Coles customer slams supermarket's 'frustrating' trolley feature: 'It's overkill'

Aussie shoppers are pretty used to anti-theft technology in supermarkets by now as retail giants Coles and Woolworths continue in their efforts to reduce shoplifting from their stores.

And while smart gates and cameras are a familiar sight for many customers across Australia, some of which loathe the drastic measures, there's another, lesser-known anti-theft tactic catching shoppers off guard.

Queensland woman Jessica Dorante found out first-hand the extent of Coles' security strategy when she was shopping at the Ipswich store last week in what was an "unnecessary" and "frustrating" experience she told Yahoo News Australia. She had just finished paying at the staffed checkout when suddenly "my trolley made this weird buzz and then stopped working".

"I went to push my trolley away, and at the same time, the alarms in the self-service area started buzzing," she explained in on a video TikTok. "The lights are flashing, the gates are flashing red and they wouldn’t let anybody out".

Despite not using the self-serve checkouts, Dorante claimed she was stopped from leaving the store. "I couldn't push [the trolley], I didn't know what the f**k was going on. I thought the wheel got jammed or something," she explained.

Trolley-locking tech is 'overkill', shopper claims

Turns out, the Queensland mum fell victim to the supermarket's trolley-locking technology which locks trolley wheels when sensors suspect a load of groceries hasn't been paid for. It's one of many security measures implemented by the supermarket giant.

It was only when a staff member allegedly told Dorante "it's to prevent theft" that she realised there was no issue with the wheels. "She said because the self-service alarms are going off the trolleys are disabled," the shopper claimed on social media.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia Dorante said that while she understands there's a need for increased security due to theft, she thinks "the trolley was a bit of overkill".

"Disabling trolleys of people who have paid for their food is unnecessary and frustrating for staff as well as those who it happens to," she fumed.

"I had to stand there and wait for this lady from the self-service checkout to come over, and once whatever was going on over there had finished, she had this machine that she pointed at the wheel of my trolley to enable it again so I could leave the f***ing store," she explained online.

"So even though I wasn’t in the self-service checkout area, I was still affected by what was going on in there, and I couldn’t leave Coles. There were no gates preventing me [from leaving], just a trolley full of food that I just paid for".

Coles explains trolley tech

A Coles spokesperson previously confirmed to Yahoo News the technology is used at some of its stores. However, did not clarify the number of stores, or their locations, that use it.

"Trolley lock technology has been in place at a number of our stores in recent years and this technology uses sensors to prevent trolleys leaving the store if someone hasn't first paid at a register," the spokesperson explained. It joins CCTV, electronic article surveillance (EAS) and smart gate technology.

Other anti-theft tech in supermarkets

Smart gates, which Woolworths has also implemented, have also proved contentious among shoppers. Complaints that shoppers feel like a "criminal" are common. Last month one admitted they were "kind of triggered" after being imprisoned behind the gates. While others expressed fears about being "locked in" in an emergency, such as fire.

Coles also recently announced staff would begin to wear body cams in select stores as another measure to reduce the behaviour. Other new security features include overhead cameras which will follow shoppers' movements around the store.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.