Canada groceries: Loblaw's new anti-theft tactic of locking carts riles up Canadian shoppers — 'I just left'

A shopper's experience at a Loblaw-owned Zehrs store in which their cart suddenly locked after a "security concern" is riling up Canadians online. One expert told Yahoo Canada that locking shopping carts are an increasingly popular trend in retail intended to curb theft, but it's unclear whether this tactic will stick, given how unpopular it is.

This week, a viral Reddit thread posted to the group "Loblaws Is Out of Control," detailed how one person’s wife had their cart lock up mid-shop at a Zehrs store in Guelph, Ont.

“They announced a security concern in aisle 12,” Reddit user Sufficient_Ad_4199 wrote. “My wife shopping in aisle 12 had her cart wheels lock up along with everyone else in the aisle! A store clerk had to come and unlock each person.”

Locking carts 'might ultimately become a deterrent' for shoppers

Joseph Aversa is an assistant professor in the school of Retail Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. He says that while retail stores may use different technologies, the general function of locking carts is that they have a certain time limit or physical boundary to leave the store once the purchase is made. If the time or space is exceeded, then the cart will lock.

“There are different parameters for locking the buggy, but typically there’s some indication that something is taking place and the buggies are locked for prevention measures,” he tells Yahoo Canada.

Aversa says that locking grocery carts can lead to an awkward situation for patrons.

“If your buggy locks and store personnel have to come around you, the optics around that are very uncomfortable for consumers and it might ultimately become a deterrent,” he says. “At the same time, retailers are hoping it becomes a deterrent for theft. Because theft has been on the rise.”

For retailers, the increase in theft in recent years has meant taking more drastic precautions when it comes to the spike in incidents. According to Statistics Canada, shoplifting incidents increased 31 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021.

Locking carts aren't the only new measures being taken to prevent theft in recent years. Many shoppers have detailed their experience of having bags and receipts scanned while exiting grocery stores like Walmart and Loblaws. Some stores have even erected plexiglass barriers at the exit.

Aversa says that measures to prevent shoplifting have always been in place, whether it’s plain clothes security officers walking through a store or security gates at the entrance and exit. Locking grocery carts is simply a newer, more hands-on method.

“The act of loss prevention isn’t a new phenomenon but I guess this one is more in your face,” he says.

As for the future of this technology, Aversa says it remains to be seen whether this will be commonplace in grocery and big box stores.

“It depends on how much pushback the retailers get for this,” he says. “ The coverage (in the media) so far has been quite negative. We’re hearing a lot of stories about innocent people who haven’t done anything wrong, having their shopping experience disrupted with locking carts or feeling like they’ve done something wrong. A lot of the people we’re hearing from have not. I don’t know how much of a deterrent that will become for patrons actually visiting those stores.”

Loblaw responds: 'We're continuing to do what we can to fix this'

In an email statement, Dave Bauer, director of media relations with Loblaw, says that organized retail crime has a massive effect on its stores, which in turn has impacted prices.

"Over the past few years, we’ve introduced a number of different technologies to help mitigate this risk, including smart-wheel technology in carts," he says. "This has made a huge difference and has stopped thieves from pushing full carts of groceries out the doors. Very rarely, we’ve had incidents where the wheels accidentally lock. We understand how unpleasant this can be for customers, and we’re continuing to do what we can to fix this."

He adds that customers’ feedback is always valued and that the grocery giant is "trying new techniques that maintain a great shopping experience."

Canadian shoppers react to locking carts at Loblaw-owned Zehrs store: 'Someone almost ran into me'

Many in the comments section on Reddit shared their experience with locking grocery carts at stores like Superstore and Canadian Tire.

“The first day we got those carts at my local Superstore, I walked five feet towards the interior of the store from the vestibule, and my cart locked up on me, forcing me to stand around and wait, while forcing a minimum wage employee to go babysit me and my cart,” MalazMudkip wrote. “Haven't been back since.”

“I had it happen to me leaving a store the other day, which was a pain, because the only reason I was there was to buy 20 kilograms of cat litter,” LeMegachonk wrote.

“The first time it happened to me someone almost ran into me from behind and it took customer service three minutes to come over and unlock it. So everyone else had to squeeze around me to get out,” jennamay22 wrote.

“I have mobility issues and need a cane. The cart locked up literally as I crossed the threshold to exit. I had to drag the cart to the corral (couldn't even make it to my handicap parking) with everyone staring at me. It caused me a lot of physical pain,” Gypsytricia wrote.