TROY, OH – MAY 11: Shopping bags lie on a checkout counter of a Wal-Mart Supercenter May 11, 2005 in Troy, Ohio. Wal-Mart, America’s largest retailer and the largest company in the world based on revenue, has evolved into a giant economic force for the U.S. economy. With growth, the company continues to weather criticism of low wages, anti-union policies as well as accusations that it has homogenized America’s retail economy and driven traditional stores and shops out of business. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
How would you rate your accuracy with self-checkout? Have you ever realized something didn't get scanned, or you forgot to get it out of your cart? Some Walmart locations are cracking down on self-checkout "shoplifting," and are issuing citations if people walk away without paying for all their items. In some cases, people ARE stealing and that's bad but a report out of Arizona talked with people who claim they were cited for MISTAKES, while handling a LARGE number or items, or dealing with children while checking out. In some cases, the police were called. One woman said that because her mistake was more than $30, the sheriff arrested her for petty theft. She didn't say what the "mistake" was, but $30 isn't just missing a couple veggies. Walmart said that they are taking "basic measures to control inventory," but they wouldn't say how widespread their self-checkout crackdown is, or what their policies are for citations and other penalties. Of course, many people DON'T EVEN WANT to do their own checkout. In a recent poll, people were asked what they'd do if there were NO LINES. 56% said they want a human casher and just 36% said they'd do self-checkout.
