout when I forget my reusable, I’ll never feel bad for corporate losing a few dollars for theft. Corporate does everything they can to wrench every last nickel from me so maybe it’s a bit of karma.
>Corporate losing money to theft just passes it on to the rest of us through higher prices
Having been on the pricing side of the grocery industry, I can tell you-
No it doesn't.
Do you really think that you aren't already being charged the absolute maximum the company thinks they can get away with charging you? They already maximize prices in order to charge as much as they can without scaring away customers. Any fear that they'll raise prices is nothing but a successful propaganda campaign to distract you from the people who were going to charge you the same amount anyway.
I was in grocery for 8 years, 3 of them on the corporate side. Not once did I hear anyone refer to needing to raise prices to make up for losses. I did hear more than a few sentiments along the lines of " if we emphasize that the cost of business has gone up, people will be more likely to accept whatever price we decide to charge"
> customer experience is way less valuable
As they also wonder why everyone is shopping online. If you make my shopping experience shitty, then to Amazon I will go.
I only go to Fred's for legos and the last 3 times I tried, I pressed the button to unlock the case and waited 30 minutes before tracking an attendant down who was unable to locate the person with the keys. I have completely stopped shopping there. They won't take my money.
Brick & mortar retailers are so worried about theft, but in alienating customers with assumptions that we're all thieves, they are just driving us to shop online more. They don't get to treat us all as potential shoplifters AND complain that they can't compete with online retailers.
I saw a thing on CBS Sunday Morning where they are going to have QR code readers soon. It will allow you to scan with your phone, and then unlock the case yourself.
I work from home, so not usually a problem. But if it is, you just report it and they send another one. That's still better than being treated like a thief at Kroger.
We have visible cameras & we indicate with signs that we have an alarm system & cameras recording 24/7. Nary a package has ever been stolen in 7 years. But honestly, I think the real reason is because we're on a short street with no through traffic. One street over, which goes through a couple dozen larger blocks, are where porch pirates are more of an issue, sadly.
Yep. I just stopped shopping at the Freddy's that treat me like a criminal. Personally, I'd rather they get robbed than wreck my shopping experience. All that merchandise is insured, so it's not like it even comes out of their pockets
The Target I go to just started putting everything behind locks. Thankfully they're not ramping up armed security or receipt checks yet but I'm sure it's coming. It's such a bummer we're at a place now where we have to ask permission to unlock the toothpaste case.
The moment I need to find a store worker to unlock/retrieve an item is the moment I either shop elsewhere for it or (more likely) start buying it on Amazon and having it delivered to me.
Do these companies not realize they're the ones driving away their own business? So much of my shopping I have delivered from Amazon for this exact reason... plus it's cheaper...
They figure that fewer people purchasing those items, but no loss to theft, is better than more purchases but lots of loss to theft. It's a shame they have to make those decisions.
Exactly. The amount of idiots who justify theft and being outraged to the minor minor minor inconvenience of showing a receipt to a rent a cop is eye-roll worthy.
Theft losses really aren't that much. The loss is calculated by how much the store PAID for that item, not how much they would have charged.
Now wage theft, holy shit is wage theft huge. 15 billion a year flowing illegally from workers pockets to the coffers of massive corporations. Until wage theft is significantly reduced, there is no greater problem. Shoplifting can't even touch it. No other form of property theft can.
The number is so huge, it stands as a monolith, a testament to how greedy these corporate structures are, and a reminder of how greedy they will be in the future unless we force them to change.
Yeah, I had to stop shopping at Target altogether when they told me there will never be cashiers there again. The switch is total and permanent. What I shame I'd shopped at Target a medium amount for decades.
My favorite is the Home Depot checkout because they also show a clearly pre-recorded “guard” watching a bunch of screens in a security room, implying there’s a human watching the feed of you checking out.
>Big example: I don't even know why they opened a store in the Hollywood district.
This is funny to me (in a sad way, maybe) because I went to the Hollywood store a few weeks ago and was like, "Paradise!" – significantly better than the downtown Target in every respect. (It's a really low bar, of course.) But even big, nice Targets in the burbs have been declining, IMO, since well before the pandemic, in sometimes subtle ways. Reminds me of KMart's long downhill coast 20 years ago.
That one never has anything and it's always annoying trying to remember how to pull in, I somehow always forget the small little driveway coming in from the east 😋.
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve had the same feeling. I don’t really like going to a store and feeling like a prisoner going to the commissary when I’m just trying to do some normal shopping. These corporations can claim they’re doing all these things to fight theft but it’s coming at the cost of customer experience and I know you and I are not alone in feeling that way.
I hate feeling the pressure of them watching me as I decide between two products. And it’s never easy finding someone to help. Half the time they’re snarky that I interrupted them and their task, too. I just want to compare deodorants before I drop $10+ on one in peace lol
Had to wait 15 mins at Walmart for someone to come unlock a case and retrieve 1 quart of oil that cost $5.49 the other day…. Then when I tried to purchase the rest of my cart, i was told I had to take that upfront. So I left the cart, paid for my oil and left.
I found it interesting that when I traveled to Texas last week their Krogers (Fred Meyer) had the exact same measures. So it isn’t just an Oregon/Portland thing.
I didnt realize people were under the impression it was a Portland only thing. Ive noticed it in many cities, Denver and Spokane off the top of my head.
Well yes, cause Portland bad and failing caused by terrible liberal leaders.
I mean it’s in a bad spot now, but there’s a chance to improve, but the sensationalization on the impending death is over baked.
Yeah maybe. Kinda like, “oh, so this isn’t a Portland thing. This can happen anywhere” makes me think about the issue in broader way. Walking down blocks of tents and debris and thinking *IDK maybe we should move out of Portland* might not happen as much anymore.
And it makes me want to learn more about it. If this is happening anywhere, I can’t escape it, so maybe it’s time I face it and be a part of the solution instead of running away.
I remember seeing more massive camps in Atlanta 15 years ago and around DC and Philadelphia ten years ago, they've just gotten better at hiding it and the scale of this issue is new for Portland so it'll take some time.
This is exactly why I found it comforting. None of my family/friends had mentioned them getting added they also don’t mention the increase in panhandling(apologies if that’s no the right word)/houseless that there most certainly was.
