1 in 4 retail self-checkout persons steal

[David777]

A new study on retail self-checkout stations, shows a reflection of sad ethical attitudes for many people today. Younger generations were far more likely to rationalize away doing so than older people. The same cheating attitude exists at many schools where youth learn ways to cheat whenever they can do so to get ahead that then orients that rationalization attitude and behavior as an option more generally as adults.

It obviously results in an acceptable attitude within some communities. Of course, that means we cannot trust people in many ways I grew up with. My expectation is stealing and cheating is too well entrenched with many persons for self checkout as now deployed, so that social experiment is likely to end. I personally am fine with using it but also realize how easy it is to abuse.

More than 1 in 4 self-checkout shoppers admit they’ve stolen: Survey

(NewsNation) — Self-checkout may save time at the store, but a growing number of shoppers admit they’ve also used it to steal.

Among Americans who’ve used self-checkout, 27 percent say they’ve intentionally taken an item without scanning it — up from 15 percent in 2023, according to a recent LendingTree survey.

Millennials (41 percent) and Gen Z adults (37 percent) were the most likely to admit to stealing at self-checkout, while only 2 percent of Baby Boomers said the same. Men (38 percent) were more than twice as likely as women (16 percent) to say they’ve done it...

Interestingly, those with household incomes of $100,000 or more were the most likely (40 percent) to say they’ve intentionally taken an item without scanning it. Just 17 percent of those making less than $30,000 said the same.
Stores rethink how widely they use self-checkout...

 

[bobcat]

I was just reading this morning that Walmart is re-thinking self-checkouts and have begun to eliminate them in some stores. In the stores they have done it with, shrinkage has gone down by half. They are repurposing them for home delivery orders, etc... With paying checkers, they still end up saving money. I think other stores will follow. Often times those self-checkouts are too glitchy anyway.

 

[David777]

Self-Checkout Theft: How it Happens and 10 Prevention Strategies

...Here are some of the primary methods shoplifters use to commit self-checkout theft:

• Barcode switching: One of the most common forms of self-checkout theft is barcode switching. The technique involves taking the barcode from a less expensive item and placing it on a higher-value item, often with similar weight and size, to bypass system scales.
• Item skipping: Item skipping, also known as “pass-around,” is a common self-checkout theft tactic, especially in stores with minimal shoplifting deterrence. It involves scanning some items while deliberately bypassing higher-value products to avoid paying for them.
• Transaction fraud: Transaction fraud is a longstanding theft method that has become prevalent with the rise of self-checkout, where oversight is limited. In this scheme, shoplifters use stolen or fraudulent payment details to complete a purchase, then later dispute the transaction with their bank to reverse the charge.
• Banana trick: The banana trick exploits self-checkout scales to fraudulently purchase expensive items at a lower cost. It involves placing a high-value item on the scale while scanning the code for a cheaper product, matching the weight and quantity to avoid detection.
• Forgotten items: Shoplifters place items directly into store-brand bags at self-checkout without scanning them, then leave the store as if they’ve paid. If questioned by staff, they often claim they simply forgot to scan the item.
• Fake mistake: Also known as “feigning ignorance,” this tactic involves a shoplifter intentionally scanning fewer items, then blaming the self-checkout system for the discrepancy. They may complain about the interface or technical issues, attempting to shift blame to the retailer for the unscanned items...

 

[Aunt Bea]

and sadly the rest of us pick up the tab by paying higher prices.

It also happens in the produce section when people fudge the weight or print out a tag using a code for a cheaper item.

I’ve witnessed a couple of performances worthy of an academy award when the clerk at the register double checked and caught the ‘error’.

People are a great disappointment to me.

 

[WheatenLover]

A new study on retail self-checkout stations, shows a reflection of sad ethical attitudes for many people today. Younger generations were far more likely to rationalize away doing so than older people. The same cheating attitude exists at many schools where youth learn ways to cheat whenever they can do so to get ahead that then orients that rationalization attitude and behavior as an option more generally as adults.

I am not surprised that people steal at the self-checkout. I don't like to use it because I'd rather stores would employ a human being instead of using their customers as free labor. Yes, I am a grouch about it.

As far as cheating in schools goes, when I taught at a college, I routinely flunked 25% of my students for cheating. They were easy to catch. Everyone took the same test. But the questions were in about 10 different orders with codes written on the tests so I would know which answer key to use.

The dear students raised Cain with the dean, who was in on my trap, so it did them no good to add lying to cheating.

 

[Jules]

I really like self checkouts. Walmart has two setups. Tills for small orders (15 or fewer) and the large ones for big orders. When someone with a full buggy sets up at a small till, there’s a higher chance of mistakes or theft.

