John McCracken says he was shocked when he recently spotted a new sign at his local Loblaw-owned Superstore just outside Halifax, warning customers the store was conducting receipt checks when shoppers exit.
“I was really disgusted. I thought it was really adding insult to injury after all the price gouging,” said McCracken, referring to claims Loblaw has inflated grocery prices — which the retailer denies.
Several shoppers complained to CBC News about receipt-check signs they spotted within the past two weeks at their Loblaw-owned grocer, including Loblaws and Zehrs stores in Ontario. Each of those signs has now disappeared, but Loblaw won’t say if it has abandoned receipt checks, which can be unpopular with shoppers and difficult to enforce.
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“‘Inventory accuracy’ is a tongue-in-cheek way, I think, of saying, ‘There’s a lot of [theft] going on in the store,'” said criminal lawyer Kyla Lee.
She says retailers typically introduce receipt checks, along with accompanying bag searches, as a theft deterrent.
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Despite the reported rise in theft, industry experts told CBC News receipt checks may not be a wise solution. Lee said they generally aren’t enforceable by law and can lead to legal issues for retailers, including human rights complaints.
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