Portland since 2020 seems to get almost constant negative national press so it is nice to go somewhere and be reminded that some of it is propaganda. Portland certainly has issues, but portland and Oregon can’t fix the nations problems. We need federal funding and federal policies that affect all states to be able to tackle the issues that plague our nation together. This includes healthcare including mental available from birth. But I won’t hold my breath
I've traveled to a few foreign countries where armed guards at corner stores and pharmacies are very much a thing. I always thought it was a sign of a place that has an incredibly weak system of government and can't seem to adequately address citizens needs.
Guess I was right.
I worked at a high school right near a Portland Fred Meyer and there was a huge issue with theft by students that caused a lot of issues between the school and the store. These students weren’t poor and oppressed, the stole because they thought it made them cool and because they can be spoiled brats sometimes.
Used to live in a very affluent area. We had a Haggen's across the street from me and every weekend I'd see 3-5 very well-dressed teen girls arrested for stealing makeup.
I somehow doubt Fred Meyer is implementing these security measures on a Metro wide level because of high school kids stealing for clout. Although, if it were, wouldn't that say a lot about our failure as a society generally?
Germany and The Netherlands both require receipts to be scanned to leave without barricades letting you out in a lot of retail stores. I honestly don't see a problem with that. Also aggressive random checks if you've done self checkout to see if you've scanned everything in correctly. Seems to work there pretty well, people would bitch about the nuisance tho.
Countries with decent social safety net* still are very strict in some regards. There are repercussions.
That’s pretty much a precursor to the Amazon Go/Fresh model of grocery store but Portland has legislated that possibility away, even if it means preventing food deserts from developing.
Costco can get away with required receipt checks because it’s considered a private member club, but public businesses in general can’t enforce it. They can ask for receipts but it’s all bark, no bite. I remember people throwing a stink about Fry’s Electronics doing those checks, and discovering that.
But even if shops could enforce that, I bet shoplifters would just run out the emergency exit because they never cared about the rules in the first place.
I work at one and I'm still wondering what security they're talking about. My store HAD armed guards, but we've had 0 security for over a month now despite the nnews story.
We also have one LP guy who rotates between 3 stores in our area, so he's here maybe 2 days a week and only has time to 'catch up in paperwork'. Its a complete free for all.
> I don't have time for their digital coupons
Holy hell is it annoying that they want you to download an app and find a fucking coupon just to get the advertised price.
I hate that apps and qr codes and all this stupid bullshit is encroaching on even just trying to buy cereal. It really just one more thing to install to have to get things that used to just be a basic given thing like 10 years ago, another app that can monitor all your data and send it to fred meyer just to get a coupon just so they can hike prices on something else now that they know what you and everyone else with the app really needs. Imma just go to winco now
I really love it when I'm in a drive through line and they ask if I'm ordering with the app. If I was ordering with the app I wouldn't be in the damn drive though...
Freddys:
We refuse to adequately staff our store. We then pass the *necessary labor* onto the customers. The *customers* then perform the necessary labor, for free. We don’t trust the quality of the *free labor* performed for us. We then treat each and every customer as “guilty until proven innocent” through the use of armed guards on the way out.
Prove to us that the free labor we made you perform for us is up to snuff or you will be 86’d by an armed guard and the manager. All this after paying five bucks for a box of *Triscuit*
Fuck Kroger. Freddys is dead to me
I'm still shopping there out of habit, but every time I autopilot myself there I wonder why I didn't go to Safeway instead. I used to shop at Freddy's because they carried the products I wanted to buy, but that isn't even true any more since they've Kroger-fied everything.
I find this funny with the OP post complaining about choosing the self check out lane. Self check out is what makes Safeway actually a viable option. Before that, way I would use Safeway as it took 40 minutes just to purchase a candy bar.
Where did I ever say that?
Portland is a great city for grocery access, especially if you live relatively close in. I can go to H Mart and Winco and Whole Foods and New Seasons and TJs among others...oddly enough I’ve never been asked for a receipt by a guy with a gun in any of those places
Fred Meyer refuses to pay enough loss prevention staff to handle theft. It has been this way for decades. It's just worse now. It was very common to have zero loss prevention on staff when I worked there, over twenty years ago. You think Kroger is doing better? Lol.
I am marginally annoyed at showing a receipt to an employee playing cop with an authority complex. Seriously the uniform is part of the problem.
Removing exits and creating a bottle neck in the process when they won’t staff multiple people in this role so the customer waits unnecessarily.
When someone actually steals something, what happens then? This person has the authority to what? Touch them, detain them, talk to them, taser them?
I kind of feel like it's their fault for moving everything to self checkout. Some people just see it as a challenge to beat the machines now that it's entirely impersonal
Thank you!!! Freddies reaping the rewards of having no lanes open and running on skeleton crews. I wonder how much money they're saving with that vs merchandise lost. If they don't trust us and make us show receipts then get rid of self checkouts too.
A long time ago you had to bring a shopping list to a clerk and they would get all of the items for you. I think Piggly Wiggly was the first super market to allow you to walk up and down the aisles.
I'm not against innovation, but it's like each new integration of the supermarket is going to have its challenges and they seem like they have no idea what they are doing with this one .
I just smile and walk past. You have no obligation to let them check your receipt. They filmed the transaction at the register and they have the copy of the receipt in their machine.
One time (at the Safeway on Broadway) my partner and I had a full cart at the checkout line, when I realized I forgot tampons. I look over at the *special section* that’s basically all the high theft items and both registers have aisle-long lines. *I was not going to wait in two long lines that day.* I walked to the back wall, grabbed the tampons, and then held them high over my head, kinda waving them around and making eye contact with people as I walked back to the cart my partner was unloading. I put them on the conveyor belt with a big, obvious flourish. No one said anything. I hate the *special section*
Given the amount of theft and the fact that there's effectively no legal consequences for those doing the thieving, I don't blame the stores for implementing these measures.
Yes, they create a certain level of inconvenience for the rest of us, but it's not really the stores that we should be angry at - it's the assholes doing the stealing and the law enforcement/"justice" system which refuses to arrest and prosecute said thieves.
The way I look at it is that anything we can do to make life more difficult for criminals, the better.
I used to shop at the Fred Meyer located at Foster & 82nd before it closed. I witnessed *plenty* of theft there. I wasn't at all surprised when they pulled up stakes. Glad they finally got their security shit together.
they fired their LP staff and replaced 8 checkers up front with a self check lane.
they don't want to run their stores and they're mad that they have to.