 

[Dr.Colosso]

The Netherlands.

Ruim 1 op de 10 jongeren steelt weleens bij de zelfscankassa.

Consciously not paying for groceries at the self-checkout is a fairly common occurrence. Of those who use this method, 7 percent occasionally steal something, and among young people, that figure is even higher: 11 percent. For the thrill, the money, or simply out of protest. "I go grocery shopping every day and pick something up almost every day." This is evident from a survey of 21,000 participants in the RTL Nieuwspanel. About 1 in 14 people occasionally deliberately pick up an item without paying for it. Among people with the lowest incomes, that figure is 10 percent, and among young people between the ages of 18 and 35, it's 11 percent. The main reason? To save money on groceries, 42 percent say. And out of protest, because groceries have become so expensive (40 percent).

What a stupid reason. You can just go to Germany and get it cheap there if you want to protest.

 

[Been There]

1 in 4 retail self-checkout persons steal​

That doesn’t surprise or shock me. I would imagine they see enough stealing going on that some of them may think they should also help themselves. In a lot of stores, the employees are told not to approach the thief. I don’t know if I could stand by and watch a thief take things without scanning the item or items. It would really butter my bread not to be able to call out a thief.

I have seen it twice, both times at a Walmart. I couldn’t help myself. Both times I looked at the helper in the self checkout area and yelled “THIEF” while pointing to the person. On the first occasion, the helper looked at me and turned his back and took a few steps away from the area. The second time was here in Florida and the helper was aiding a shopper with their purchase and never looked over at me. I guess I should have expected their actions.

Maybe they should post a copy of the “Ten Commandments” and highlight number 8 “You Shall Not Steal” in the self-checkout areas.

 

[Dr.Colosso]

1 in 4 retail self-checkout persons steal​

That doesn’t surprise or shock me. I would imagine they see enough stealing going on that some of them may think they should also help themselves. In a lot of stores, the employees are told not to approach the thief. I don’t know if I could stand by and watch a thief take things without scanning the item or items. It would really butter my bread not to be able to call out a thief.

I have seen it twice, both times at a Walmart. I couldn’t help myself. Both times I looked at the helper in the self checkout area and yelled “THIEF” while pointing to the person. On the first occasion, the helper looked at me and turned his back and took a few steps away from the area. The second time was here in Florida and the helper was aiding a shopper with their purchase and never looked over at me. I guess I should have expected their actions.

Maybe they should post a copy of the “Ten Commandments” and highlight number 8 “You Shall Not Steal” in the self-checkout areas.

Don't they check it? We get a check once in a while and if someone gets caught they have to pay a fine, but some people are dangerous and I hope they just let em steal cause the owner here only hires teens. My sons wanted the job. Only the then 15 year old got it cause they could pay him 6 euro an hour and the then 17 year old was too old. He'd cost em 8 euro. A 21 y o gets 19 euro for the exact same work. There are 2 adults there who don't always work. 10 pm there are only kids working. I'd say: Go steal and good luck.

 

[Been There]

Don't they check it? We get a check once in a while and if someone gets caught they have to pay a fine, but some people are dangerous and I hope they just let em steal cause the owner here only hires teens. My sons wanted the job. Only the then 15 year old got it cause they could pay him 6 euro an hour and the then 17 year old was too old. He'd cost em 8 euro. A 21 y o gets 19 euro for the exact same work. There are 2 adults there who don't always work. 10 pm there are only kids working. I'd say: Go steal and good luck.

I have heard of worse and seen videos on YouTube of people stealing more expensive items.

 

[Babs2u]

The Netherlands.

Ruim 1 op de 10 jongeren steelt weleens bij de zelfscankassa.

Consciously not paying for groceries at the self-checkout is a fairly common occurrence. Of those who use this method, 7 percent occasionally steal something, and among young people, that figure is even higher: 11 percent. For the thrill, the money, or simply out of protest. "I go grocery shopping every day and pick something up almost every day." This is evident from a survey of 21,000 participants in the RTL Nieuwspanel. About 1 in 14 people occasionally deliberately pick up an item without paying for it. Among people with the lowest incomes, that figure is 10 percent, and among young people between the ages of 18 and 35, it's 11 percent. The main reason? To save money on groceries, 42 percent say. And out of protest, because groceries have become so expensive (40 percent).

What a stupid reason. You can just go to Germany and get it cheap there if you want to protest.

Just go to Germany? Sounds expensive.

 

[Tish]

I believe it, it happens over here all the time.

