Self-serve checkouts: Big changes coming to a supermarket near you
Self-serve checkout scammers have been put on high alert, after a News Corp report suggested new technology is being trialled by retailers across the country.
The reports cites unnamed industry sources who say the new technology is being trialled at outlets across the country, including supermarkets and mid-tier department stores.
Shoplifting remains a huge problem in supermarkets around Australia, and is setting the industry back $9.3 billion a year, which is 3 per cent of their annual turnover.
The camera and video technology which has already been rolled out at outlets in Sydney and Melbourne, gives retailers a bird’s eye view of what shoppers are doing at the checkout, and alerts them if they’re incorrectly scanning goods.
US company Stoplift is behind the new technology, and chief executive officer Malay Kundu said it had so far “found a fair amount of theft and loss at both manned and self-checkout consistently across various locations in Australia.”
“Our algorithms are analysing that material continuously so it’s able to watch all of that video footage and compare that with transaction data,’’ he added.
The Australian Retailers’ Association’s executive director Russell Zimmerman told News.com.au that shoplifters should see this as a sign that they will get caught.
“Buyer beware, if you risk it you are going to get caught and you need to expect the force of the law to come down on you,’’ he said.
“Retailers need to up the ante to ensure they capture everything that they possibly can to eliminate the cost of retail theft in their stores.”
What do you think? Would you welcome the introduction of technology like this in supermarkets? Or do you think the problem would be solved by removing self-serve checkouts?