INCREASE IN SHOPLIFTING AT SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUTS

Charged, an independent online retail technology news publication, reported that the number of thefts committed at stores with self-service checkout counters in the U.S. and U.K. has increased by 26.5% and 18%, respectively.

Analysts attribute the increase in thefts in the last six months to a jump in prices, including for basic consumer goods and foodstuffs — bread, cheese, milk, etc., as well as for alcohol and alcoholic beverages.  So far, the share of stolen alcohol and premium products exceeds everyday goods that cannot be resold.

When using self-service cash registers, thefts are committed by deliberately changing barcodes or scanning not all goods from the customer’s shopping cart. The use of such cash registers also leads to an increase in «accidental» thefts by mistakenly scanning merchandise and weight labels.