Latest news with #selfcheckout
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Lidl is making major change to self-service checkouts in new crackdown – is your local store affected?
LIDL is making a major change to its self-service checkouts in a new crackdown against shoplifters. In a bid to tackle theft, the discount supermarket is trialling cameras that can spot when a shopper fails to scan an item. 2 The "non-scan detection" technology is currently being trialled in two London stores, reports The Grocer. If a shopper doesn't scan an item, the technology can capture the moment and play back footage on the self-checkout screen. An assistant is then required to intervene before the customer can pay for their shopping if the omission isn't corrected. It has not been revealed which two London locations are taking part in the trial. Lidl aren't the only retailer using the technology to crackdown on shoplifting either. Home Bargains uses a similar technology to tackle "skip scanning" - where thieves intentionally avoid paying for particular items at self-checkouts. The retailer has also launched trials in two stores using technology from UK -based SAI (Storewide Active Intelligence) and AI company Everseen, based in Ireland. But it's not yet known who is providing the technology for Lidl. According to Lidl's latest customer privacy notice: "Some of our cameras may also use non-scan detection technologies as part of the checkout process. "Any cameras using non-scan detection technologies are only active at our store checkouts and self-checkouts." It adds: "Any non-scan technologies used on our checkouts and self-checkouts cameras are only used to identify non-scanned items, prevent inventory loss and will always involve human intervention. "All facial images collected as part of our non-scan detection cameras are pixelated and no facial recognition technologies are used." There are currently no plans to roll out the non-scan detection checkouts more widely at this stage. Lidl introduced self-service checkouts in its UK stores in 2017 as part of a broader strategy to enhance customer convenience and streamline the shopping experience. The standard self-checkouts feature an eye-level screen with some playing a message asking whether shoppers have remembered to scan all their items. Tesco has also recently introduced VAR-style replays at self-checkouts after rivals successfully used them to stop brazen thefts. The move is thought to have already cut some self-checkout thefts at Sainsbury's, where the footy ref aid-inspired cameras were quietly introduced last month. Supermarket bosses believe thieves who can see their illegal actions have been caught red-handed are far more likely to pay for them instead. A record 516,971 shoplifting incidents were logged by police in 2024 — up from 429,873 in 2023. Yet only a fifth resulted in a charge, while more than half of the investigations ended with no suspect identified. Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said the crime is costing firms £2billion a year.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
CVS was so worried about shoplifting that it stole its own soul
I always come back to the CVS, even though the pharmacy feels like the gate for an overbooked flight, and even though the self-checkout kiosk routinely malfunctions and tells me to wait for assistance from an employee who no longer works there because they've been replaced by self-checkout kiosks. I come back not just because it's convenient but because it's relaxing. I like to roam the deserted aisles at night and consider the myriad ways in which the bounty of 21st-century pharmacology might improve my life. What if my hands could truly be moist? Which combination of vitamins might heighten my chances of grasping string theory?
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Walmart Store Has Seen a ‘Huge' Decrease in Shoplifting After Making 1 Major Change
A Walmart in Missouri has seen a significant reduction in shoplifting since removing self-checkout lanes in April 2024 Local police state that calls and arrests to the supercenter have decreased by over half in a year-over-year comparison In an email to PEOPLE, Walmart stated that it currently does not have plans to remove self-checkout options in any other storesA Walmart in Missouri has dealt with significantly less crime after tearing out its self-checkout lanes. In a recent presentation to city officials, Shrewsbury Police Chief Lisa Vargas stated that police calls and arrests at a local Walmart supercenter were down by over half when compared to the same period in the previous year, per local news outlet the Webster-Kirkwood Times. Walmart removed the self-checkout option at the Shrewsbury location in April 2024. Prior to the change, many people were checking themselves out and not paying for items, per the outlet. Vargas stated that in January through May 2024, the Shrewsbury Police Department responded to 1,915 calls — over 25% of which came from the local Walmart. In the same period in 2025, only 11% of calls were regarding issues from the store, per the Times. 'That's a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,' Vargas said during her presentation, per the outlet. PEOPLE reached out to the Shrewsbury Police for comment on Friday, June 20, but did not receive an immediate response. 'We're always looking for ways to innovate in our stores, including the checkout experience,' Charles Crowson, Walmart's Director of Global Affairs, said in an email to PEOPLE. 'Any adjustments are based on varying factors, including feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns and business needs in the area,' he continued, adding that Walmart does not have plans to remove self-checkouts from other locations. This isn't the first time that Walmart has implemented changes in an effort to prevent shoplifting. In 2024, the retailer introduced handheld scanners at select locations, which enabled employees to ensure that shoppers were not using old or fake receipts to walk out of stores with unpaid items. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The chain also has been making changes to combat card skimming, which is a tactic used by thieves to steal credit card information by installing official-looking devices over the existing devices at self-checkout stations, per ABC affiliate WSET. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Walmart Store Has Seen a ‘Huge' Decrease in Shoplifting After Making 1 Major Change