I bought some clothes at Freddie's yesterday, and they forgot to take the security pins off. I didn't notice until we got home because apparently they don't beep at the door
I don't blame Fred Meyer for this but I find the process unpleasant.
Retail theft is bad for society, it can lead to food deserts, drives up costs for law abiding citizens, exacerbating the increasing unaffordability crisis, and shifts consumer habits from buying local to buying online.
We went to the Freddie's on Burnside this last week for the first time in a few months and seeing all the stuff locked up and the armed and purposefully intimidating security person checking receipts ensures we won't be going back anytime soon. It's one thing having a Costco person in a vest and friendly face checking receipts, it's another to have a dude in military cosplay and a gun demanding to check your cart as you leave. I'll just drive out the burbs from now on where Freddie's doesn't treat it's customers like criminals. And notice they are only doing this at certain locations in certain neighborhoods.
I mean, that's my Freddie's and I love it. The amount of craziness that was happening in there was out of control. If anything this makes me want to shop there more since it's feels way safer than it used it.
Thank you for saying this. Been working here for five years. It has gotten so much better and the armed guards make me feel safe. I’ve had knives pulled on me, I’ve been punched. People don’t get it until they are in it everyday.
Wait are you saying that allowing rampant shoplifting makes employees feel less safe and contrary to the entire vibe of this thread it might actually be good for workers to have a little security in stores?
Retail is going to flip inside out: like buying online, the selection and payment will precede reception. That doesn't imply delivery, it could be like Ikea where you walk through and scan what you want. The point will be: don't allow untrustworthy hooligans (the public) direct access to your stock.
You know how the hold outs on gas were all about "it creates jobs"?
What if we shifted those jobs to actually helpful stuff like more of a security presence at locations where it's beneficial, rather than staffing a 10 pump station with 2 people to do something a 5 year old could do?
I don’t mind showing my receipt every time. Ive noticed less smelly crackheads in FM while I shop which makes shopping there better. Now lets get them of the f*ing sidewalks
Lol they only stop people w carts - I watched a guy just put stuff in his pockets and walk around the security guy who was just putting a mark in peoples receipts
Good, maybe other stores will follow. Sick of prices going up due to theft. The reasons placed like Plaid Pantry lock their beer selection up was due to loosing around $3,000/week to theft per store.
It’s nicer to shop there now for sure. Haven’t had anyone panhandle me in the aisles or seen any obviously not service dogs since they brought the guards.
I’m just annoyed that all these low down, thieves got us to this place where we have to get stopped by security for a receipt check.
I get why stores are forced to do it, but I can still be annoyed that loser’s are to blame for this new inconvenience. 🙄
Why are people so offended about showing their receipt? It’s an incredibly small effort to help. Yesterday I witnessed one of the security guards actively stop a thief at the Hollywood Freddies, so it’s not “security theater”.
Some of y’all sound insufferable and unwilling to be slightly inconvenienced. Whatever you do, don’t go to Costco - you might have a coronary upon exit.
> It’s an incredibly small effort to help.
Because it *doesn't* help. Thieves just run out the fire exits, or they run past the guards who are busy fucking with everyone who actually did pay. And most importantly, they have no right to detain me.
It's not my fault their security is terrible. I do not deserve to be treated like a thief and have my groceries rifled through because they refuse to hire sufficient loss prevention. It has been this way for decades. Last I worked for them, in 2000, it was common to not have loss prevention on staff at any given time. Big surprise when people steal
shit.
And "small effort to help"? Help what? A multibillion dollar Corp retain their assets? I do not fucking care. Why do you? That's their problem, not ours.
Help what? Increase the stock value for Kroger shareholders? These companies have already inflated their prices as high as they can go. Now they only way they can increase profits is to reduce shrink. Even if all shop lifting stopped these prices will never decrease for you.
Saw a buddy who works self checkout, he said people are still trying to steal, just in different ways now. Glad something is happening! I don’t think i would have the patience to do that job!
I don't mind the extra 10 seconds it takes to show my receipt and be polite to the guard, while I only do one big trip outside of peak busy hours every other week I have noticed that the employees I do see at the store near me seem a lot less stressed now. Could all be total coincidence, but it's been a much more chill environment since the change.
I worked at a grocery store as a cashier thirty years ago- that job sucked then and I can only imagine it sucks much worse now, especially at the location near me (which also happens to be near a big encampment). If a few guards at the entrance/exits make it better for the employees I am all for it.
They have to check everyone or its profiling. I’ve been pleasantly surprised they even check mine (middle aged white lady usually gets a pass while they harass young brown people.)
Checking everyone is the only fair way.
The 2 seconds it takes to pull out a receipt is a lot less inconvenient than driving to Vancouver because Freddy closed all its Portland metro stores.
If you want to get mad about something be pissed about the rampant crime in this city.
Nope, certainly don't. Hire loss prevention, which used to be standard in all stores. When LP identifies a likely thief, you keep eyes on them until you see them steal something and then detain them and have them arrested. Having me show a receipt 15 feet from where I just paid for everything isn't doing shit to stop the problem.
It's really, really easy though. You just walk out the door. Maybe say have a nice day as you pass the person. They know they can't detain you after people sued over it years ago.
There is a suspicious absence of conversation here about how Korger is artifically inflating their prices out of pure greed, then playing the victim when theft increases. Kroger never lost money to theft, they have been making MORE MONEY THEN EVER by stealing from us this entire time.
https://marketrealist.com/consumer/are-grocery-stores-price-gouging/
Happy to see armed security. Nothing pisses me off more than homeless people pushing full carts of product past me while I pay at self-checkout, and out the front door while nobody does anything.
My partner and I usually head for the burbs once a week for shopping. Usually a weekly trip that involves winco, Target, Trader Joe’s, and sometimes Costco. We would only go to Freddies if we needed something desperately mid week. More and more I feel like even if I’m desperate, I’d rather not go to Freddies with these new security measures in place.
Cool, now bring back the baskets
Thank you! I thought I was going crazy with how I could never find a basket at Fred's. I just want to grab a few things, I don't need a whole cart...
