A Coles customer has claimed they were ‘crushed’ by the supermarket’s new smart gates as they tried to leave the self-service checkout.
The customer, who uses a wheelchair, said they were leaving the store with their 10-year-old son, who was able to walk through the gate without any problems before the door suddenly slammed into them.
‘Halfway through the gate slammed shut in front of me. Hit my arms and stop my wheelchair,” they wrote on Reddit.
‘When I squeaked away, it opened after a second and I pushed through. Yes, it hurt. Yes, it drove me crazy. No, I’m not injured. No, I don’t think it damaged my wheelchair. No, I didn’t shoplift.’
The customer said a manager on duty at the store told them that someone from management would be contacting them this week.
A Coles customer has claimed they were ‘crushed’ by the supermarket’s new smart gates as they tried to leave the self-service checkout
“I’ll believe it when it happens, but I’ll call every day until SOMEONE tells me how to avoid being crushed next time,” they said.
Coles began rolling out its latest anti-theft system in September last year in a bid to curb shoplifting after a 20 per cent increase amid rising costs of living.
The gates are one of the final steps in the enhanced security system.
New security cameras above the cash registers monitor all items being scanned and placed in bags. If any anomalies are detected, smart gates are closed while an alarm sounds, locking the customer in the store.
If that doesn’t get a suspected thief out of the store, the wheels on new high-tech carts lock completely as soon as they leave the store.
‘We know that retail crime is increasing across all retailers and we have a range of security measures in place to reduce theft in our stores, including CCTV, Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and in some stores new smart gate technology that opens automatically when customers pay for their products a Coles spokesperson previously told Daily Mail Australia.
But many customers have expressed outrage at the new security installation, claiming the fences make them feel ‘locked’ in the supermarket, with some likening it to a prison.
Others claim they were also affected by the doors suddenly closing.
“One literally slammed on our stroller as we were pushing our child through it,” said one Reddit user.
“I like that they close them and sometimes you have to wait to get out because they want to make sure you haven’t stolen a $3 lemon.” It turns into a prison instead of a supermarket,” said another.
Coles has been contacted for comment.
Coles installed the anti-theft gates late last year along with a range of other devices including cameras, trolley locks and even fog machines
