Why shoppers should avoid using self-service checkouts at stores

There can be no doubting that we live in an increasingly fast-paced, technological world - one in which, for example, we can hold a call with one disembodied voice, before issuing commands to another that’s built into our smartphones.

In today’s society, machines are steadily taking over from people.

At stores across the US, self-service checkouts have become a staple element of the shopping experience. More and more outlets have embraced a way of paying that seemingly offers customers greater speed and privacy when they make their purchases, as well as helping businesses to make savings on staff.

However, the lawyer Lindsey Granados is warning consumers of the risks of doing it yourself when it’s time to pay.

Self-service checkouts: why they’re dangerous

“[Self-service checkouts] are becoming very commonplace, [to the extent that] lots of stores won’t even have attendants checking you out at the registers,” Granados explains in a video posted on the social-media platform TikTok. “You just have to go and do one of those self-scanning things.

“However, that can cause a problem. Because if you somehow didn’t scan something appropriately, or the machine accidentally didn’t pick it up when you scanned it, you could potentially be charged with misdemeanour larceny - or felony larceny, depending on how big the item was.

“It’s really important that you take care when you’re using those machines, to verify that every item has been rung up appropriately.

“Because if you get past the point of sale and walk out that door, Walmart or any other store could charge you with larceny. And that could lead to you having a misdemeanour conviction on your record, potentially.”

Granados adds: “The reality is that those machines are faulty in a lot of ways and are not particularly sensitive. They will, unfortunately, not scan items from time to time. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve talked with that have been charged with larceny because one of those machines didn’t scan appropriately.

“Whenever I go into a store, I literally go out of my way to go stand in a line with a checkout counter, with a checkout cashier at the register.”

“I would think twice about using those machines if I were you”

Granados singles out US retail giant Walmart as a company that “aggressively prosecutes people that are charged with larceny”.

“They have video cameras that are very high quality and they will match that up against the register receipts and will come back and will prosecute you for other events that may have occurred in the past as well, because they keep that video and they keep those register receipts,” she says.

“So just be aware that when you pay at those machines, they’re watching you and they’re keeping track of you. I would think twice about using those machines if I were you.” As customers at Walmart found out in July, self-service checkouts also come with other dangers…