Just realized something wild about self checkout while standing in line at Publix

I saw a study that says stores with self checkout have 30% more theft than ones without, and I found it on a retail security blog last night. Has anyone else noticed way more beeping errors at the machine lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra2d ago

Oh man, this is SO true! I had the exact same thing happen at Kroger last week with a pack of grapes - it kept screaming at me and I was too scared to move my hands. I swear half the time I think it's faster to just go to a regular register even if I have to wait in line.

elizabeth_ramirez2d ago

Used to think people who complained about self checkout were just being dramatic, but I'm changing my mind on that. Been to Publix three times this week and every single time the machine flagged my bag of lettuce for "unexpected item in bagging area." It's not just annoying, it makes me wonder how many people accidentally walk out with stuff they scanned twice or didn't scan at all because the system glitches so much. That 30% theft number makes total sense to me now after seeing how confused people get when the machine keeps yelling at them. There was a guy in front of me yesterday who just gave up and walked out with his stuff, and the cashier didn't even blink about it.