Supermarket Sleuths: 'I tried Woolworths' new security gates: Here is why they are so frustrating'

OPINION -- When Woolworths began rolling out its new entryways in select stores across the country, early reports weren't great.

The gates, which first appeared at Woolworths Camberwell in Melbourne, feature two lanes through which customers can enter, with white flexible prongs positioned along them to prevent customers leaving using the entryway.

A Woolworths spokesperson told nine.com.au the trial is to "explore new ways to respond to increased theft in our supermarkets", which has become a major issue for supermarkets.

"We know the majority of our customers do the right thing, and we thank them for doing so. This is to deter those that don't," they said.

Retail theft incidents have reached their highest level in two decades with a six per cent increase in 2024, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), prompting supermarket retailers to increase security measures across the country.

When I heard the new entryway had been installed at Woolworths in Bass Hill, I was keen to try it.

Having seen multiple photos of the two lanes with the white flexible prongs, I was curious to understand what it was like to try and walk through them.

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Many Woolworths customers had already slammed the new entryways on Reddit, with one concerned mum sharing a photo of her toddler standing in front of one, the prongs at her child's eye level.

"These recently popped up at Woolies in Bass Hill, and talking to other parents they've smacked a lot of kids," she wrote.

"Probably not going to do any serious harm but it's not a good start when you just got to the supermarket and now your kid's already crying because the entry gauntlet hurt them.

"Are these at every store now?"

Another had expressed concern for wheelchair and disability scooter users.

"I wonder how people with disabilities are going to get through these security gates. This is just getting ridiculous," they commented.

When I arrived at Woolworths in Bass Hill, the supermarket had a staff member positioned at the entryway.

At first I thought her job was to help parents with prams and disabled Australians, but she told me her job was to record customer feedback.

My first thought was that the entryways were much lower than I first expected. While they are at a toddler's eye level, they were lined up to my legs.

My partner Shamus walked through them first. He could actually awkwardly step over them, but then walked through them properly and found it quite easy to do.

Next, I walked through the entryway using a trolley. That too was easy.

The prongs open as you walk through, and you aren't met with much resistance.

Anyone attempting to steal supermarket items and escape through this new entryway could easily do so if they were holding the items in their hands – but you can't get a trolley full of stolen items through them, which seems to be the point.

Woolworths shoppers with toddlers could have their children walk with them behind the trolley or push their prams through, not that toddlers always love doing what they are told during trips to the shops.

They are not accessible for the disability community, which is a major issue.

Woolworths told nine.com.au disabled Australians in need of assistance can ask a staff member for help, but I couldn't see a staff member on hand to do that, nor could I see an easy alternate entryway for them.

One Woolworths customer commented: "I'm a wheelchair user. These things SUCK. Right at hit-you-in-the-neck level.

"I keep hearing myths about how a worker will pass a button to open them up for disabled people, but I've never seen it.

"If your store's 'accessibility' involves needing to ask a worker to assist you, THEN IT'S NOT ACCESSIBLE! And that goes for 'just go through fast' or 'just go through backwards' as well."

Disability advocate Zoe Simmons, who lives with multiple disabilities, previously told nine.com.au she feels supermarket entrances and exits are getting smaller and "harder to navigate as a wheelchair user".

"Someone with a mobility scooter probably wouldn't be able to get through them at all! I've also had the little plastic entrances/exits either not open, or close on me," Simmons said.

"I think it just comes down to the fact that people in leadership and decision-making roles do not consider the impact on disabled people.

"Goes to show there really needs to be lived experience and co-design."

Sarah James, a disability consultant who runs The Sensory Specialist, told nine.com.au accessibility "shouldn't be an afterthought".

"Especially in a supermarket. For many people, these gates aren't an inconvenience, they're a barrier to basic dignity."

Woolworths told nine.com.au: "We understand this will take time for local customers to get used to, which is why we'll have a team member at the entrance for a number of weeks to help guide customers."

Woolworths is the only supermarket to trial such an entryway, however Coles and Aldi have both upgraded their entry and exit gates of late, with mixed reactions.

Currently, most Coles supermarkets feature entryways which feature two large plastic prongs that open as customers enter the store. These too make it difficult for customers to attempt to leave via the entryway.

My local Coles at Castle Hill has an alarm that sounds if sensors detect attempts to do this.

The exit gates are smaller spaces that only allow one trolley through at a time. I've lost count of the number of times I've been left waiting for them to open.

Many Aldi stores are also updating their entryways and exit gates. The retailer has started a trial of a new exit gate at its Northland location in Melbourne, which requires customers to scan their receipts before they are allowed to leave.

"These things scan worse than the original Myki readers so you're kinda stuck in the store till they work," they said, adding that during a recent visit they were left "waiting behind others".

"Can't see these models lasting long," they concluded.

The less discussed cause of all this upgraded security, in addition to increased retail theft, is the rise of self checkouts in supermarkets which have left retails more open to retail theft.

Before self checkouts were installed, every customer had to pay for their purchases using a staffed checkout aisle, making theft more difficult.

Today there is less staff, often one or two team members per self checkout space, who are left to try and monitor customers, although these days they are assisted by multiple security features including cameras at all angles, sensors, and security gates.

Perhaps, just as it took time for shoppers to get used to self checkouts, it will just take time for us to get used to upgraded entry and exit gates.

For those who remain uncomfortable using them, there are more collection points and delivery options being rolled out by Australian supermarkets for customers to access.

The only issue being that majority of Aussie shopper still prefer to do their main grocery shop in person, approximately 85 per cent as of late 2025.

So that means dealing with the complexity of new supermarket security measures, and the teething problems that come with them.

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