Anti-theft shopping carts at Loblaw stirs up anger for Canadians but company says they’re needed to prevent ‘organized retail crime’ 

Another day, another reason for Canadians to be annoyed with Loblaw. This time it’s over an “anti-theft” tactic. 

A video circulating online has triggered many Canadians as it shows a customer whose shopping cart wheels lock at the exit of an Edmonton, AB Loblaws. 

Loblaw new locking carts and asking for receipts after customer paid
byu/Dexter8478 inloblawsisoutofcontrol

According to the post, which was shared on Reddit, a sensor system jams the wheels of a shopping cart if it is not detected near the checkout. 

The footage shows the customer with the locked cart presenting proof of payment before an employee uses an electric device to release its front left wheel.

“It locks up because if you don’t go close to the till, it doesn’t read it, it’s a computerized system, that’s why,” the Loblaw employee tells the person filming the incident. 

Loblaw told Now Toronto on Tuesday that wheel-lock technology has been implemented at certain stores.

“Over the past few years, we’ve introduced a number of different technologies to help mitigate this risk, including smart-wheel technology in carts in various locations across Canada,” the company said in an email statement. 

The video sparked considerable discussion online, with some arguing it will be the last straw for those not already boycotting the grocery giant. 

“All Loblaws is doing is having more people join the boycott. Some of them might not even know the boycott exists, Loblaws is just that sh***y right now,” one Reddit user wrote.

“I’m already boycotting Loblaws, but if I wasn’t, I certainly would be if this happened to me,” another person said.

“I would carry every single item back to the service desk and return it. People behave like these stores are the only ones selling groceries. They’d never get another penny from me after this embarrassment,” someone else commented. 

Others expressed empathy for the employee in the video who was forced to explain why the cart had locked.

“To be fair to that guy he’s just doing what has been asked of him by his employer and he probably needs the job. I don’t think it’s his fault,” one person wrote.

“He looks really young too. I feel awful for the staff,” another user responded.

Others discussed the cost of retro-fitting the carts with the additional security measure.

“They would rather spend a dollar on things like this than lower prices by ten cents,” one person wrote.

But Loblaw said it implemented the measure in response to a rise in “organized retail crime.”

According to the grocer, wheel lock technology has been extremely effective at preventing thieves from walking out the door with full carts of groceries. The wheels malfunction on occasion, the company added.

“Very rarely, we’ve had incidents where the wheels accidentally lock. We understand how unpleasant this can be for customers, and we’re continuing to do what we can to fix this, test, and learn,” Loblaw concluded.