Study: More Customers Giving Themselves 5-Finger Discount At Self-Checkout

The act of skipping scanning is driven by a mix of moral justification and a sense of entitlement.

A growing number of Americans are deliberately bypassing item scanners at self-checkout kiosks, “fighting” against corporate greed and causing retailers to take action.

According to a new study by Lending Tree, the act of skip scanning is driven by a mix of moral justification and a sense of entitlement. Regardless of motive, this spike in retail shrinkage has prompted major companies to invest heavily in advanced surveillance technologies and retailers to seek more aggressive prosecution strategies.

The widespread adoption of self-checkout machines, introduced by retailers to reduce labor costs, has inadvertently opened a new lane for shoplifters. Some instances involve simple human error, but a significant portion of inventory loss comes from intentional skip scanning, where customers fail to scan items while passing through self-checkout kiosks.

Researchers who study consumer behavior note that for many, the act of stealing at a self-checkout does not carry the same moral weight as stealing from a manned cash register because they perceive the crime as being against a faceless corporation.

Questions of ethics and morality come into play when individual cashiers or small business owners are victims. This behavior is sometimes referred to as “moral licensing,” which is a psychological justification for the behavior.

“Even though people know that stealing is wrong and most understand the risk they’re taking, tough times require tough choices, and lots of people are clearly willing to take a risk,” said Matt Schulz, an analyst at LendingTree.

Furthermore, the study suggests customers believe they are performing the labor previously done by an employee, and they are effectively owed some form of compensation.

Retailers have recognized that the losses incurred from self-checkout theft are negating the savings from a reduced workforce. In response, they have launched a full-scale counter-effort employing high-tech surveillance such as computer vision technology and advanced A.I. monitoring systems at checkout stations

In addition to technological safeguards, retailers have dramatically ramped up prosecution efforts. Instead of simply issuing warnings or barring customers, corporations are now pursuing charges for theft.

Some chains have even begun scaling back on self-checkout areas entirely.