Supermarket’s strict self-checkout rule leaves customers outraged

A supermarket has imposed a strict limit on its self-checkout in a bid to tackle crime, but the move has upset loyal customers.

The shop is limiting shoppers to buying 20 items or less and has also added scales to its checkout to prevent theft.

The Giant store in Rockville said the move is down to “a significant increase in crime and theft that we and many other retailers are experiencing across our market area.”

Boss Ira Kress said: “We know that these changes may cause some inconvenience or be disruptive to the experience you are used to.

“I assure you that we are making these changes out of necessity to prioritise the safety of our associates and customers.”

READ MORE: Supermarket worker, 82, is finally able to retire thanks to ‘life-changing’ £109k donation

But regular and loyal customers at the store were not happy.

They commented on the article, originally posted on the local news site Rockville Nights. 

One wrote: “Once again, the rest of us law-abiding folks have to suffer and be inconvenienced, in addition to costing Giant more $$) because of the increasing criminal element. They cannot build enough jails to house them all.”

Another wrote “This is dumb!!” and one said, “If people want to shoplift, they can just walk out with the stuff. Why punish everyone?”

One said: “I thought the 20 item limit at the self-check stands was to model them after the old “X Items or Less” lanes, that no longer exist.

“Many shoppers I’ve noticed would have their month’s worth of groceries at the self-check lines and also were often confused as to how to check out many items, slowing the process down.”

Self-checkouts have exacerbated theft, statistics show. An RMI report found people are five times more likely to steal at the self-checkout.

According to the report, retailers experience a 50 percent higher rate of loss at the self-checkout.

Four percent of items scanned at the self-checkout are not paid for, on average.