Hacker News Reader

Comment by aikinai | Hacker News Reader

How does self-checkout make you feel like a criminal? I didn’t follow that one.

Not OP, but the way self-checkouts are built does make one feel like they are being treated as a potential thief. There are cameras in each till recording you as you are scanning your items. The moment you scan your item, the thing keeps nagging you to put it in the basket because it wants to weigh it to make sure you are not placing anything extra. If for whatever reason you don't want to put it in the basket, it doesn't allow you to scan anything else. The list goes on.

Yes I know all about "shrinkage" but self-checkouts just feel like some smart arse built a machine which barely replaces the person at the till and sold it to supermarkets as a feature.

Oh, I see. I live in Japan where self-checkouts are extremely common and have no particular security, so I’m not familiar with those systems.

Ahh perhaps it’s because Japan is such a high trust society. One of the few places where you can typically expect your lost wallet returned with all the cash inside.

Here in Australia, several Coles supermarkets have installed exit gates that track you on camera as you walk through the self checkout area, and if the machine decides you didn’t pay, it will physically close the gate and flash red.

Woolworths also have cameras in front and above each self checkout, and when the machine inevitably decides that the weight of your reusable grocery bag is an attempt to steal something, it will replay the footage from above to the assistant.

I have actually noticed I’m hassled far less by the Aldi self checkouts, they seem to need a lot less operator intervention so I tend to shop there more nowadays.

This is the main reason why I stopped using self-checkouts entirely. I'd rather wait in line than feel like I'm a suspect. Also, there is too much risk of a false theft accusation. Better to let a store employee do the work and not expose myself to that risk.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com