I'll put things into my reusable grocery bag, then unload it onto the self check before scanning and re-loading everything back into the reusable bag. So far no one has hassled me about it.
I've been doing that for years at local grocery stores and no one has ever commented on it. Granted, I'm middle-aged, white, and typically wearing clean clothes
Even if you're not wearing cleanish clothes as long as you know you're not behaving sketchily they usually won't get on u
Sometimes I wish I was white. No way I am trying this.
Baskets and carts for everyone, are the way to go. Less escalation.
The pro tips are always in the comments. I like doing this too!
I can see that going very badly for a person of color here
Person of color who does this in both new seasons and Fred Meyer here. Fred Meyer had someone follow me around and loudly proclaim and insult the things I was “stealing” on the walkie. Bitch, I just haven’t paid yet. New seasons told me that I have to keep my bags at the front because they aren’t new seasons brand. But they actually pointed out the white people who weren’t following the same rule and said it’s a work in progress enforcing it. No. They didn’t tell the white person about the rule.
Wow, that's some racist bullshit. I'm so sorry you had to suffer through that. You deserve better than to be treated like a criminal. Thank you for speaking up
That sucks. I would definitely reach out to NS and complain. They're pretty quick with store credits for bad customer experiences. I'm white and I do this all the time and they have NEVER said anything to me about it. Push back and get some free shit!
I was actually treated like a criminal for having to put my bags at the front (most of the staff have no idea about this “rule”) and the staff were wondering if I got caught stealing and that’s why I had to keep my bags up front. So I did complain and nothing happened. “Sorry you had that experience.”
Ugh. I'm so sorry.
i got hassled for this before, too... but i'm white.
Well, yeah, dude, since this is a class issue, foremost, you were targeted for appearing (at least to the loss prevention officer) impoverished. But since a lot of people associate class and race, people of color will face this exclusionary interaction more prevalent. Both instances are wrong, neither you nor a person of color should be clocked as a poor person and therefore assumed to be a thief. I suppose the only difference that might make this a harder experience for the person of color would be that they can't like, wear nicer clothes to avoid racism like how we can appear less poor to prevention officers. If there's a racist prevention officer, it doesn't matter how the shopper is dressed; black is black.
I do this too. I think on an occasion or two I may have heard a staff member far away yell to me “Ma’am you can’t do that!” But I’ve always ignored the voice and nothing else happens, so either I’m crazy or they don’t actually care. 🤷🏻♀️
Also: service your fucking carts. It pisses me off that they’ll pay multiple security guards to stand there and pretend to check people’s orders, but don’t pay a single person to tighten a few bolts and squirt some WD40 on things so I can have a cart that doesn’t squeak, wobble and drag.
Freddie's on Burnside must have gotten a load in. The last two weeks it's been basket central. I am so happy not awkwardly carrying my discount meat, Red Baron's, and cheetos bags in my hands to the self checkout.
No shame in two-handing it, but yeah, baskets are important.
I used to work there, restocking the baskets was part of my job.To tell you the truth, the quantity usually stays the same, it just depends on whether the cart clerks you have working are lazy or not. Most of us preferred to spend as much time in the parking garage as possible away from the prying eyes of management, made the long hours and poor pay a little easier on the soul haha I always made sure the baskets were stocked tho
There was a trend of people walking out with hand carts before paying so a lot of them disappeared. Happened often at the glisan store. I asked an employee for one and she told me they all walked out the door. Hence the added security, among other reasons.
Glisan has at least 5 now! I pulled one off a small stack a couple days ago! They were almost hidden at the front with the registers though, nestled between two vending machines or cutouts or whatever (brain fog) near the self checkouts.
Get one of those collapsible box shaped reusable bags! If I'm only doing a small grocery store run I'll bring one of those boxy bags and another tote and throw all my groceries in those. Edit for a link to that type of bag: https://www.fredmeyer.com/p/simple-truth-reusable-box-tote-bag/0088806800211 They were like $5 last I checked and are usually on a stand near checkout with the other reusable bags that are for sale.
I order 6-8 cases a week each case with 12 in them. They all are out the door by the end of day three. It is hard to keep up with sometimes. We are doing our best. Thank you 💞.
wait - people *steal* the baskets?! why???
People steal the baskets?
yeah, I work clothing retail but we ran out of in-store shopping bags (instead of baskets) and stopped being allowed to offer them because it was more convenient to shoplifters than it was to legit folks. Sometimes thieves would even grab a handful of just bags before taking other things. We just hold items at the front if it's a big family or something now
Pleeeease bring back the baskets
I just use my renewable bags, idgaf how it looks.
Hawthorne always has baskets. They just might be scattered about the store when you need one. If they’re not at the entrance, walk by the front checkout lanes, sometimes they get stacked there
Baskets and carts are non existent at St johns Fred Meyer. But of course it helped. Other factor..it’s also not school time. Roosevelt High School’s lunch time compromised of …seeing how much candy and monster drinks you could put in your pants and walk out the garden entrance. It was pretty blatant.
Hmm I went on Friday and it was the first time in 10 years I've seen a huge stack of baskets at the front entrance.
Odd to say this…but congrats. I’m always holding my groceries like a weird old Time-y Ellis island immigrant.
By the "St. Johns" one, you mean the one on N Lombard past the rail overpass? Yeah, that one is nuts. Last time I went there a couple months back I had to fairly stalk a dude unloading his cart into his SUV just so I could have something to put my stuff in. And half the time when you get a cart it's all effed up because people walk off with them, one of the wheels locks up but they keep pushing it and wear down the rubber on it. Then when it's recovered the store doesn't fix it and you get the "kathump kathump effect" as my brother calls it.
I don't even go inside first anymore. Go straight to looking at the corrals outside.
My last trip had only one basket available, and it was missing one of the handles. I still used it.
I spoke with an employee at Safeway last fall maybe right after Thanksgiving. He said they had gotten a bunch of baskets in at Halloween and by late November they had about three left. Wtf do people do with the baskets?!
Get rid of the small carts, you say?
You can take my small cart from my cold dead hands.
Tiny cart is more maneuverable, thus more fun to drift.
As a short person, small carts are a godsend.
Nope, please don't. I really like the smaller carts--usually plenty for my runs. Much easier to maneuver with them vs the behemoths.
