Self-checkouts are in practically every store these days and they can be convenient and save time when the regular lines are long, they also give people a chance to steal without being easily caught. And it turns out, a lot of Americans are taking advantage of that opportunity.
According to a new LendingTree survey of 2,050 U.S. shoppers, 27% of self-checkout users have purposefully taken an item without scanning it.
- That’s a huge jump from the 15% who did so back in 2023.
- Almost half blame essentials being unaffordable (47%) and higher prices related to tariffs (46%) for their thieving.
- While 55% say they like self-checkouts for the speed and convenience, 69% believe they make it easier to steal.
- In addition to the 27% who’ve taken something without scanning it on purpose, another 36% have accidentally left with something they didn’t scan.
- But that doesn’t mean they were honest about it or returned it, 61% say they kept the item the last time it happened.
- More than a third (42%) who have intentionally stolen from the self-checkout have noticed it’s become tougher to do in the last year. They say there’s now more employee monitoring (61%), cameras or AI-assisted monitoring near kiosks (49%) and the weight/scale verifications are more sensitive.
- But are they getting caught in the act? Nearly half (46%) who’ve purposefully taken an item say they’ve been caught, but 31% don’t feel guilty.
- And 55% of deliberate self-checkout stealers admit they’ll probably do it again.
Source: CBS News
photo: GETTY
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