On 17/08/2019 14:00, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq wrote:

Snipped

I didn't see the bags. I didn't want one, so I have no recollection of
whether the bags were there or not.

I believe I am perfectly within my rights to demand that If I am
interrogated as to whether I have not bought something, then more
appropriate choises should be made.

The proximity to the point of purchase is nothing to do with it. My
need for water might be considerable as I traipse around the isle and
as even Tesco's might supply water free, isn't it logical that water
should be chosen as a commodity the customer needs a "warning" about.

The likelyhood of a customer inadvertantly " lifting" water is
probably greater than that of taking a carrier as the water drinker
may not have any other goods to carry out and even if they had
consumed 50ml of Volvic, then the use of a carrier would be
challenging to say the least.

If you are applying legal requirements to a shop to get the client to
state what they had not bought, then the puplic would have a field
day. Not a single POS would be free for months.

If you take a bottle of water without paying, you have deprived the
company and it is up to the company how much they want to bother
checking up on that and in what way. Most people are reasonably honest
and will scan each item that they have, but as a "new" thing and
especially as some parts of the country had a bag tax while others didn't
and the company is legally obliged to pay the government the bag tax on
each one (but probably not on replacment bag for lifeones), they
presumably think it worth asking a specific question.
SteveW