Coles customers raise security gate fears after getting 'locked in'
An expert has weighed in on customer concerns.
Coles' new security gates have once again been criticised by frustrated shoppers, but this time over fears they could pose a risk during an emergency, such as a fire.
The supermarket gates — designed to remain closed when detecting unscanned items at the self-checkout — were introduced in multiple stores last year in an attempt to eliminate theft, but the prospect of being "locked in" has left many customers "horrified".
Last month, one frustrated shopper said they were "kind of triggered" after being imprisoned behind the gates during his recent shop. But that's just one concern Aussie shoppers have when it comes to the "extreme" security measures that, in some cases, are causing customers to shop elsewhere.
New safety fears over Coles' security gates
Taking aim at the "barriers that stop you from getting out at Coles," one customer took to TikTok. The woman suggested the security gates, which Woolworths has also introduced, could be dangerous and once again questioned the supermarket's decision to have them in the first place.
"Doesn't this increase risk as a fire hazard? What if they malfunction in the event of a fire?" she said in the video on social media. And many others echoed her fears.
In a separate video, another Coles shopper pointed out that the smart gate technology "locks you in" as she filmed an elderly couple waiting with their trolley to be let out. A sign on the inside says, "Please wait for gate to open".
"You have to wait till it opens," said the woman named Coco on Tiktok who also feared they "won’t let us out in an emergency".
"What if there is a fire and it slows down evacuation," one said in the comments. "I wonder if it would be a fire hazard or if they open automatically in the event of a fire," chimed in another. Meanwhile, a third said they "have questions about [whether] these things meet workplace health and safety".
Coles shoppers startled by little-known security measure as supermarket fills with smoke
Woolworths customer hits out at frustrating self-serve checkout feature
Expert weighs in on 'fire hazard' claim
However, building fire safety expert Associate Professor Kate Nguyen said that while she doesn't know specifics about how the system works, Coles' security gates likely operate in the same way as other gate systems commonly seen in buildings — which are not known fire hazards.
"If in case of an emergency, and if the alarm goes off, the gate is automatically deactivated, or it could easily be opened by a member of staff," the RMIT professor told Yahoo News Australia. "It is also very rare for them to malfunction," she added.
Generally speaking, there should always be a member of staff that's specifically trained for emergencies, such as a fire. "Often they have some kind of a manual mechanism to unlock the gate in an emergency," Professor Nguyen said.
Yahoo News Australia understands that Coles' security gates are designed to open easily in the case of an emergency. Additionally, there's usually more than one path for evacuating the store in an emergency, Professor Nguyen added.
Coles security gates now in over 100 stores
The security gates are just one of many new measures implemented in stores. Yahoo understands there are more than 100 stores nationwide that now have the security gates installed, with Coles saying the gates have corresponded with a reduction in theft at those locations.
"We know that retail crime is on the increase across all retailers, and we have a range of security measures in place to reduce theft from our stores," a Coles spokesperson recently told Yahoo.
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, and a lock mechanism on shopping trolleys which prevents customers from taking them away from the supermarket.
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