We're all criminals at the grocery stores now

This article has me thinking about the recent changes I've seen at my local grocery stores. All items removed from the front entry. Bars and gates installed inside to shuffle us through little openings like cattle. Increased security personnel and equipment. I'd like to see my local stores' actual numbers on shoplifting and whether there truly is an increase that justifies these changes. I think it has more to do with either a perceived problem with no data to back it up, and/or a problem that is happening in other parts of the country and the policies have been rolled out nationwide. My area is relatively small, and while I don't doubt that shoplifting exists, I have a hard time believing that it's bad enough to warrant the changes. What has happened as a result is that I feel like a criminal before even entering the store. They don't trust that the vast majority of their customer base is there to make legit purchases. It leaves me feeling very unwelcome going into Sobeys and Superstore now.