Aldi has launched an investigation into claims of racial profiling after a Black female customer was mistakenly accused of theft at one of its stores, The Independent can reveal.
The woman was shopping in a Bedfordshire branch of the supermarket chain when she says a white manager approached her and alleged she was a known shoplifter.
Eleanor, who does not want to use her full name for fear of backlash, had already bought her goods and was about to leave when she says the manager, flanked by a security guard, demanded to search her handbag.
When she asked why her bag was being searched, the manager allegedly said Eleanor was a thief who had already been banned by the store.
Despite her protestations, Eleanor claims the manager doubled down, refused to apologise and said she was even “wearing the same green coat” as the culprit.
Eleanor told The Independent she handed her handbag over without complaint: “After all, I knew there was nothing inside aside from my personal belongings.”
She has now lodged a formal complaint of direct race discrimination and is considering legal action: “The manager racially profiled me; I am deeply distressed by what has happened.”
Aldi later confirmed the incident was a case of “mistaken identity” and denied the staff member was racist, despite suggesting that the staffer may be sent on diversity training hours after receiving the initial complaint. It subsequently apologised and launched an investigation following enquiries from The Independent.
Eleanor’s formal complaint, seen by The Independent, said: “Race was the defining feature. After all, if I had been a white woman in a green coat, the manager would not have approached me at that time.”
Afterwards, Eleanor said: “I felt panicked and scared. That became even more pronounced when the security guard confirmed everything was fine with my bag but the manager still accused me of being a shoplifter.
“I believe I was targeted because I was Black. I’ve been crying so much about it; I know I sound like a wimp but the impact of racism is cumulative.”
As she left the store, the guard followed her to apologise, she says.
Eleanor then began secretly recording their conversation in which he said he knew she was not a shoplifter as she did not “fit their profile”, and he knew that she had stolen nothing from the store. The Independent has heard this audio recording.
The security guard also said the reason the manager targeted Eleanor was “definitely because she is Black” and bemoaned racist conditions within the store among colleagues.
Eleanor told how she tried to go into Aldi a few days later, but could not bring herself to step inside: “How can I change my face? I can change my hair and my coat, but I can’t change that. How can I guarantee that this won’t happen again?
“This happened to me even as I had paid for my shopping and had a receipt! I now record myself in every supermarket for fear of this happening again.”
Another customer, Chantele, has come forward with a similar complaint of racial profiling at the same store.
The 37-year-old, of mixed-race heritage, said she ended up in a row with a manager over salad items while shopping at the branch in November 2021.
Chantele, who also did not want her surname to be made public, put the items back in the fridges and noticed some leaves had spilt onto the floor, so she cleaned them off the floor.
She claims she was approached by staff in a “confrontational” manner, accused of creating a “health and safety hazard” by creating a “mess”.
Chantele says she called Aldi’s customer services to complain, was told she could continue shopping, but claims the staff member told the cashiers not to serve her. When a Black couple and Asian couple offered to check out Chantele’s items on her behalf, she says cashiers were instructed not to serve those customers either and all five customers ended up with lifetime bans.
“It honestly felt that my money was not good enough for Aldi and although no racist words were spoken I honestly feel that this was in some way discriminatory or based on the colour of my skin,” Chantele’s complaint letter, sent the same day and seen by The Independent, reads.
“In my opinion, it was indirect racism. The couple who supported me and also received a lifetime ban were also Black people. I did not pose any threat to any of your members of staff and I did not use offensive/threatening language”.
A Black women alleged a similar thing happened in al Aldi store in Hounslow, west London, in 2017.
A spokesperson for Aldi told The Independent: “Aldi does not tolerate discrimination of any form and takes any allegations very seriously. We are thoroughly investigating the issues raised and will take action as appropriate.”
