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 caller strategy to reside theft astatine self-checkouts - and customers are not happy.

Previously, unit manually checked customers' receipts against nan items successful their bags. 

However, shoplifters person learned to utilization this by utilizing aged receipts, those from different stores, aliases moreover wholly clone ones. 

In response, Walmart has started utilizing handheld scanners successful prime stores to verify nan authenticity of customer receipts aft checkout.

The argumentation is designed to drawback theft successful action but besides to deter imaginable shoplifters done fearfulness of being caught out. 

The scanners, astir nan size of a smartphone, corroborate that items were purchased wrong nan past 4 hours and from nan aforesaid location. 

'We scan each receipt and past we, for illustration her, conscionable look for nan biggest items,' a Walmart worker is heard explaining to a customer in a caller viral video. 

The worker said 100 stores person been fixed nan caller exertion pinch a position to rolling it retired further. 

'My mom utilized to activity astatine Walmart and said you tin garbage to fto them look astatine your receipt,' 1 outraged viewers commented connected nan video.

Another fumed that nan unit checking receipts would beryllium worked astatine parented checkouts instead. 

'Instead of having each these group opinionated astatine nan doors, why don’t you person group activity astatine nan registry that could really ringing up each nan items and past you won’t person to interest astir group not paying,' different added.  

'Just shop astatine target they don't dainty you for illustration a criminal' a 3rd suggested. 

Experts said that shop theft mightiness not beryllium arsenic bad arsenic retailers say.

'The various sources of crime information - from authorities agencies and backstage groups - show a accordant story. Retail theft has not spiked nationwide successful nan past respective years,' an analysis from nan New York Times concluded. 

However, individual reports support nan claims that thieves are utilizing clone receipts to shoplift. 

Earlier this summertime 2 suspects successful Kansas were caught utilizing clone receipts astatine a Walmart to bargain astir $2,500 worthy of equipment from nan store, according to section police. 

A female besides sparked outrage online aft precocious filming herself shoplifting astatine Walmart and posting it online. 

Other measures introduced by Walmart to ace down connected shoplifting astatine its self-checkouts includes to nan preamble of invisible barcodes. 

The characteristic lets shoppers simply move an point complete nan self-checkout scanner, which will registry nan point without needing to scan a visible barcode.