Aldi scraps mandatory bag checks at self-serve checkouts after staff report high levels of abuse

Aldi has dropped its requirement to check every bag larger than A4 at self-serve checkouts, after staff said the rule fuelled threats and verbal abuse.

The supermarket operator told staff on September 30 it would stop auditing mandatory bag checks and would instead request inspections only when there was “clear, observable evidence” an item had been concealed.

A survey run by the SDA union in New South Wales and the ACT found strong links between the bag-check policy and customer aggression. Of the 185 store workers who answered the survey, almost 97% said they had experienced some form of abuse or violence while working at self-serve checkouts, with 98.4% identifying the bag checks as a driver and 75% pointing to checks of trolleys and prams.

Workers reported growing anxiety and stress from having to approach customers, and said managers regularly reviewed CCTV footage as part of performance monitoring. One staff member told the survey, “You are being monitored all the time by supervisors checking cameras.”

"Watch out, I will wait for you outside"

Dozens of respondents described customers following or threatening them after confrontations, and some said staff had faced property damage while trying to prevent theft.

Aldi’s internal change ends a practice that previously required every bag larger than A4 to be checked at checkout. The company said bag inspections may still be requested during a transaction if staff observe clear evidence an item may not be presented for payment.

An Aldi spokesperson said the group is “committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone” and that it reserves the right to ask customers to inspect bags in line with its conditions of entry. The company also warned it would not tolerate harassment, discrimination, abuse or aggressive behaviour directed at employees or customers. Aldi declined to answer further questions about the policy change.

Customers have complained online that self-serve registers are often closed, forcing longer waits at manned checkouts and increasing tensions. On the r/AldiAustralia subreddit, one user wrote that it was “no longer worthwhile to drop in for a few items” because only one server handled multiple full trolleys while several self-serve machines remained closed.

SDA NSW secretary Bernie Smith said Aldi’s low staffing model shifted the burden of theft prevention onto workers and raised their injury rates. “Aldi always runs the lowest staffing model. They have the highest level of injuries,” he said.

Queensland University of Technology marketing professor Gary Mortimer described closing self-serve tills as a loss-prevention tactic that channels customers toward manned checkouts where checks can be carried out. Retail consultant Trent Rigby added that Aldi’s self-serve screens, which display a live feed with a monitoring notice, feel more confrontational than systems at other supermarket chains.

The policy shift follows a formal request from the SDA to remove mandatory bag checks, stop disciplining staff who refuse risky customer contact, and increase store staffing. Aldi director of store operations Callum Storey has told the union that requiring checks of all customers would minimise conflict and that staff are not expected to trade off safety against performance targets. The retailer has not provided clear responses to the union’s follow-up requests about disciplinary and safety measures.

Rising cost-of-living pressures have driven higher rates of shoplifting across the sector, prompting Coles and Woolworths to spend tens of millions of dollars on theft-prevention technology and staff training. Aldi’s self-serve network was rolled out nationally in late 2024, more than a decade after its larger rivals introduced the technology.

Under the new approach, Aldi will no longer routinely audit bag checks but retains the right to request inspections at the checkout when staff see signs that items may not be presented for payment.