‘Unnecessary friction’: Aldi quietly ends controversial checkout policy nationwide

Aldi Australia has announced the end of its mandatory customer bag search policy at checkouts nationwide as of September 30.

A notice to staff explained the change had been made to reduce “unnecessary friction at the checkout” following staff reports of incidents and negative encounters.

The notice reads: “We’re making a change for a better checkout experience.

“Mandatory customer bag checks will no longer be required from today, Wednesday 30 September.

“We know that difficult customer interactions can have a real impact, and many of you have shared feedback about the challenges associated with bag checks.

“We’ve listened to that feedback, reviewed the data and are taking action.

“By making this change, we’re reducing unnecessary friction at the checkout and helping create a more positive experience for both employees and customers.

“While mandatory bag checks are changing, our focus on reducing theft and inventory loss remains the same,” the notice continued.

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“Existing inventory controls remain essential and will continue to support effective loss prevention across our stores.”

The policy change was communicated to staff internally, with a screenshot of the change in directive later shared on Reddit.

An Aldi spokesperson told nine.com.au: “ALDI reserves the right to request inspection of bags, parcels and containers at the checkout in accordance with its Conditions of Entry.

“We are committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone. Harassment, discrimination, abuse or aggressive behaviour towards our employees or customers will not be tolerated.”

Australia’s major supermarkets have rolled out a range of alternative security features across the country to combat increasing rates of retail theft.

At Aldi, this has seen the installation of new entry and exit gates at multiple stores across the country.

Some stores require customers to scan their receipts for exit gates to open as part of a trial, including at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Rockdale Plaza in Sydney, and Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown in Queensland.

If customers choose not to print a full tax invoice at self-checkout at these Aldi locations, the terminal will still print a small, shortened paper slip containing only the exit barcode so you can scan your way out.

Woolworths’ latest security measures include new entry gates designed to stop shoppers exiting stores via the entryway.

These gates feature plastic or metal prongs that customers are required to gently push through to enter the store. These too are in a trial phase, and are currently found at Camberwell in Melbourne, and Bass Hill Plaza in Sydney.

Over to Coles where the supermarket has taken to fitting high-value meat packets with large yellow plastic anti-theft tags to help prevent stock loss.

These tags require manual removal at the checkout by staff.

According to recorded crime data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), national theft has surged to a 21-year-high, with supermarkets a major target.

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Increasing incidents of violence are also being seen in retail settings.

According to union workforce surveys conducted by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), approximately 88 per cent of surveyed retail workers experienced verbal abuse over a 12-month period, while the proportion reporting direct physical violence doubled to 25 per cent.

This surge is largely concentrated around loss-prevention flashpoints including confrontations over manual bag inspections, self-checkout scanning issues, and attempted trolley push-outs.

Supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths have progressively equipped staff safety equipment.

In late 2023, Coles formally announced trials of body-worn cameras across dozens of stores, alongside wearable duress watches capable of silently dispatching real-time alerts and GPS locations to security operations and police.

Woolworths initiated its own multi-store trials of body-worn cameras and silent panic/duress pendants across selected high-risk supermarket and BIG W locations following a documented spike in customer aggression.

New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia have introduced tougher standalone criminal penalties for crimes against retail workers.