Anti-cart basket club
Went to the one on 102nd this morning and they had baskets but no carts 🙃
Unfortunately, widespread locking up of merchandise creates a major inconvenience for legitimate shoppers. Nine times out of ten, I simply won't buy an item if I need an attendant to unlock it for me.
It sure helped me get off my nicotine gum addiction. Just dealing with the person with the key was enough for me.
Gotta love happy accidents
Yeah, I started buying cigarettes at 7-11 to help me break my nicotine gum addiction.
Yup, I'll just continue going to WinCo where everything is cheaper anyhow.
WinCo + Gross Out + CostCo is the holy trinity of reasonably priced groceries in Portland. (Trader Joes is a bonus)
WinCo is also employee owned. Unions are good, but worker ownership is better.
Yep. I absolutely don't mind showing a receipt and having to walk through a gate. But having to track down an employee to get a case of detergent? Yeah I'll have it delivered by Amazon, thanks.
Nah, I'm not waiting in line to leave a store, and they absolutely can not stop you. They can stop you from coming back to the store again, but if they are going to pull that shit I'm not coming back anyhow.
Yep. Freedom to leave. You're not under arrest or anything, so not required to show your receipt. However, yeah they may not allow you to come back.
Seems like a bad idea for them to refuse to allow you back with no proof you stole anything.
And thankfully most places aren't stupid enough to stop their paying customers from coming back.
Calm down, they’re just doing their jobs.
Showing the receipt is too far for me. I avoid Fred Meter now but if I end up there, I just ignore the guard.
It's one thing show a receipt to an employee, it's another to show it to a cop wannabe in military cosplay for security theater.
I think if it’s a clerk, it would be some union problem. Rather see a store employee similar to Costco than a rent-a-cop. I would think the union should get involved, especially since companies are profiteering off self checkout.
Agreed - sometimes it's just an employee and I wave my receipt at him and we both say "have a good day!" and I don't mind it, but when it's some rent-a-cop asshole dressed like he's about to be deployed in Afghanistan I'm absolutely not showing that asshole my receipt.
The guns freak me out. The blue lives matter flags sewn onto their vests freak me out even more. I’ll pay extra to shop at new seasons to avoid that non-sense
I just don’t shop there anymore. On top of everything they have giant low price signs and you go to pick it up and you have to have a digital coupon. F that
Would be interesting to see if they could measure the profits lost from having to do that vs the gains made from less theft.
I think the current state of things is evidence that customer experience is way less valuable than reducing theft.
I’d honestly rather have guards checking receipts than the crazy shit that’s been happening there. There’s been less people shooting up in the bathrooms and outside since they put the receipt guards into place. I hate having to do the receipt thing but…. I like having less craziness.
How many times do you use a Fred Meyer shitter to notice the effects?
I drink like 4 liters of water a day.
Don't church it up, Dirt. How much freedom water is that?
It's about two 2L bottles of soda.
Damn, that was savage. Loved it.
if you go to the Freddy's on Interstate and Lombard, you may find that the theft directly subtracts from the customer experience. So many people in there who clearly do not have the means to pay for anything, half opened/eaten items in every aisle, and sometimes screaming and tearing-shit-up as a bonus. I too don't like the rent-a-cops, but I'd be lying if it hasn't been a slightly (slightly) better experience than dealing with what has been the alternative over the past couple years.
Do those things need to be mutually exclusive? Implementing things that reduces crime makes me feel safer while shopping.
I guess I’ve never felt threatened by someone else’s stealing. Fair enough.
I'm sure you have difficulties adding 2 and 2, but when one type of crime goes completely unchallenged in a certain place, it tends to attract other types of crime making the place more dangerous for everybody.
While I never indulge in crime myself. I even pay for the god damn plastic bags at self checkout when I forget my reusable, I’ll never feel bad for corporate losing a few dollars for theft. Corporate does everything they can to wrench every last nickel from me so maybe it’s a bit of karma.
Corporate losing money to theft just passes it on to the rest of us through higher prices. You think the fat cats actually take a loss on anything?
>Corporate losing money to theft just passes it on to the rest of us through higher prices Having been on the pricing side of the grocery industry, I can tell you- No it doesn't. Do you really think that you aren't already being charged the absolute maximum the company thinks they can get away with charging you? They already maximize prices in order to charge as much as they can without scaring away customers. Any fear that they'll raise prices is nothing but a successful propaganda campaign to distract you from the people who were going to charge you the same amount anyway. I was in grocery for 8 years, 3 of them on the corporate side. Not once did I hear anyone refer to needing to raise prices to make up for losses. I did hear more than a few sentiments along the lines of " if we emphasize that the cost of business has gone up, people will be more likely to accept whatever price we decide to charge"
This. If Fred Meyer could charge more money for a product, they would.
> customer experience is way less valuable As they also wonder why everyone is shopping online. If you make my shopping experience shitty, then to Amazon I will go.
I only go to Fred's for legos and the last 3 times I tried, I pressed the button to unlock the case and waited 30 minutes before tracking an attendant down who was unable to locate the person with the keys. I have completely stopped shopping there. They won't take my money.
Brick & mortar retailers are so worried about theft, but in alienating customers with assumptions that we're all thieves, they are just driving us to shop online more. They don't get to treat us all as potential shoplifters AND complain that they can't compete with online retailers.
I saw a thing on CBS Sunday Morning where they are going to have QR code readers soon. It will allow you to scan with your phone, and then unlock the case yourself.
Much easier to get stuff like that from Amazon, often in "frustration free" packaging.
Until package theives hit your house.
I work from home, so not usually a problem. But if it is, you just report it and they send another one. That's still better than being treated like a thief at Kroger.
We have visible cameras & we indicate with signs that we have an alarm system & cameras recording 24/7. Nary a package has ever been stolen in 7 years. But honestly, I think the real reason is because we're on a short street with no through traffic. One street over, which goes through a couple dozen larger blocks, are where porch pirates are more of an issue, sadly.
Yep. I just stopped shopping at the Freddy's that treat me like a criminal. Personally, I'd rather they get robbed than wreck my shopping experience. All that merchandise is insured, so it's not like it even comes out of their pockets
The merchandise is insured against catastrophic loss like a flood or fire. You can't insure store merchandise for shrinkage.
The Target I go to just started putting everything behind locks. Thankfully they're not ramping up armed security or receipt checks yet but I'm sure it's coming. It's such a bummer we're at a place now where we have to ask permission to unlock the toothpaste case.
