No noticeable increase in theft through self-service checkouts

Supermarkets - No noticeable increase in theft through self-service checkouts

Food retailers in Germany have not recorded a significant increase in shoplifting due to the increased use of self-service checkouts. "We are not observing any noticeable increase in stores with self-checkouts," said an Edeka spokesperson. The retail chain wants to increase the number of self-checkout systems. Nevertheless, there will still be traditional checkouts.

Rewe expressed a similar view. "We cannot confirm that the number of thefts is increasing at all. The systems are very well developed," the company said. Experience has shown that some customers are more concerned about accidentally not scanning an item. Rewe wants to continue to rely on self-service checkouts in the future and equip more locations with them.

More and more customers in Germany are already scanning their products themselves. According to a study by the retail research institute EHI, there are already 16,000 self-service checkouts in the retail sector. The technology is used most frequently in supermarkets. Self-service checkouts are most frequently found at Rewe and Edeka, where more than 750 stores each are equipped accordingly. Aldi Süd has also been using self-service checkouts since the beginning of 2023. The company did not want to comment on a possible increase in theft rates.

"Studies show that self-checkout systems in Germany do not necessarily lead to higher theft rates," says retail expert Kai Hudetz from the Institute for Retail Research IFH. Camera technology could make cashierless stores just as theft-proof. "With traditional checkouts, only a fraction of thefts can be reduced anyway, as many thefts already take place at the shelf," says Hudetz.

Trend back to checkouts with staff

In the USA, there is apparently a trend for retailers to return to traditional, staffed checkouts. This is due to high economic losses as a result of increased theft rates and the technical error-proneness of self-service checkouts. The "Handelsblatt" reported on this.

EHI expert Frank Horst does not expect retailers in Germany to stop the expansion of self-service checkouts or seek to dismantle them. "Things are going far too well for that. We are experiencing an insane boom." Although the number of thefts in the retail sector has recently risen significantly, this is merely a return to normality and pre-coronavirus levels. In comparison with the USA, Horst says: "There have always been significantly higher inventory discrepancies in the USA than here."

According to Horst, retailers in this country are using various methods to reduce the risk of theft. Among other things, additional cameras with artificial intelligence are used, which can determine whether a product has been pulled over the scanner using behavioral recognition. Many stores also use an exit barrier that only opens after the receipt has been scanned. The supervisor in the checkout area also has a preventative effect.

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1. Despite the widespread use of self-service checkouts in food retail, particularly in supermarkets like Rewe and Edeka, Germany has not witnessed a notable increase in shoplifting.
2. The spokesperson from Edeka stated that there has been no significant increase in thefts in their stores with self-checkouts, and they aim to expand the number of self-service systems.
3. Similarly, Rewe shared that they have not observed an increase in thefts and intend to continue implementing self-service checkouts, increasing their locations equipped with the technology.
4. According to a study by EHI, Germany currently has around 16,000 self-service checkouts in the retail sector, primarily used in supermarkets.
5. Aldi Süd, another prominent food retailer in Germany, has also introduced self-service checkouts in early 2023, but they declined to comment on possible theft rate increases.
6. Retail expert Kai Hudetz from the IFH asserts that self-checkout systems in Germany do not inherently encourage higher theft rates.
7. The use of camera technology and behavioral recognition can even make cashierless stores theft-proof, as just a fraction of thefts have been prevented with traditional checkouts.
8. Recently, retail trends in the USA have showed a shift towards traditional staffed checkouts due to high economic losses resulting from increased theft rates and technical issues with self-service checkouts.
9. Frank Horst, an EHI expert, does not anticipate German retailers to halt the expansion of self-service checkouts or dismantle existing ones, as they are currently experiencing considerable growth.
10. Despite an uptick in thefts in the retail sector, Horst explained that this trend has returned to pre-coronavirus levels and is still significantly lower compared to theft rates in the USA.
11. To combat theft, retailers in Germany are employing various strategies, such as integrating additional cameras with artificial intelligence and exit barriers to ensure receipt scanning before exiting the store.

Source: www.stern.de