Rules urged for personal-bag use in shops due to shoplifting fear

Retail rules are changed all because of one stolen pot noodle. But can't impose lockdown in a pandemic.

That ship sailed long ago

Only takes one idiot to throw the whole social order into panic and confusion. Are there actually any adults in the room. With the growing level of poverty bag or no bag it's going to happen.

Pockets would be my focus, shops should require them to be tapped shut and sealed with wax, checked before exiting a store, it's the only way to stamp cup noddle thieves out.

Cricky - Pockets would be my focus

lol! I remember watching an old lady taking one or two strawberries out of every punnet and stuffing them into the pockets of her jacket. I’m sure she had done it before and strawberries were not the only thing she steals.

Strawberries? Holy cow everyone knows cup noddles are the go. Aso San even recommended them for poor people. Will I be looked at suspiciously if I take my backpack to the super? Deservedly so some may say.

Bring back public flogging, hang them, flay them alive!!!!!!

Oops, must remember to take my pills.

All joking aside shoplifting has been a recurrent problem ever since shoppers were encouraged to select goods for them selves, understandable why retailers went down this route as it massively increases profits but comes wit this problem which is not going to go away. Businesses should already be building the cost in to their calculations, they just may have to make a greater allowance.

With increasing poverty inevitably some will give in to the temptation put in front of them.

Shoplifting from my experience in Japan is mostly done by middle-aged, senior citizens and young males. I could be wrong because I don't have the numbers.

But, the current situation makes the temptation for individuals and families struggling to make ends meet very strong.

From the business point view, make all customers keep bags folded until they come up to the register. Usually I see women walking in or around the stores with big bags on the arms before they ever reach the counter.

Also have someone wait at the entrance to check everyone's bags to the receipt. Costco does this.

A couple of months' data should tell retailers how much is going walkies from shelves.

Earlier this month, a Tokyo-based anti-shoplifting nonprofit organization created a poster urging customers to use shopping baskets provided by stores and to keep personal bags folded until after purchases are made.

Really common sense, isn´t it. Personal bags have been around for a long time, even in Japan, and I have never seen anybody going around the shelves putting things into them. Much ado about nothing?

Online shopping with delivery works great, no worries about lines, masks, or shopping bags. Worth the investment. I haven't gone to the store in over 6 months, everything is delivered to my home, including ice cream, and other frozen goods. I love it.

Will I be looked at suspiciously if I take my backpack to the super? 

I have been using my backpack for years when going grocery shopping in Japan. I walk into the store with it on my back, but I only put my groceries in it after I've paid. Until then I of course use the shopping basket. Never been an issue for me.

If Japan really wants to do something about potential shoplifters, they could do what Silvafan suggests, or what Carrefour in Europe did: install lockers by the entrance of the store and only allow customers in after they temporarily store their personal belonings there, including their own bags etc. And can pick it up again when they leave.

@Reckless

So all men?

The wording was unclear! My bad! The first two groups are not gender specific.

Yes, I agree that keeping your receipt is probably a wise thing.

One example of stealing a pack of noodles?

It’s a non issue ,isn’t it?

22.9 percent, said they had experienced more shoplifting as a result.

I would say its actually because they were just paying more attention due to the change, and finally noticed shoplifting that had been happening all the time. After all, it doesn't say the extra percentage of shoplifted items were in personal bags does it? Probably because that simply was not the case.

The easiest way to shoplift is just use the store bag from the last time you were there. In fact, the store bags facilitate shoplifting for thieves with brains.

The number 1 and 2 shoplifters in japan are the obaachans and ojiichans.

Oh, Japan, for the love of sanity have a day off!

All joking aside shoplifting has been a recurrent problem ever since shoppers were encouraged to select goods for them selves,

What century were you born?

Shoplifting from my experience

What do you mean by experience here? Witnessed? Read in the news?? In my 15 odd years in Japan, I’ve never noticed anyone shoplifting. Not saying it doesn’t happen, just saying I’ve never seen it. Found your comment curious...

Rgcivilian1, agree, haven’t been in a shop since March, everything delivered.

Fuzzy, the 20th Century.

Next they will be wanting you to empty your pockets on entry and on exit, ....................I want to speak to the manager , or the other dick head in charge who is making these stupid rules.

Amazing how such a low crime society has a problem trusting customers.

Who do I invoice for the time I've wasted getting tape on my stuff?

The global remedy are tiny, lightweight passive SKU receptors for every product, no different than labeling now. Coupled with active pinging that would locate every product within centimeters of its location in the environment. Scanning turns it off.

Retail rules are changed all because of one stolen pot noodle. But can't impose lockdown in a pandemic.

Somehow these kind of comments never get removed by moderators as "off-topic", when similar comments, but of the contrary nature do.

Now, moderator, use your power to remove this comment, because we know that removing comments change the reality that you are just biased.

How about lifting taxes by the shops ? Nearly always when I pay cash they try to withhold the receipt.

Can anyone say, "Law of Unintended Consequences"?

The price of the bags was already added to the cost of goods. This stupid new rule where people are charged for something they are already charged for was just that. Stupid.

Convenience stores are becoming more like inconvenience stores.

Japan should just adopt biodegradable grocery bags like they do in Europe and be done with it.

Use them and trash them without fear of damage to the environment instead of keeping the status quo and making everyone's life more complicated.

Biodegradable bags are still waste. It’s really not difficult to use your own bag.

Where I live there is a shop that has three parts and three set of tills. Part one is vegetables and some fruit, part two is meat, fish and all other types of goods. Part three is fruit only and this part is at the front of the shop Now, when I go in, I go to the meat area and pick up what I need from there. Then I go to the till and pay for what I just picked up. Now my bags are full and I have to go through the vegetable section (there is no other exit) and pick up the vegetables I need and then go to the till to pay for them. Then I go to the fruit section and pick up what I want and then go to the till to pay for them. So I have more and more bags with produse in them. There is plenty of opportunity to shoplift in this scenario, there are no security cameras and too busy for anyone to watch every customer. It is obviously designed with trust in customers, but things are changing fast! Two weeks ago I saw a worker from the vegetable section stop a customer in his 70s from leaving the shop because he saw him putting two small pumpkins (350 yen x 2) in to a cardboard box and then trying to walk out without paying for them.