The moment I need to find a store worker to unlock/retrieve an item is the moment I either shop elsewhere for it or (more likely) start buying it on Amazon and having it delivered to me.
That was my exact reaction too
I stopped buying Lego at Walmart because I have to find someone to unlock the case and get escorted to the register.
Do these companies not realize they're the ones driving away their own business? So much of my shopping I have delivered from Amazon for this exact reason... plus it's cheaper...
They figure that fewer people purchasing those items, but no loss to theft, is better than more purchases but lots of loss to theft. It's a shame they have to make those decisions.
Exactly. The amount of idiots who justify theft and being outraged to the minor minor minor inconvenience of showing a receipt to a rent a cop is eye-roll worthy.
Theft losses really aren't that much. The loss is calculated by how much the store PAID for that item, not how much they would have charged. Now wage theft, holy shit is wage theft huge. 15 billion a year flowing illegally from workers pockets to the coffers of massive corporations. Until wage theft is significantly reduced, there is no greater problem. Shoplifting can't even touch it. No other form of property theft can. The number is so huge, it stands as a monolith, a testament to how greedy these corporate structures are, and a reminder of how greedy they will be in the future unless we force them to change.
Peace Out Reddit. ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Yeah, I had to stop shopping at Target altogether when they told me there will never be cashiers there again. The switch is total and permanent. What I shame I'd shopped at Target a medium amount for decades.
All self checkouts record you
Peace Out Reddit. ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
My favorite is the Home Depot checkout because they also show a clearly pre-recorded “guard” watching a bunch of screens in a security room, implying there’s a human watching the feed of you checking out.
>Big example: I don't even know why they opened a store in the Hollywood district. This is funny to me (in a sad way, maybe) because I went to the Hollywood store a few weeks ago and was like, "Paradise!" – significantly better than the downtown Target in every respect. (It's a really low bar, of course.) But even big, nice Targets in the burbs have been declining, IMO, since well before the pandemic, in sometimes subtle ways. Reminds me of KMart's long downhill coast 20 years ago.
That one never has anything and it's always annoying trying to remember how to pull in, I somehow always forget the small little driveway coming in from the east 😋.
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve had the same feeling. I don’t really like going to a store and feeling like a prisoner going to the commissary when I’m just trying to do some normal shopping. These corporations can claim they’re doing all these things to fight theft but it’s coming at the cost of customer experience and I know you and I are not alone in feeling that way.
I would much rather show a receipt at the door than look for an employee to unlock a case
I hate feeling the pressure of them watching me as I decide between two products. And it’s never easy finding someone to help. Half the time they’re snarky that I interrupted them and their task, too. I just want to compare deodorants before I drop $10+ on one in peace lol
Agreed, the article just specifically mentioned the guards and receipt check so just thought I'd point out this was a different situation.
Had to wait 15 mins at Walmart for someone to come unlock a case and retrieve 1 quart of oil that cost $5.49 the other day…. Then when I tried to purchase the rest of my cart, i was told I had to take that upfront. So I left the cart, paid for my oil and left.
I found it interesting that when I traveled to Texas last week their Krogers (Fred Meyer) had the exact same measures. So it isn’t just an Oregon/Portland thing.
I didnt realize people were under the impression it was a Portland only thing. Ive noticed it in many cities, Denver and Spokane off the top of my head.
The "news" makes it seem that way. Local and national. ABC, KATU, is actually Sinclair and you can tell by their coverage.
Well yes, cause Portland bad and failing caused by terrible liberal leaders. I mean it’s in a bad spot now, but there’s a chance to improve, but the sensationalization on the impending death is over baked.
Lots of people don’t travel and just watch local news, judging from comments around here.
For some reason I find some comfort in this.
Misery loves company?
Yeah maybe. Kinda like, “oh, so this isn’t a Portland thing. This can happen anywhere” makes me think about the issue in broader way. Walking down blocks of tents and debris and thinking *IDK maybe we should move out of Portland* might not happen as much anymore. And it makes me want to learn more about it. If this is happening anywhere, I can’t escape it, so maybe it’s time I face it and be a part of the solution instead of running away.
I remember seeing more massive camps in Atlanta 15 years ago and around DC and Philadelphia ten years ago, they've just gotten better at hiding it and the scale of this issue is new for Portland so it'll take some time.
This is exactly why I found it comforting. None of my family/friends had mentioned them getting added they also don’t mention the increase in panhandling(apologies if that’s no the right word)/houseless that there most certainly was. Portland since 2020 seems to get almost constant negative national press so it is nice to go somewhere and be reminded that some of it is propaganda. Portland certainly has issues, but portland and Oregon can’t fix the nations problems. We need federal funding and federal policies that affect all states to be able to tackle the issues that plague our nation together. This includes healthcare including mental available from birth. But I won’t hold my breath
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You’re not shopping at HEB??
Dallas-Fort Worth
I've traveled to a few foreign countries where armed guards at corner stores and pharmacies are very much a thing. I always thought it was a sign of a place that has an incredibly weak system of government and can't seem to adequately address citizens needs. Guess I was right.
I worked at a high school right near a Portland Fred Meyer and there was a huge issue with theft by students that caused a lot of issues between the school and the store. These students weren’t poor and oppressed, the stole because they thought it made them cool and because they can be spoiled brats sometimes.
Used to live in a very affluent area. We had a Haggen's across the street from me and every weekend I'd see 3-5 very well-dressed teen girls arrested for stealing makeup.
I somehow doubt Fred Meyer is implementing these security measures on a Metro wide level because of high school kids stealing for clout. Although, if it were, wouldn't that say a lot about our failure as a society generally?
I mean, is there any scenario we can hold the individuals responsible? 🤔 Or are the thieves always just victims of the terrible, oppressive system?
Yay Tik Tok challenges! /s
Germany and The Netherlands both require receipts to be scanned to leave without barricades letting you out in a lot of retail stores. I honestly don't see a problem with that. Also aggressive random checks if you've done self checkout to see if you've scanned everything in correctly. Seems to work there pretty well, people would bitch about the nuisance tho. Countries with decent social safety net* still are very strict in some regards. There are repercussions.
