KROGER shoppers have slammed the grocery store for employing armed guards in some of its locations.
Multiple Kroger locations in Cincinnati have added receipt checks with armed guards and customers are unhappy about it.
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“I now feel like a criminal just for grocery shopping. Unfortunately, Kroger has driven out all local competition, so I have no choice but the Kroger which is now a prison.” one shopper wrote to The Columbus Dispatch.
Others have taken to social media to share their disdain for the new addition to the grocery store.
” i am not impressed nor intimidated by paramilitary wannabes but i do find this wholly inappropriate in a neighborhood grocery store,” a person commented on X, (formerly known as Twitter.)
“Armed guards at the N High Kroger greeting customers at the door and checking receipts on the way out. Fucking broken city in a broken country,” a second person wrote.
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“Sometimes I’ll pop into the Kroger near work in the morning, and I’ve counted as many as four guards in there. It’s crazy,” a third person added.
Kroger has added armed receipt checks as a new way to combat theft in some of its locations including:
- Short North at 1350 N High St.
- 3600 Soldano Blvd.
- Great Southern at 3637 S High St.
- Northland Village at 1745 Morse Road
- Brewers Yard at 150 W Sycamore St.
- Bexley at 2000 E Main St.
Shoppers were greeted with a sign last month alerting them to the new change that was added to the store.
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“At Kroger we are committed to providing access to fresh food and essentials. Safety is one of our core values, and it guides everything we do,” the Kroger spokesperson said to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“In response to increased incidents of theft, we recently deployed added safety measures at six Cincinnati-area stores, including periodic receipt checks.”
Armed security guards were said to be waiting at the exit, where they would often mark the receipt before the customer left the store.
Theft has become a major issue in the city in recent years.
It was found that Cincinnati was one of the major cities that have seen 16% increase in theft since 2019, according to a 2023 Council on Criminal Justice report.
ROLLING OUT MORE ANTI-THEFT POLICIES
Amid the growing backlash, Kroger continues to bring more anti-theft policies to certain locations.
Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers
Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.
- Locking items in cabinets.
- Security pegs.
- Security cameras.
- Signs warning about the impact of theft.
- Receipt scanners.
- Receipt checks.
- Carts with locking technology
Kroger revealed that it would no longer allow large bags in its locations.
This includes duffle bags, backpacks, and suitcases.
They have also stated that they reserve the right to search other bags and containers brought into the store by customers.
One shopper reported seeing the policy in action in multiple locations.
“At least two of the Krogers I go to have been progressively hardening themselves over the last 2 years,” one shopper wrote on X.
“First, one-way gates & entrance guards, then movable barriers to interfere with sweeping Tide off the shelf en masse.”
Another person had a similar experience, revealing the store would not even let them through the door.
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“@kroger, a company with a $32.61B market cap, won’t let me carry my backpack inside. I ride a scooter and they charge for bags. Good stuff,” they wrote.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Kroger for comment.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/11536673/prison-camp-cries-kroger-shopper-criminal-security/