Changes made to Woolworths checkouts to “decrease misscans” will also detect Australian customers who “fake swipe” to avoid paying for groceries.
The store stated that it would install powerful new surveillance systems that record consumers at every checkout in an effort to reduce errors and theft.
Customers were alarmed by in-store warnings that they could be watched, particularly in self-service lanes where cameras were used.
Woolworths is rolling out significant improvements to all of its checkouts to’reduce misscans,’ which will also catch Australian consumers who attempt to shoplift products.
Woolworths is installing security cameras at self-serve and cashier-assisted checkouts to prevent instances of fraudulent credit card use.
The purpose of the trial, according to Woolworths, was to determine if the new camera technology could assist eliminate mis-scans and increase the pace at which consumers go through the checkout line.
“If a misscan happens, a brief video will highlight the impacted goods, and customers will be given the option to rescan it,” the document stated.
While the majority of customers use our self-service checkouts correctly, we’re all busy and mistakes can easily occur.
According to Woolworths, the technology is utilized internationally and “should make the self-service scanning procedure more precise.”
Nonetheless, the majority of customers and retail analysts believe the supermarket’s true objective is to capture more shoplifters at self-service checkouts.
According to the Australian Retailers Association, fake swiping by customers at self-service checkouts costs retailers up to $9 billion annually.
According to retail analysts, Australian consumers do not feel bad about fake swiping, sometimes known as “micro thefts,” because they perceive it as stealing from a “robot.”
By photographing the area where the customer is standing, Woolworths’ new camera system recognizes when an item has evaded the scanner, halts the checkout process, and activates a red light above.
The technology halts the checkout process to replay a video on the screen in front of you if it detects an unscanned item being placed in a bag.
On social media, Australians reacted with a mixture of outrage and alarm to store posters informing customers they could be watched.
The issue is then replayed on the checkout screen in front of you.
Woolworths retains the tape, which blurs faces and the payment keypad, in case police want it in the future.
The system encompasses all checkout lanes where the new cameras are being tested, including those where an employee scans your groceries.
That means the cameras can detect shoppers ‘forgetting’ to pay for bulky or heavy products in their carts, such as 24 cans of soda or a tray of cans of dog food.
As soon as a customer inadvertently or intentionally pushes their trolley past the scanner or the checkout operator, if it contains any products, the red light above will illuminate and a video of the situation will be displayed to the operator.
The trial run of the new anti-theft camera systems began at Woolworths Seven Hills in western Sydney, then moved to Hornsby, Neutral Bay, Chullora, and Carnes Hill.
The trial will be expanded to hundreds of stores in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, as well as additional states and territories.
There are 1,086 Woolworths outlets in Australia.
A store source told the Daily Mail Australia, “If you do the right thing, you have nothing to fear about.”
As soon as a customer accidentally or intentionally pushes their trolley past the scanner or the checkout operator, if it contains any products, a red light will illuminate and a video of the incident will be displayed to the operator.
In the coming months, Woolworths will “carefully consider customer and team input on the pilot.”
Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the supermarket boss will abandon the new anti-theft camera, regardless of the resistance from customers.
Online, customers recommended one another to inform the grocer that they do not consent to being videotaped.
However, the technology is permitted in Australia, thus a store source stated that declining consent would result in being instructed to purchase elsewhere.
“Almost wherever you go, you’ll encounter CCTV, so it’s nothing new,” remarked one.