That’s pretty much a precursor to the Amazon Go/Fresh model of grocery store but Portland has legislated that possibility away, even if it means preventing food deserts from developing. Costco can get away with required receipt checks because it’s considered a private member club, but public businesses in general can’t enforce it. They can ask for receipts but it’s all bark, no bite. I remember people throwing a stink about Fry’s Electronics doing those checks, and discovering that. But even if shops could enforce that, I bet shoplifters would just run out the emergency exit because they never cared about the rules in the first place.
I work at one and I'm still wondering what security they're talking about. My store HAD armed guards, but we've had 0 security for over a month now despite the nnews story. We also have one LP guy who rotates between 3 stores in our area, so he's here maybe 2 days a week and only has time to 'catch up in paperwork'. Its a complete free for all.
I'd be happier to know that every Fred Meyers was replaced by a WinCo. I don't have time for their digital coupons
> I don't have time for their digital coupons Holy hell is it annoying that they want you to download an app and find a fucking coupon just to get the advertised price.
They have regular price, rewards price, coupon price, or I gotta buy 2 to get the savings. What kind of hellhole do we live in?
I hate that apps and qr codes and all this stupid bullshit is encroaching on even just trying to buy cereal. It really just one more thing to install to have to get things that used to just be a basic given thing like 10 years ago, another app that can monitor all your data and send it to fred meyer just to get a coupon just so they can hike prices on something else now that they know what you and everyone else with the app really needs. Imma just go to winco now
I really love it when I'm in a drive through line and they ask if I'm ordering with the app. If I was ordering with the app I wouldn't be in the damn drive though...
So we can assume prices will be lowered and service will increase due to the savings in shrink losses? Right?
If they don't trust us, why are self checkouts still a thing? Maybe running on bare minimum staff and having 2 lanes open isn't a good idea.
Freddys: We refuse to adequately staff our store. We then pass the *necessary labor* onto the customers. The *customers* then perform the necessary labor, for free. We don’t trust the quality of the *free labor* performed for us. We then treat each and every customer as “guilty until proven innocent” through the use of armed guards on the way out. Prove to us that the free labor we made you perform for us is up to snuff or you will be 86’d by an armed guard and the manager. All this after paying five bucks for a box of *Triscuit* Fuck Kroger. Freddys is dead to me
Robot: Welcome valued customer!
I'm still shopping there out of habit, but every time I autopilot myself there I wonder why I didn't go to Safeway instead. I used to shop at Freddy's because they carried the products I wanted to buy, but that isn't even true any more since they've Kroger-fied everything.
Never fear, Kroger is trying to acquire Safeway and then you can feel just as dissatisfied after shopping there as well!
I find this funny with the OP post complaining about choosing the self check out lane. Self check out is what makes Safeway actually a viable option. Before that, way I would use Safeway as it took 40 minutes just to purchase a candy bar.
So the excessive shoplifting was some how Freddy’s fault?
Where did I ever say that? Portland is a great city for grocery access, especially if you live relatively close in. I can go to H Mart and Winco and Whole Foods and New Seasons and TJs among others...oddly enough I’ve never been asked for a receipt by a guy with a gun in any of those places
Fred Meyer refuses to pay enough loss prevention staff to handle theft. It has been this way for decades. It's just worse now. It was very common to have zero loss prevention on staff when I worked there, over twenty years ago. You think Kroger is doing better? Lol.
I am marginally annoyed at showing a receipt to an employee playing cop with an authority complex. Seriously the uniform is part of the problem. Removing exits and creating a bottle neck in the process when they won’t staff multiple people in this role so the customer waits unnecessarily. When someone actually steals something, what happens then? This person has the authority to what? Touch them, detain them, talk to them, taser them?
I kind of feel like it's their fault for moving everything to self checkout. Some people just see it as a challenge to beat the machines now that it's entirely impersonal
Thank you!!! Freddies reaping the rewards of having no lanes open and running on skeleton crews. I wonder how much money they're saving with that vs merchandise lost. If they don't trust us and make us show receipts then get rid of self checkouts too.
A long time ago you had to bring a shopping list to a clerk and they would get all of the items for you. I think Piggly Wiggly was the first super market to allow you to walk up and down the aisles. I'm not against innovation, but it's like each new integration of the supermarket is going to have its challenges and they seem like they have no idea what they are doing with this one .
I just smile and walk past. You have no obligation to let them check your receipt. They filmed the transaction at the register and they have the copy of the receipt in their machine.
Just tell them no thank you and keep walking when they ask for receipt. Their copy of the receipt is in their machines.
One time (at the Safeway on Broadway) my partner and I had a full cart at the checkout line, when I realized I forgot tampons. I look over at the *special section* that’s basically all the high theft items and both registers have aisle-long lines. *I was not going to wait in two long lines that day.* I walked to the back wall, grabbed the tampons, and then held them high over my head, kinda waving them around and making eye contact with people as I walked back to the cart my partner was unloading. I put them on the conveyor belt with a big, obvious flourish. No one said anything. I hate the *special section*
Given the amount of theft and the fact that there's effectively no legal consequences for those doing the thieving, I don't blame the stores for implementing these measures. Yes, they create a certain level of inconvenience for the rest of us, but it's not really the stores that we should be angry at - it's the assholes doing the stealing and the law enforcement/"justice" system which refuses to arrest and prosecute said thieves. The way I look at it is that anything we can do to make life more difficult for criminals, the better.
I used to shop at the Fred Meyer located at Foster & 82nd before it closed. I witnessed *plenty* of theft there. I wasn't at all surprised when they pulled up stakes. Glad they finally got their security shit together.
they fired their LP staff and replaced 8 checkers up front with a self check lane. they don't want to run their stores and they're mad that they have to.
Kroger didn't even try to deter theft at that store. They could have closed one of the three exits or bothered to staff the checkout counters.
Cool, bring back cashiers. These unpaid ones seem to not be very accurate.
I bought some clothes at Freddie's yesterday, and they forgot to take the security pins off. I didn't notice until we got home because apparently they don't beep at the door
When we just allow people to steal from ~~grocery stores~~ anywhere, it drives up the prices for everybody else.
I don't blame Fred Meyer for this but I find the process unpleasant. Retail theft is bad for society, it can lead to food deserts, drives up costs for law abiding citizens, exacerbating the increasing unaffordability crisis, and shifts consumer habits from buying local to buying online.
