The advent of self-checkout stations has given retailers yet another reason to worry about loss prevention. Self-checkout is generally promoted to shoppers as a time-saver. But many customers are using these systems to save money, too — by stealing items instead of paying for them.
No longer a novelty, creative thieves (and frustrated shoppers) have now identified ways to bypass the proper self-checkout procedure. In fact, when it comes to helping yourself to unpaid-items, the self-help checkout offers multiple opportunities. They’re all easy, and they’re costing retailers whopping sums every year.
If you’ve ever stood in a self-service line watching the folks ahead of you, you’ve probably witnessed some or all of these tricks, whether you realized it or not:
Sure, there’s usually a store employee nearby. But they can’t watch half a dozen stations at once. The minute they are called away to help a shopper whose machine has misfired or to provide assistance elsewhere in the store, the coast is clear. Who’s to note their self-imposed discounts?
Retailers spend a lot of time agonizing about where to put their checkout counter. Location definitely affects shopper behavior and experience. But in grocery, big box, and similar high-volume operations, efficiency wins out over creative psychology. Checkout stations are near the exits. Perhaps that proximity makes it even more tempting for shoppers to give themselves a little discount at the self-checkout and make a quick getaway.
Whatever the motivations behind self-checkout theft, taking steps to make it more difficult and more detectable will help protect your bottom line without sacrificing convenience for paying customers.