Some customers are frustrated and disappointed with a grocery store in Vancouver’s West End for implementing one-way gates that prevent shoppers from exiting on one side of the store.
Safeway at Denman and Robson streets has three sets of doors. Two are near the Denman and Robson intersection, and a third is further east on Robson, toward Bidwell Street. Last year, the grocery store discouraged customers from exiting via the Denman doors by deactivating the motion sensors from the inside and stationing a security guard there.
This week, the store installed one-way gates and signs to physically prevent shoppers from exiting. Instead, customers are instructed to exit from a single set of doors near the self-checkout.
The change has some neighbours frustrated, saying it’s more than just inconvenient — it’s a safety and accessibility concern.
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Kristy Williams, who uses a walking staff because of problems with their back, explained the change prevents shoppers from exiting near the accessibility ramp. Safeway is on the building’s second level, and entering the store requires either using the ramp, going up a set of stairs, or taking an elevator from the parking lot — which isn’t always working, according to Williams.
“What about older folks, with walkers and whatnot?” Williams said. “What about folks with strollers and kids?”
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Shoppers now have to go around the store’s outdoor patio to reach the ramp. The patio is tiled, which makes it slippery when it rains.
“I know I’ve fallen on my ass there once. A friend of mine has. I’ve seen a couple of people slip and trip up because it becomes such a hazard in wet weather,” Williams said. “Frankly, I’m wondering what the hell Safeway was thinking.”
Nousha Vahidi also isn’t impressed with the change. She said it makes her feel like a criminal while grocery shopping.
“It’s offensive. They treat everybody like thieves,” she said.
Vahidi also deals with a chronic pain condition, and some days, walking is more difficult than others. She lives off Rosemary Brown Lane, near the Denman entrance, and used to be able to quickly pop in and out of the store. Now she has to go around the whole block.
“I shop there all the time. Sometimes it’s late at night. And I just want it to be convenient to get back to my home.”
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Daily Hive asked the store for comment, but the manager referred us to the chain’s head office. Sobey’s Canada, which operates the Safeway location, hasn’t replied.
Some neighbours told Daily Hive via social media they understand the store’s desire to reduce theft. Others said other grocery stores in the area have had gates for years, and they don’t see the addition as anything out of the ordinary.
The change at the West End Safeway comes as Canadian grocery chains face criticism for hiking prices while posting healthy profits. Many view Canada’s grocery oligopoly as one of the drivers of the country’s current cost-of-living crisis.
Williams doesn’t lack sympathy for Safeway’s need to reduce shoplifting, understanding that high losses from stores can drive prices up for all shoppers. But they’d rather see a security guard make a wage near those exits and the store have concern for patrons who rely on the accessibility ramp.
“There’s this growing tendency to criminalize the customer. Instead of addressing the core issues — that is, extremely high prices and high profit margins. I’m not impressed. Many of us are figuring out how to eat.”