A shopper at an Australian supermarket chain had set off a secret alarm that was hidden in his grocery cart.
The father was leaving a Coles in Melbourne with his toddler in the cart when a little-known anti-theft measure stunned him.
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His cart's wheels locked up and a cashier from the Moonee Ponds store had to check that he did not steal anything before unlocking the wheels with a hand-held device.
"I had no idea Coles has tech to lock up your trolley," the customer wrote online.
A spokesperson from Coles explained that the store's tech is but one anti-theft measure used to deter thieves.
"Coles has a range of security measures in place to reduce theft from our stores including CCTV, electronic article surveillance (EAS) and in some stores, new smart gate technology that automatically opens as customers make payment for their products," the spokesperson told Yahoo News.
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The cart locking system can tell when groceries have been stolen, according to the spokesperson.
"Additionally, trolley lock technology has been in place at a number of our stores in recent years and this technology uses sensors to prevent trolleys leaving the store if someone hasn't first paid at a register," the spokesperson explained.
However, the shopper claimed that he only had reusable bags with nothing in them when he was stopped.
"Some of these security measures are trials at this stage, and we are keen to hear what our customers think of the new technology before it is rolled out further," the spokesperson added.
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While anti-theft measures are intended to stop retail crime, they also tend to be controversial among shoppers.
A new survey quizzed 1,500 Canadians to hear their thoughts on anti-theft measures as retailers continue to search for answers.
The questionnaire asked about 10 different security measures: including locked-away items, alarms attached to items, elimination of self-checkout, and leaving large bags with staff.
Only 17 percent of the participants felt comfortable with scanning identification in order to purchase something, but 88 percent think that security cameras are OK, the Leger Marketing Inc survey found.
Other unpopular measures include leaving a bag with a store employee and limiting the number of customers in a store.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming 85 percent agreed that attaching alarms to items is good for the store and the shopper, and 78 percent also felt that security officers could be helpful.
Well over half of the Canadians felt that upping store security was unavoidable, but not everyone agreed on how it should manifest among retailers.
