Many of us, probably all, would prefer to skip the queues at the checkout counters after doing our weekly shopping. That’s where self-checkout comes in. Theoretically, it is supposed to make the whole process faster, more efficient, and more secure. Even if the other two might be true, the last condition seems to be facing a problem – self-checkout theft.
In Michigan, police charged a woman with self-checkout theft after she allegedly did not scan every item she bought at this Walmart outlet. According to the police, the woman’s name is TeddyJo Marie Filam and she is 34 years old. The incident took place at a Walmart outlet in Alpena County.[1]
She Had Been Doing It For A While
The matter came to light when loss prevention employees noticed Filam was skipping items at the self-checkout. They confronted her, and Filam agitatedly denied ever doing so and exited the store. However, according to a Fox2 report, the loss prevention employees then went through the store’s surveillance footage to discover the shocking theft.
Filam had been stealing in this manner since April and had nicked over $1000 worth of merchandise from the store. Police promptly arrested Filam from her home in Alpena in September and charged her with retail fraud of the first degree.
Read: Nobody likes self-checkout. Here’s why it’s everywhere
The team working on loss prevention at the Walmart outlet in question has recently started being strict with discovering such self-checkout thefts. The state police in Michigan have recorded two more similar incidents where they arrested people who swapped barcodes as they checked out their items.
In 2019, Walmart started using AI to be more stringent on self-checkout thefts. The system employed cameras that ensured every item in someone’s bag was scanned. Internally, the system is called the Missed Scan Detection system. It is capable of monitoring both manned as well as self-checkout stations. If it finds any possible missed scans, it informs an attendant for further investigation.
Self-Checkout Theft Is Rising In Count
Self-checkout counters are gradually becoming an essential part of every grocery store. However, with the rising popularity of these counters, self-checkout theft also saw an increase in 2021. Some of the tricks involved in this theft are “the switcheroo”, the “pass around”, and the “weight abuse”.[2]
In “the switcheroo”, the thieves peel off the sticker from a cheaper item and then pastes it on top of a more expensive one that has a similar weight. In the “pass around”, the customer will manually maneuver the item around the scanner, while avoiding letting it scan the item. In “weight abuse”, the customer will place a costly item but trick the scanner by using a cheaper item’s price code.
Such self-checkout thefts are taking a hefty toll on grocery prices. To prevent them, groceries are having to invest in extra loss prevention measures targeted toward such thefts. In 2019, according to a report, an average family in America had to pay an extra $345 per year to compensate for these shoplifting measures. Unfortunately, some stores are even opting to completely remove the system.
Such self-checkout thefts are fast becoming an example of “why we can’t have nice things”.
Keep Reading: Lawyer explains why you should avoid using self-checkouts in stores