Faulty checkouts to blame for rise in shoplifting, M&S chief warns

21 November 2023 , 20:26

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Self-checkout tills can be tricky to manoeuvre (Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Faulty self-checkout tills tempt the well-off to walk out without paying for items, a retail boss claims.

Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman said much of the shoplifting in its stores was by “middle-class” shoppers, rather than gangs of criminals. He said: “Nobody quite understands why, but shoplifting has become a global problem. It’s too easy to say it’s a cost of living problem. Some of this shoplifting is gangs.

“Then you get the middle-class. With the reduction of service you get in a lot of shops, a lot of people think, ‘This didn’t scan properly, or it’s difficult to scan these things through and I shop here all the time. It’s not my fault, I’m owed it.’

Some products don't scan at the first time of trying (Getty Images)

”The Mirror’s Clamp Down on Shoplifting campaign calls on police to take retail theft seriously. New figures show it is set to cost the sector almost £8billion this year.

Marks and Spencer chairman says 'middle-class' shoppers are common offenders (ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

We recently revealed that 38% of shoppers admitted “uplifting” – scanning a cheaper item then bagging a dearer one. Waitrose has trained staff to spot the practice, while in some Sainsbury’s and Morrisons stores there are security gates after self-scan tills requiring shoppers to scan receipts before they can leave. Several of the major supermarkets also have cameras at self-checkout tills. Mr Norman said M&S would not add more barriers and cameras as it would make its shops look like “prison camps”.

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