Everyone knows that stealing is wrong – and that cameras and security guards are everywhere in major stores. But security at Woolworths and Coles looks set to become a lot more in your face – literally.
WATCH THE VIDEO REPORT BELOW
One new Woolworths store in Sydney, and some Coles stores in Melbourne, are introducing very visible security measures at self-serve checkouts.
With retailers worried that the checkouts are an easy way for customers to steal or get dishonest discounts on produce – and with retail theft now reported to top $4.5 billion – one Woolworths now has video screens right at customers’ eye lines, to remind them they are being watched.
And some don’t like it.
‘The camera was right in my face, I felt a bit uncomfortable,’ one shopper told 7 News.
But according to the TV report, the cameras in this store are currently not being monitored, and serve only as a warning that staff are on the lookout for dishonest shoppers.
‘’We know that simply informing customers that they are bring watched or monitored can actually curb deviant behaviour,’ explains Dr Billy Sung from Curtin University.
So if you’re thinking of scamming the system, remember – you’re still being watched, even if there’s no one behind that screen.
