Chloe Traill said staff told her and other high school students many times to leave their school bags at the front of the store, because they feared shoplifting.

Asking young people only to leave their school bags outside a store may constitute discrimination on the basis of age under Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act.

But Woolworths denies any of its stores have such a policy.

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Year 11 student Chloe left her bag out the front of Woolworths in the Bendigo Marketplace for about two minutes on Tuesday when she went in to get a drink.

She remembers a staff member standing out the front of Woolworths.

Chloe said the staff member standing there normally tells high school students to leave their bags at the front of the store. She said she thought it was just students who are told to do this.

Her father Leigh Traill believes she did this out of habit, having been told many times to do so.

When Chloe returned, the bag was gone.

A calculator, computer, schoolbooks and stationery were in the bag, adding up to maybe $2000 worth of goods.

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School work for all Chloe's units was also in the bag.

It will be tough for her family to find money to replace the stolen property.

Mr Traill said he was angry that the theft had been allowed to happen.

"Her mother rang the centre, rang Woolworths, and basically all they wanted was to say that they don't make them put the bags out the front, and denied any liability," Mr Traill said.

"How it could happen with the circumstances of it all? If they are made to leave their bags out the front, or told too, officially or unofficially, they should be watched at all times.

"Official or unofficial, their policy should be if the bags aren't left in a secure area [where] they can't be accessed by the public, they should be allowed to take their bags into the store and be searched. It's not as if it's a bag of shopping, it's worth thousands of dollars."

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A Woolworths spokesperson denied it was the company's policy to require school students to leave their bags outside stores while shopping.

"We're aware of the incident, and the matter has been reported to police and centre management for them to investigate," the spokesperson said.

"We understand the student's frustration and hope the bag is returned to them."

OTHER NEWS:

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights commissioner Kristen Hilton said asking young people to leave their school bags outside a store may be discrimination on the basis of age, if only young people were required to do so.

"Most shops have a process or policy whereby you might be asked to have your bag checked. That process is lawful as long as it does not target people on the basis of their age, race or other personal characteristic," Ms Hilton said.

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