Walmart’s self-checkout crackdown takes a new twist: ‘Shop at Target – they don’t treat you like a criminal’

Walmart has had to adopt a new strategy to tackle theft at self-checkouts – and customers aren’t happy about it.

Previously, staff would manually check customers’ receipts against the items in their bags.

However, shoplifters have learned to take advantage of this by using old receipts, those from different stores, or even completely fake receipts.

In response, Walmart has begun using hand-held scanners in select stores to verify the authenticity of customer receipts after checkout.

The policy is intended to detect theft, but also to deter would-be shoplifters for fear of being caught.

The scanners, about the size of a smartphone, confirm that items have been purchased within the last four hours and at the same location.

“We scan every receipt and then, like them, we look for the largest items,” a Walmart employee is heard explaining to a customer in a recent viral video.

The employee said 100 stores have received the new technology with the intention of rolling it out further.

“My mom used to work at Walmart and said you can refuse to let them look at your receipt,” an outraged viewer commented on the video.

Another was angry that the staff checking receipts would instead work at manned cash registers.

“Instead of having all these people at the door, why not have people working the cash register who can actually ring up all the items and then you don’t have to worry about people not paying,” another added to.

“Just shop at Target, they won’t treat you like a criminal,” a third suggested.

Experts say shoplifting may not be as bad as retailers claim.

“The various sources of crime data – from government agencies and private groups – tell a consistent story. Retail theft has not increased nationally in recent years.’ New York Times analysis concluded.

However, individual reports support the claim that thieves use counterfeit receipts to commit shoplifting.

Walmart and other supermarket giants have taken steps to tackle shoplifting

Earlier this summer, two suspects in Kansas were caught using counterfeit receipts at a Walmart to steal about $2,500 worth of goods from the store. according to local police.

A woman also sparked outrage online after recently filming herself shoplifting at Walmart and posting it online.

Other measures Walmart has introduced to tackle shoplifting at its self-checkouts include the introduction of invisible barcodes.

This feature allows customers to easily move an item across the self-checkout scanner, which registers the item without having to scan a visible barcode.