Self-scan checkouts are the new supermarket scourge

Self-scan checkouts have invaded the Netherlands. Jumbo’s chief executive Ton van Veen has just gone public with the claim that thieves had made off with an estimated €100 million worth of products from the grocery chain’s shelves. While they’re relatively simple to use, at least in theory, it is easy to get it wrong and that can lead to flustered customers being treated like criminals and given shop bans forgetting to scan items like paper towels. They’d also like to see an increase in traditional cashier checkouts and the hiring of additional security guards. There’s also the question of how much recent loses at these businesses can be truly attributed to shoplifting or issues with the kiosks and how much can be blamed on ‘shrink.’ That’s a term widely applied to other problems ranging from products not scanning properly to staff and vendor fraud.