Some Giant Food stores in the Washington, D.C., market have begun prohibiting customers from bringing large bags into the store in an effort to deter shoplifting, according to local reports.
The stores are restricting the use of suitcases, duffel bags, and any other large bags — 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches — that close, reported local website DC News Now.
The website quoted a Giant Food spokesperson saying that the policy was implemented at certain locations experiencing high levels of shrinkage.
“The retail theft we are experiencing across our market area is a problem that affects everyone,” a Giant spokesperson told the website. “It limits product availability, creates a less convenient shopping experience, and, most critically, puts our associates and customers in harm’s way.”
A spokesperson for Giant Food, which is owned by Ahold Delhaize, could not be reached for comment by Supermarket News.
According to posts on chat forum Reddit, Giant Food stores on Wisconsin Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, H Street, and in the Columbia Heights area are among those that have posted signs announcing the new policy banning large bags.
Harris Teeter, the Kroger-owned chain that operates stores in the D.C. area, also began banning large bags in some stores earlier this year to help prevent shoplifting, DC News Now reported. The chain also began requiring customers to show their sales receipts at the exits. In addition, last year some Safeway stores in the area installed gates in its self-checkout areas at some stores to reduce theft. Customers must scan their sales receipts for the gates to open, according to reports.
Last year, a Giant Food store in the market took the unusual step of removing some branded HBC products from its shelves to deter theft, among other measures.
Other retailers around the country have also adopted new measures to prevent shoplifting, including checking sales receipts and removing self-checkout lanes. Safeway recently removed self-checkout lanes from some stores in the San Francisco area, for example, and Walmart said it was removing self-checkout at two stores in Missouri and Ohio. Dollar General is removing self-checkout at 300 locations, in part to minimize theft at those locations.