Bunnings shopper shocked by self-serve checkout ‘confrontation’

A Bunnings shopper has sparked an online bashing of self-service checkouts everywhere, after he shared his frustration over an apparent confrontation during a recent visit to his local hardware store.

Taking to Reddit, the man from Queensland said he generally uses the self-checkouts at the store as they are often “the fastest option”, but was this time left feeling “offended” after an interaction with a staff member.

A Bunnings shopper claims he was treated ‘like a thief’ recently. Photo: Getty

“I scanned three boxes of screws and two of those plastic tubs,” he explained in the now viral thread.

“Once I was done the attendant demanded to know if I had scanned two boxes,” he continued, claiming the worker used a “booming voice” and then demanded to see the receipt.

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“Even though I laughed it off, I was offended,” he continued adding, “For context, I’m an average-looking guy with a professional job. I probably looked a bit scruffy this morning, but hey – it’s a damn Bunnings, not opening night at the Opera.”

Though he clarified that it had “never happened before”, he added he’d felt like he was “under scrutiny as a thief”.

The shopper was left feeling offended after the incident. Photo: Getty

It is understood the customer did not contact Bunnings directly to discuss their concerns, and the checking of receipts at the self-serve registers is a standard process in all stores, and the team member in this situation was following correct guidelines.

“We’re aware of a customer’s recent experience at one of our stores which they shared on social media,” Patrick Blair, Bunnings Area Manager, said in a statement provided to Yahoo Lifestyle. 

“We have since looked into the matter and we’re satisfied our team member was following our correct process for verifying purchases at the self-service checkout and was respectful and professional in their duties.

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“We always welcome feedback and we encourage the customer to reach out to the store directly if they would like to discuss their experience.

“Our store teams are doing their best to help customers access the products they need during this time, and we thank our customers for their understanding.”

The post did spark thousands of comments, with many people airing their own ongoing dilemmas with self-service checkouts in general.

“The thing about self checkout is if there’s a mistake, you’re the thief. In a staffed checkout, if there’s a mistake then it’s a mistake,” one person said.

“Just go to a cashier. The more customers that go with the human option, the more chance that human has of keeping a job,” another pointed out.

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