Heather Mallick: I don’t do self-checkout and neither should you (2024)

FAQs

Why shouldn't you do self-checkout? ›

Increased Risk of Theft

Since there are fewer employees monitoring self-service lanes, theft is a greater risk.

Self-checkout machines might always be at work, but, on any given day, lots of them aren't actually working. The technology tends to be buggy and unreliable, and the machines' maintenance requires a lot of expensive IT workers. Much of the blame for that can be placed on the systems themselves.

Retailers are pulling back, but not abandoning, self-checkout, Neil Saunders, managing director, retail, at GlobalData told CBS MoneyWatch. Rising theft—part of what retailers call "shrink"—is the primary reason self-checkout is being ditched in some stores and restricted in others, according to Saunders.

An obvious disadvantage of self-checkout in general is shoplifting. A store that has 55 -60% of transactions going through self-checkout can expect losses to be 31% higher. However, with reduced costs and constantly improving security, this percentage is decreasing over time.

However, you can be setting yourself up for a charge of supermarket self-checkout theft. If you get distracted and forget to scan one of the items in your basket, or you enter the wrong code for those delicious grapes you're buying, you could end up getting arrested and charged with shoplifting.

But what happens when you make a mistake and forget to scan one of your items? While it seems like a minor mistake, walking out of a store with an item you didn't pay for because you forgot to scan it can land you in some hot water, causing you to need to hire a criminal defense attorney.

"A study by the University of Leicester highlighted that theft levels at self-checkout lanes can be up to five times higher than at manned checkouts."