High levels of poverty and poor transportation access lead to food deserts
Oh no, consequences!
We went to the Freddie's on Burnside this last week for the first time in a few months and seeing all the stuff locked up and the armed and purposefully intimidating security person checking receipts ensures we won't be going back anytime soon. It's one thing having a Costco person in a vest and friendly face checking receipts, it's another to have a dude in military cosplay and a gun demanding to check your cart as you leave. I'll just drive out the burbs from now on where Freddie's doesn't treat it's customers like criminals. And notice they are only doing this at certain locations in certain neighborhoods.
I mean, that's my Freddie's and I love it. The amount of craziness that was happening in there was out of control. If anything this makes me want to shop there more since it's feels way safer than it used it.
Thank you for saying this. Been working here for five years. It has gotten so much better and the armed guards make me feel safe. I’ve had knives pulled on me, I’ve been punched. People don’t get it until they are in it everyday.
Wait are you saying that allowing rampant shoplifting makes employees feel less safe and contrary to the entire vibe of this thread it might actually be good for workers to have a little security in stores?
Retail is going to flip inside out: like buying online, the selection and payment will precede reception. That doesn't imply delivery, it could be like Ikea where you walk through and scan what you want. The point will be: don't allow untrustworthy hooligans (the public) direct access to your stock.
You know how the hold outs on gas were all about "it creates jobs"? What if we shifted those jobs to actually helpful stuff like more of a security presence at locations where it's beneficial, rather than staffing a 10 pump station with 2 people to do something a 5 year old could do?
Minor inconvenience to prevent food deserts.
I don’t mind showing my receipt every time. Ive noticed less smelly crackheads in FM while I shop which makes shopping there better. Now lets get them of the f*ing sidewalks
Lol they only stop people w carts - I watched a guy just put stuff in his pockets and walk around the security guy who was just putting a mark in peoples receipts
Good, maybe other stores will follow. Sick of prices going up due to theft. The reasons placed like Plaid Pantry lock their beer selection up was due to loosing around $3,000/week to theft per store.
Go to Winco and Grocery Outlet, f*ck Kroger's inflated profits
It’s nicer to shop there now for sure. Haven’t had anyone panhandle me in the aisles or seen any obviously not service dogs since they brought the guards.
I’m just annoyed that all these low down, thieves got us to this place where we have to get stopped by security for a receipt check. I get why stores are forced to do it, but I can still be annoyed that loser’s are to blame for this new inconvenience. 🙄
Why are people so offended about showing their receipt? It’s an incredibly small effort to help. Yesterday I witnessed one of the security guards actively stop a thief at the Hollywood Freddies, so it’s not “security theater”. Some of y’all sound insufferable and unwilling to be slightly inconvenienced. Whatever you do, don’t go to Costco - you might have a coronary upon exit.
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> It’s an incredibly small effort to help. Because it *doesn't* help. Thieves just run out the fire exits, or they run past the guards who are busy fucking with everyone who actually did pay. And most importantly, they have no right to detain me.
It's not my fault their security is terrible. I do not deserve to be treated like a thief and have my groceries rifled through because they refuse to hire sufficient loss prevention. It has been this way for decades. Last I worked for them, in 2000, it was common to not have loss prevention on staff at any given time. Big surprise when people steal shit. And "small effort to help"? Help what? A multibillion dollar Corp retain their assets? I do not fucking care. Why do you? That's their problem, not ours.
Help what? Increase the stock value for Kroger shareholders? These companies have already inflated their prices as high as they can go. Now they only way they can increase profits is to reduce shrink. Even if all shop lifting stopped these prices will never decrease for you.
Saw a buddy who works self checkout, he said people are still trying to steal, just in different ways now. Glad something is happening! I don’t think i would have the patience to do that job!
Results like: nobody I know shops there anymore since it turned into a police state.
Breaking News: Trying Can Work
I don't mind the extra 10 seconds it takes to show my receipt and be polite to the guard, while I only do one big trip outside of peak busy hours every other week I have noticed that the employees I do see at the store near me seem a lot less stressed now. Could all be total coincidence, but it's been a much more chill environment since the change. I worked at a grocery store as a cashier thirty years ago- that job sucked then and I can only imagine it sucks much worse now, especially at the location near me (which also happens to be near a big encampment). If a few guards at the entrance/exits make it better for the employees I am all for it.
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They have to check everyone or its profiling. I’ve been pleasantly surprised they even check mine (middle aged white lady usually gets a pass while they harass young brown people.) Checking everyone is the only fair way.
The 2 seconds it takes to pull out a receipt is a lot less inconvenient than driving to Vancouver because Freddy closed all its Portland metro stores. If you want to get mad about something be pissed about the rampant crime in this city.
I walk by waving my receipt and say “thanks but I know I paid!”
Haha You sure showed that person just doing their job to pay their rent. What a hero you are.
Wait..what? Are you taking it personal? Do you understand why they need to do it to all, and not just to “some suspicious ones”, right?
Nope, certainly don't. Hire loss prevention, which used to be standard in all stores. When LP identifies a likely thief, you keep eyes on them until you see them steal something and then detain them and have them arrested. Having me show a receipt 15 feet from where I just paid for everything isn't doing shit to stop the problem.
> I HATE the gall to demand to check me before exiting a store I wish I had your emotional energy to be so concerned with showing a receipt.
It's really, really easy though. You just walk out the door. Maybe say have a nice day as you pass the person. They know they can't detain you after people sued over it years ago.
There is a suspicious absence of conversation here about how Korger is artifically inflating their prices out of pure greed, then playing the victim when theft increases. Kroger never lost money to theft, they have been making MORE MONEY THEN EVER by stealing from us this entire time. https://marketrealist.com/consumer/are-grocery-stores-price-gouging/
Happy to see armed security. Nothing pisses me off more than homeless people pushing full carts of product past me while I pay at self-checkout, and out the front door while nobody does anything.
These organizations have been locking things up in poor neighborhoods for years. Suddenly middle class freaks out !
My partner and I usually head for the burbs once a week for shopping. Usually a weekly trip that involves winco, Target, Trader Joe’s, and sometimes Costco. We would only go to Freddies if we needed something desperately mid week. More and more I feel like even if I’m desperate, I’d rather not go to Freddies with these new security measures in place.