 

[Veronica]

Good. Serves them right for trying automate their employees out of a job. Im glad theyre getting rid of them.
I refuse to use them in support of the cashiers. Also theyre not paying me to scan my groceries.

 

[Murrmurr]

I was just reading this morning that Walmart is re-thinking self-checkouts and have begun to eliminate them in some stores. In the stores they have done it with, shrinkage has gone down by half. They are repurposing them for home delivery orders, etc... With paying checkers, they still end up saving money. I think other stores will follow. Often times those self-checkouts are too glitchy anyway.

Yeah, our nearest Walmart took them out. Bonus: it made room for a bunch of Christmas displays.

 

[WhatInThe]

Many steal because they know they can get away with it and know others that do it Low impulse control petty thieves are probably doing more than cheating at check out.

 

[Dr.Colosso]

Just go to Germany? Sounds expensive.

I mean for people here, if you live in Holland. Even if you live on the wrong side or rent a car it's still cheaper. I rent a car with my ex once a month. I can't drive. We then buy a load and it's still cheaper, even if you rent a car. The parking lot is full of cars from people from Holland.

 

[mrstime]

I refuse to use the self check outs. Better to have those stores have to hire more people!

 

[jujube]

One of the methods they used is to glue a bar code for a very low-price item on their finger and then stick that finger under the item being scanned. Then they  look llike they're canning the item but they're just scanning their finger.

Walmart got wise to that right quickly and set up an alert if a large number of like-priced items are scanned. They can see right away when it's just someone buying 48 cans of cheap cat food.

I triggered the alert last Christmas when I bought 50 legitimately 15-cent items. That's when the clerk told me about the alert.

 

[Lewkat]

No one could have anticipated this? The brain trusts running businesses today seem to find it impossible to see the big picture.

 

[hollydolly]

I really like self checkouts. Walmart has two setups. Tills for small orders (15 or fewer) and the large ones for big orders. When someone with a full buggy sets up at a small till, there’s a higher chance of mistakes or theft.

Our Supermarkets have several different types of checkout... normal manned checkouts... self service checkouts.. and scan as you shop or Scan and Go... checkouts.. where shoppers use a scanning gun as they take something off the shelf and put it in their basket...

To release the scanning gun when we enter the supermarket we have to scan our Supermarket loyalty cards first...so there's a seperate checkout for people who have already scanned all their goods.. where an assistant checks receipts and we pay for our good already packed in our bags, and similar to Costco will often check that what is in the basket/trolley is the same as what's on the receipt

We also have cashierless stores, where we scan our debit or cc cards on entry. or use an a QI code..... and AI does the rest tracking every single movement of the shopper.. then charging to the card...as we leave the store

then we have a weighing system which is being trialled in a lot of stores....

where we stand on a weighbridge with ouur trolley and it checks the weight is excatly what it should be for the price paid...after self scanning

 

[hollydolly]

One of the methods they used is to glue a bar code for a very low-price item on their finger and then stick that finger under the item being scanned. Then they  look llike they're canning the item but they're just scanning their finger.

Walmart got wise to that right quickly and set up an alert if a large number of like-priced items are scanned. They can see right away when it's just someone buying 48 cans of cheap cat food.

I triggered the alert last Christmas when I bought 50 legitimately 15-cent items. That's when the clerk told me about the alert.

I watched a video on YT last week which showed Walmart calling the police on a suspected thief .

She'd been in the store for several hours... and what she was doing was taking the bar code tickets from low cost items like socks and exchanging them for the high price tickets on expensive items.. then scanning them at the self scan.. and getting hundreds of dollars worth of good for a tiny amount of money.

They already knew her MO.. because she;d been banned from previous Walmart stores for exactly the same thing

 

[jujube]

I posted about this last year, but I watched a young woman get a bike back in sporting goods in Walmart, push it nonchalantly through the store, out the door and pedal off.

I pointed her out to two clerks and the checker at the door and they just shrugged and walked away.

Sometimes I wonder why so many people actually pay for things when it's apparently so easy to steal them. No, actually I don't wonder about it.....most people have morals.

 

[hollydolly]

This isn't the video I watched but this woman is doing a similar thing...

here in the Uk our supermarkets don't have those type of price tickets... not for many years..instead our prices are embedded on the packet or the barcode

 

[DaveA]

I've never used a self checkout in any form that I can recall? When I was actively shopping, I can't even remember such things being available. It's been a few years now but when did this start in grocery and department stores?

 

[Kaila]

No one could have anticipated this? The brain trusts running businesses today seem to find it impossible to see the big picture.

I love the avatar photo!