Kmart’s receipt scanning policy leaves customers feeling like ‘criminals’

Kmart, one of Australia’s most popular retail giants, has recently ignited a wave of anger and frustration among its customers with the introduction of a new policy requiring digital scanning of receipts before they leave the store.

This move, aimed at enhancing security and streamlining the shopping experience, has prompted one frustrated shopper to express her feelings of being treated like a “criminal”.

“I was shopping at Kmart Marrickville and there was a long queue of shoppers waiting to get out at the exit,” a Sydney shopper told 7News.

“People weren’t allowed to leave the store until their receipts had been digitally scanned by a Kmart worker – I’ve never seen anything like it.

“I’ve seen Kmart workers check receipts before, but this is the first time I saw a worker stop each person and scan their receipts,” they continued.

“People weren’t happy at the hold-up and how we were basically being treated like criminals.”

As someone who has worked in retail for years theft is out of control at the moment. Big companies put the pressure on the young staff to deal with these problem causing an unsafe workplace. Time for them to invest in better structured stores & security. 1/1 ????

— Apey (@apeybreakyheart) June 8, 2023

Meanwhile, other customers have taken to social media to slam the new system.

“Having to queue for limited checkouts, now we have to queue to have our dockets scanned before we are allowed to leave a store,” one shopper wrote.

“Hope Kmart realises this does nothing for honest shoppers as thieves will still just walk on out with full trolleys.”

I don’t stop to show it.
I’ve paid for my goods & won’t submit myself to be ‘receipt checked’ when KMart let’s *actual* offenders go free. We all pay extra you know, ????stores make up for stolen goods by increasing the cost per product to law abiding citizens. https://t.co/Q8qValiLx4

— Krystle Mitchell ???????????? (@Just_Krystle_M) June 8, 2023

Another customer said Kmart’s entire shopping experience is “utterly ridiculous”.

“What’s with moving the tills to the centre of the store and then scanning receipts on the way out?” the said.

“Twice now I’ve seen people queuing to get their receipts checked, so I just walk out. I’m not queuing in the same shop twice for the same items. Utterly ridiculous.”

Kmart introduced the new digital receipt scanning system earlier this year, with the aim of enhancing its existing receipt-checking procedures. Prior to the implementation of scanners, Kmart staff would manually inspect customers’ receipts as they exited the store.

In response to the negative reactions, a Kmart spokesperson defended the scanners, stating that they have received positive feedback regarding their effectiveness in expediting the receipt-checking process.

The company claims that the digital scanning system streamlines the overall experience for both customers and staff.

“At Kmart, we strive to deliver an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience to all our customers whether they choose to shop with us in-store or online,” the spokesperson told 7News.

“We have introduced digital receipt scanning to assist in our existing process of receipt and bag checks before leaving the store, which is a condition of entry across all of our stores and has been for many years.

“This introduction creates a more streamline experience that is easier for both customers and team members when they visit us in-store.”