Retailers Eliminating Self-Checkout Reluctant to Blame Theft

Retail stores reeling from losing billions from theft last year are making some tough decisions that may impact consumer-shopping experiences, including a big swing in their dependence on self-checkout.   According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail theft reached $121.6 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach $150 billion by 2026. This could be one reason stores owned by Walmart, Target, and Dollar General have announced their reliance on self-checkout will shift dramatically for the rest of 2024. But few are willing to bring it up in their announcements.  “We’ve found that 25 percent of their losses are happening through self-checkouts, and they’re now looking at how to effectively address those issues,” Adrian Beck, an emeritus professor with the School of Criminology at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, told The Epoch Times. “Around 53 percent of the loss was malicious and purposeful, but there was also a huge chunk of non-malicious theft where people just make mistakes.”...