Self Serve Shoplifters

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

Do you know why you should ask someone if they need help with anything? I'ts because we need to find out if they are not customers but shoplifters.

~Kickass Co-Manager who used to work at my store (initials R.S.)

Express checkouts have their Illiterate customers, Courtesy has their scammers, and The U-scan Self Checkouts have their *ahem*... Shoplifters.

I've heard a story of a guy grabbing someone's attention by not scanning the items and placing it in the bags because he's pissed off at the CSM for not giving him good customer service. And god knows we don't verify CC signatures at the tills even though it's the Credit Card's policy and so after that ordeal I got a customer who got mad at me because I asked for his ID and he's was wondering why I asked and not the person running the self-serve. Someone was going to walk off without paying for a Vaccum and a CSM asked him that he needed to see his receipt. While making it so obvious that he was acting like he wanted to steal it by getting irate he was mad because he had to show his receipt to the associate. HE looked at it and was like "excuse me, You didn't pay for this".

Crazy situations

No UPC: Hopefully not since the ignorant,rude joke "If it doesn't scan, then it's free" seems like it's widespread to think that they can lose their customer entitlement by not bothering with it and just keep it but who knows with people. When they scan for their items and there is no UPC they bother to grab an associate and page for them or they just realize it and they can get someone to watch their stuff while they get a UPC shows they aren't so lazy.

Price Check: Oh boy a price Mistake noticed from a customer. Gotta correct that price. People could verify if all their items are the right price at a price checker machine if they have the wrong price occuring over and over but people just shop when they are in a hurry.

Seperate Transactions: when someone works the self serve and they notice a customer didn't scan some items after they make the transaction they will get on their case for that priviledge and right but to be told that they are paying again and again for the merchandise... sheesh.

They wait too long: Do you see around you that it's busy? learn some patience, someone will get back to you.

Harassment from others: I've never heard or seen it happen at my store, only one thread I read from this site about someone who told the Customers Suck user on the till to hurry up and something about her being worse than the Cashiers.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Do you know why you should ask someone if they need help with anything? I'ts because we need to find out if they are not customers but shoplifters.

How does that help you positively identify a shoplifter? I've heard it can be a theft deterrent because it tells the would-be thief there are people around paying attention, but it's not as if the thief is just going to empty his pockets and surrender what he's trying to steal right there.

And old LP lady at my store had this trick to get a shoplifter to dump: She would watch the camera to see what the person was taking, then go to the salesfloor, pick up that same item, and walk past the shoplifter and show him/her the item, as if to tell them "I know you're hiding this on you, drop it before I have to take you down."

About the U-scans--supposedly the ones my company uses are so sensitive they can tell if an item has been dropped into the bag without being scanned. It tells the person to remove the item and scan it, and also notifies the attendant to watch that U-scan.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

How does that help you positively identify a shoplifter?

At our Morning Meeting my manager was asking all the associates why we have to greet customers and ask them if they anything we can help them with while standing three meters, thus the Three Meter rule (I don't know if you heard of that expression). You walk into a store and someone greets you or asks you if they need help finding something they are observant and people are less likely to steal that way because they know someone's watching.

[Pagan]

Sounds like a certain place's (whose colors are green and white) "10 foot tradition"!

[powerboy]

About the U-scans--supposedly the ones my company uses are so sensitive they can tell if an item has been dropped into the bag without being scanned. It tells the person to remove the item and scan it, and also notifies the attendant to watch that U-scan.

Whenever I use the self checkout at Walmart. I can scan something, and then drop it in the bag, and sometimes it tells me to scan it again.

[Gravekeeper]

The whole concept of "Self Check Out" just seems like an epicenter for potential customer stupidity. I wouldn't trust half of them with anything more complex then a can opener, never mind a self check out. ><

Greeters are fine, asking if you need help is fine ( But only once, unless I look like I can't find something. ). If someone is really loitering around one area or acting suspicious, then definitely go ask them if they need help to show them you're paying attention.

Just don't ask me once every 45 seconds ( <cough> Futureshop <cough> ). Especially if I'm standing in a section that contains objects far too large to shoplift ( Yes, I'll be hiding that 22 inch LCD monitor box under my t-shift ). =p

[delorean623]

Sounds like a certain place's (whose colors are green and white) "10 foot tradition"!

haha! Exactly what I was thinking!!!

[MoonChild2007]

Hopefully not since the ignorant,rude joke "If it doesn't scan, then it's free" seems like it's widespread to think that they can lose their customer entitlement by not bothering with it and just keep it but who knows with people. When they scan for their items and there is no UPC they bother to grab an associate and page for them or they just realize it and they can get someone to watch their stuff while they get a UPC shows they aren't so lazy.

I couldn't stand that joke! Why do people think its so funny!

[Becks]

Just don't ask me once every 45 seconds ( <cough> Futureshop <cough> ). Especially if I'm standing in a section that contains objects far too large to shoplift ( Yes, I'll be hiding that 22 inch LCD monitor box under my t-shift ). =p

Those have special hidden buttons on them to make them smaller. Similar to how George Jetson's car turns into a briefcase during the opening credits. Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Don't tell anyone I told you.

[Noelegy]

Sounds like a certain place's (whose colors are green and white) "10 foot tradition"!

Yes, it doth.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

It's funny how SC's scan items differently than Co-workers do. They do it with confusion while Co-workers do it with grace.

[TwoScoopsSciath]

How does that help you positively identify a shoplifter? I've heard it can be a theft deterrent because it tells the would-be thief there are people around paying attention, but it's not as if the thief is just going to empty his pockets and surrender what he's trying to steal right there.

And old LP lady at my store had this trick to get a shoplifter to dump: She would watch the camera to see what the person was taking, then go to the salesfloor, pick up that same item, and walk past the shoplifter and show him/her the item, as if to tell them "I know you're hiding this on you, drop it before I have to take you down."

About the U-scans--supposedly the ones my company uses are so sensitive they can tell if an item has been dropped into the bag without being scanned. It tells the person to remove the item and scan it, and also notifies the attendant to watch that U-scan.

Yeah, one of the supermarkets down the road has U-Scans so sensitive, they gave me grief for not scanning the second of a buy-one-get-one. Then, when I did, it claimed I had four that needed to go in the bag. The monitor just sortof rolled her eyes, said "it's like that, ignore it," voided the second scan and let me go.