According to local reports, some Giant Food locations in Washington DC Market have begun banning customers from bringing large bags into the stores as a measure to prevent shoplifting.
According to a report from local website DC News Now, the store is banning suitcases, duffel bags and other large bags measuring 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches.
The website quoted a Giant Food spokesperson as saying the policy was implemented in certain stores that were experiencing high levels of shrinkage.
“Retail theft occurring in our territories is an issue that affects everyone,” a Giant spokesperson said on its website. “It limits merchandise availability, reduces shopping convenience, and most importantly, puts our employees and customers at risk.”
Supermarket News reached out to a spokesperson for Giant Food, which is owned by Ahold Delhaize, for comment but was unable to get in touch.
According to a post on chat forum Reddit, Giant Food locations on Wisconsin Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, H Street and Columbia Heights are among the stores that have posted signs announcing the new policy banning large bags.
Harris Teeter, a Kroger-owned chain with stores in the DC area, also began banning large bags from some stores earlier this year to prevent shoplifting, DC News Now reported. The chain also began requiring customers to show their receipts at the exit. And last year, some Safeway stores in the area installed gates at some of their self-checkout areas to prevent theft. Customers are reportedly required to scan their receipt to open the gates.
Last year, a Giant Food store in the market took the unusual step of removing some HBC-branded products from its shelves as part of measures to prevent theft and other issues.
Other retailers across the country are also taking new steps to prevent shoplifting, such as checking receipts and removing self-checkout registers. Safeway, for example, recently removed self-checkout registers from some of its San Francisco-area stores, and Walmart announced it was removing them from two stores in Missouri and Ohio. Dollar General is removing self-checkout registers from 300 stores in an effort to minimize theft at those stores.
