Shoplifting using the self-service machines has never been easier, and more people are doing it than ever. But, even though it feels like you're just tricking a dumb machine, it is still a crime, as one school principal found out when he got caught 'Skip Scanning.'
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I suspect that we have all done it, or at least thought about doing it, while using the self-service machines in grocery stores. Finding a loophole in the way the machines work is just too easy. Also, it kind of serves the stores right for replacing human beings with machines.
With their introduction, shoplifting went up by 65% at self-checkout. The temptation is too great, and although it feels like it could be legal, it definitely isn't. One principal found out the hard way when he tried a 'trick' his friend told him about. Now, he's been arrested and placed on legal leave from his job, all for a few groceries.
Self Scan Trick Got Principal In Trouble
The trick he referred to as skip scanning involved scanning cheaper items through the machine and placing more expensive ones in the bag. He was caught scanning cheap foam plates while taking expensive goods. His total haul came to only $37.45 in Walmart.
The principal got unlucky by being caught. Every day, thousands of people use similar tricks at self-service machines. The lack of human interaction makes it feel like a victimless crime. "I did something dumb today, and I understand it," the shoplifting principal said in the arrest video.
There have been some self-service thefts that have gone down in history. One young man in Nice, France, got away with scanning a PlayStation 4 through the self-service machine as fruit and veg. They paid a total of ?9.24 for it. It wasn't until they returned and tried to do it again that they got caught.
But the principal wasn't quite as lucky with his local grocery theft. He will now have a criminal record, all for the sake of a silly experiment. Hopefully, he won't lose his job for something many of us have gotten away with in the past.
