7% of consumers admit to using the self-service checkout counter to steal (Daily Mail photo)
Some Australian consumers use self-help checkout counters to steal goods, causing two supermarket giants, Coles and Woolworths, to lose A $1 billion a year.
According to the Daily Mail, Canstar Blue, Australia's leading research firm, recently surveyed more than 2200 consumers, and 7 percent admitted to deliberately skimming items at the supermarket's self-service checkout counter. Another 9% said they would sweep barcodes of cheap goods to replace high-priced ones.
The most common stolen goods were fresh fruits and vegetables (24%), followed by packaged food (16%) and snack drinks (12%).
Canstar Blue editor Downs (Simon Downes) said that in most cases consumers caught stealing goods tried to accuse the machine of error or claimed it was just a misunderstanding. These excuses seem to be seen as "jail-free cards", as similar errors do occur in reality. The challenge for supermarket workers is to find out who the real culprit is and who just made a small mistake.
New and Victoria consumers are the worst at stealing goods using self-service checkout counters, while South Australian consumers are the least likely to steal. Of those who pleaded guilty to stealing, only 5 per cent had ever been found by supermarkets.
It's worth noting that real data should be higher than the results, Downs said.
A Coles spokesman said the supermarket had trained secret security personnel and that hundreds of thieves they caught each week were reported to the police.
Woolworths says that while most consumers follow the rules, they also have safety measures in place for potential violators.