A Walmart in Missouri has seen a significant reduction in shoplifting since removing self-checkout lanes in April 2024 Local police state that calls and arrests to the supercenter have decreased by over half in a year-over-year comparison In an email to PEOPLE, Walmart stated that it currently does not have plans to remove self-checkout options in any other storesA Walmart in Missouri has dealt with significantly less crime after tearing out its self-checkout lanes. In a recent presentation to city officials, Shrewsbury Police Chief Lisa Vargas stated that police calls and arrests at a local Walmart supercenter were down by over half when compared to the same period in the previous year, per local news outlet the Webster-Kirkwood Times. Walmart removed the self-checkout option at the Shrewsbury location in April 2024. Prior to the change, many people were checking themselves out and not paying for items, per the outlet. Vargas stated that in January through May 2024, the Shrewsbury Police Department responded to 1,915 calls — over 25% of which came from the local Walmart. In the same period in 2025, only 11% of calls were regarding issues from the store, per the Times. 'That's a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,' Vargas said during her presentation, per the outlet. PEOPLE reached out to the Shrewsbury Police for comment on Friday, June 20, but did not receive an immediate response. 'We're always looking for ways to innovate in our stores, including the checkout experience,' Charles Crowson, Walmart's Director of Global Affairs, said in an email to PEOPLE. 'Any adjustments are based on varying factors, including feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns and business needs in the area,' he continued, adding that Walmart does not have plans to remove self-checkouts from other locations. This isn't the first time that Walmart has implemented changes in an effort to prevent shoplifting. In 2024, the retailer introduced handheld scanners at select locations, which enabled employees to ensure that shoppers were not using old or fake receipts to walk out of stores with unpaid items. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The chain also has been making changes to combat card skimming, which is a tactic used by thieves to steal credit card information by installing official-looking devices over the existing devices at self-checkout stations, per ABC affiliate WSET. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Walmart forced to shut down self-checkout lanes for good
A Walmart in Missouri has seen a sharp drop in police calls and arrests after it made a bold move: ripping out every self-checkout machine. The Shrewsbury supercenter removed the kiosks last year after logging a staggering 509 police calls. Since then, the numbers have plunged — with only 183 calls so far this year and arrests cut nearly in half. 'That's a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,' Shrewsbury police chief Lisa Vargas said on Tuesday. Walmart has been looking for other ways to crack down on shoplifting at self-checkouts such as using handheld scanners in select stores to verify a receipts authenticity. Bosses have also been locking up items that are frequently stolen behind plexiglass screens. Besides Shrewsbury, select Walmart stores in Ohio and New Mexico eliminated self-checkouts to lessen the chance of shoplifting. 'We believe the changes will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,' a Walmart spokesperson told CX Dive . Walmart is in the middle of a massive revamp at 650 stores this year. While they're working on store redesign, select locations are also rolling out adjustments to self-checkouts to stop crooks stealing customers' card details. Commonly seen is red tape covering part of the card reader prevent card skimmers from stealing financial information. Card skimming has become a frequent problem in Walmart stores nationwide, with one incident going unnoticed for 18 days . During those days, a card-skimming device disguised as a pin pad at one of the retailer's registers in Connecticut . The problem has escalated to a point where Washington state's legislature proposed a bill to regulate the use of self-checkouts . Besides registers, Walmart has begun testing other methods aiming to decrease its crime rate without diminishing its current progress. Some of these tools include opening locked display cases with phones and hidden barcodes in Great Value-branded products . Walmart is not the only retailer to continue axing self-checkout. Dollar General also performed a massive self-checkout removal in 12,000 stores , hoping for a decrease in shoplifters. The takeaway worked in Dollar General's favor, and the chain reported an 8 percent boost in income during its first quarter . Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, is removing all machines and rolling out AI -powered 'Scan & Go' technology to reduce checkout wait times.
