An employee's trouser pocket was sewn shut with needle and thread, photographed by reporter Wang Qibo.
Morning Post Report (by reporter Lina Wang): On the evening of May 10th, Xiaoyu (a pseudonym) noticed that his wife did not immediately eat after finishing her shift but instead took out her work uniform to sew the trouser pocket shut. His wife frankly admitted, "It's a new rule from the company meeting; pants cannot have pockets."
Xiaoyu felt very upset: if she went to work, why would they suspect her of stealing?
In response, the supermarket branch said it was an "industry norm," while the supermarket headquarters stated that the issued pants without pockets were for aesthetic reasons.
Investigation: The places where the pockets were sewn showed visible white threads.
Yesterday, after Xiaoyu's wife went to work wearing trousers with sewn-up pockets, at around 9:20 AM, the reporter visited the Zhongxing Supermarket on Pangjiang Street in Dadong District, Shenyang City for investigation.
Upon entering the store, the reporter noticed that all the attendants wore dark blue uniforms: a blue vest with two pockets on top, and blue trousers below.
In the seasoning area, the reporter saw that one female attendant's trousers had no pockets and no signs of manual sewing. However, another attendant selling candy in the same store had noticeable stitching on her trouser pockets, with clearly visible white threads.
The reporter attempted to interview the attendant who sewed her pockets shut. Without revealing their identity, the attendant replied, "You should ask the supervisor about this, I don't understand."
Subsequently, multiple attendants confirmed that the supermarket indeed held a meeting on May 10th announcing that pants could not have pockets.
"Could it be for any other reason? To prevent stealing, right?" A female attendant said while restocking items, adding that since they still had to work, there wasn't much to say about this behavior.
Response: Multiple theft incidents occurred, but unrelated to "sewing pockets"
At around 10 AM, the reporter met with a staff member of the supermarket in the office.
She introduced that the headquarters-issued pants originally had no pockets, and the reason some people sewed pockets onto their pants was because those pants were not issued by the supermarket. Some employees, who didn't get the uniformly issued pants, made their own pants of the same color outside.
"Why does the supermarket issue pants without pockets?" In response to the reporter's question, the staff member remained silent.
The reporter tried to ask more questions about the pants, but the staff member claimed that she couldn't answer them and needed to consult her superior department.
After leaving the office, a female staff member pulled the reporter aside and said, "This is how most supermarkets operate; it's an industry unwritten rule."
At around 2 PM, the reporter interviewed the head of Shenyang Xingfu Supermarket headquarters.
She explained that the company now makes uniforms without pockets mainly considering the neatness, propriety, and generosity when employees serve customers. Employees were already informed that the pants would have no pockets. They haven't received any complaints from employees regarding this matter, and the company hires employees based on mutual trust.
"There are no other considerations now, just hoping that employees look neat and proper to enhance their image and give customers a good impression." The responsible person stated.
Moreover, the responsible person mentioned that the supermarket has recently experienced multiple theft cases, and the police have already intervened in the investigation. "I'm saying this is unrelated to the clothing issue, it's just possible that some employees we dismissed due to theft called the newspaper."
Citizens: "Issuing uniforms without pockets can be understood, but sewing pockets cannot be understood"
Regarding this matter, the reporter randomly interviewed 10 citizens of Shenyang.
Citizen Ms. Li (Supermarket Attendant): The supermarket where I work has no such regulations; employees wear T-shirts and jeans, and there is no requirement to sew up the pockets.
Citizen Mr. Zhang (Advertising Industry): If the uniform issued has no pockets, it can be understood, but requiring the pockets of trousers to be sewn shut is incomprehensible, feeling that it shows a lack of trust in people.
Citizen Mr. Wu (Restaurant Attendant): The company should inform employees promptly when introducing new rules. If the pants have pockets, replacing them with pants without pockets would suffice, there's no need to sew them shut.
Expert: Sewing up trouser pockets might also "sew" up the hearts of employees
Professor Fuyan Zhou from Liaoning University's Department of Sociology believes that whether trousers have pockets or not is a process of mutual trust between both parties.
Zhou Fuyan said that regardless of the reasons behind the supermarket management's decision, they should provide a platform for equal exchange and mutual communication with employees. This is actually also a form of management, giving employees a sense of trust.
If it's really because of theft issues, then sewing up the pockets will possibly "sew" up the hearts as well. The action of requiring employees to sew their pockets shut is unacceptable.
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