"Treating customers like criminals": Burnaby Superstore draws criticism (VIDEO)
Have you noticed new security gates in a store near you? For Metro Vancouverites, seeing gates pop up at the local Superstore was an unpleasant experience.
According to Rakesh Dutt, he was in the Metrotown Superstore recently when he noticed new security gates on the aisles. In a video posted to TikTok, you can see that a cosmetic/beauty section has been gated and has one point for both entry and exit.
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“My immediate thought upon seeing the gates was … ‘Okay, here’s yet another reason not to shop at Superstore,'” said Dutt. “Treating customers like criminals is a strategy that will likely backfire with people,” he said.
Dutt shared a video of the security gates on TikTok and told Daily Hive that it’s in the public’s best interest to “raise awareness about some of the extreme lengths retailers are going to.” Dutt points out that practices like receipt checking leads to profiling customers. Combining these loss-prevention tactics in light of allegations of price gouging leaves a bad taste in Dutt’s mouth.
Dutt also takes issue with the exorbitant pay of Galen Weston Jr while “frontline staff don’t get raises to keep pace with inflation despite record profits.”
Daily Hive has reached out to Loblaws to learn more about the security gates and will update this story.
The Metrotown Superstore isn’t the only retailer in the region to have adopted similar loss-prevention strategies. For example, a Surrey Walmart location in the King George area has a similar setup for the pharmacy section.
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In the video’s comment section, users sounded off in agreement. “How are you supposed to shop?” wrote one commenter. “We always referred to it as stupid store since it opened in my city, it really fits more now,” wrote another.
Screenshot from the TikTok comments section
Other commentators seemed understanding of the new measures. “This is what happens when they rob a store blind,” wrote one commenter. “Excellent, it’s about time. Too much shop lifting,” wrote another.
What do you think of gated sections in stores?
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