Shoppers who cheat at self-scan checkouts by passing off expensive purchases as cheaper items could soon be busted by new tech controls.
Up to one in three admit they don’t pay for items when using self-scan boxes, sometimes because they find them difficult and frustrating to use.
At the same time, shoplifters are targeting self-scanning checkouts as an easy way to steal expensive items such as cheese, steak and razors.
Supermarkets have switched to self-scanning tills to cut costs, but the move has led to theft estimated at more than £500 million a year.
Supermarkets switched to self-scanning checkouts to cut costs, but it has led to theft estimated at more than £500 million a year.
Retail crime experts said supermarkets have been forced to test new technologies to crack down on so-called swipers, an acronym for “seemingly well-intentioned patrons who engage in routine shoplifting”.
This includes devices that can tell when an item in the packaging area is a different size or color than what was scanned.
The new generation of boxes can also detect unusual patterns. Most shoppers will buy just one bag of carrots, but if someone scans five bags, the checkout will alert staff to a potential scam.
Professor Adrian Beck, from the University of Leicester, who advises shops on tackling shoplifting, said: “It’s very common for people to select brown onions, which are cheap by weight, to represent things like bananas, avocados and grapes “.
He added that current systems “work by weight, so you can put a bottle of champagne in and press potatoes”. Yes [the scanner] cannot recognize what they are like, he will be perfectly happy with that.”
‘People make excuses for not following the rules like ‘there were problems with a barcode’, or ‘I was made to use this machine and I tried my best but it didn’t work’.
New technologies may be introduced that include devices that can tell when an item in the wrapping area is a different size or color than what was scanned.
The professor analyzed the responses of 3,000 store workers about self-service theft. He said a new system used in some supermarkets noted the color of an item and allowed a shopper to select only items of the same hue, such as apples, zucchini and green peppers.
He added: “Other supermarkets have installed doors when you leave the till. If you scan the items but don’t pay, the machine knows and won’t let you through. A number of companies are trialling this.”
In another development, SuperSmart, an Israeli technology company, has developed a system that can weigh an entire cart in boxes. This checks if the scanned items match the total weight.
Professor Emmeline Taylor, who specializes in retail crime at City, University of London, coined the acronym ‘swipers’.
He told the Sunday Times: “Self-service has created a new generation of thieves. Rather than seeing it as problematic, they embrace it or see it as fun or socially acceptable in a way that you wouldn’t if you steal a piece of cheese from Tesco.
“I heard of a customer who cut the barcode off the noodles, because they’re cheap and he knew the weight and stuck it on his watch. He would scan the barcode and cover it on a package of cheese or chicken of the same weight
Reasons given for leaving without paying include carelessness, barcode not being scanned, forgetting to bring cash or a bank card to the supermarket, cost of living or not being able to pay for the item
An Australian supermarket only realized it was the victim of slips when an audit showed it had sold more carrots than it had in stock. Managers noticed that customers had put expensive goods in boxes like carrots, with some scanning up to 18kg at a time.
According to a survey of 2,000 UK adults, one in three people admit to stealing from automatic payment systems this year alone, albeit sometimes unwittingly.
Reasons given for leaving without paying include carelessness, barcode not being scanned, forgetting to bring cash or a bank card to the supermarket, cost of living or not being able to pay for the item.
The survey, carried out by Myfavouritevouchercodes.co.uk, found that the most frequently stolen items from self-service checkouts are toiletries and hygiene products, fresh produce and baby formula.