Edeka and Rewe pioneers
Self-service checkouts do not encourage theft
December 21, 2023, 3:38 p.m
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In the US, supermarkets are dismantling their self-checkouts because shoplifting is rising to record levels. In Germany things obviously look different. Edeka, Rewe and the discounters are not seeing a drop in the honesty of their customers due to automation.
The food retail sector in Germany has not recorded a significant increase in shoplifting due to the increased use of self-service checkouts. “We are not observing any noticeable increase in markets with self-service checkouts,” said an Edeka spokesman. The retail chain wants to expand the number of so-called self-checkout cash register systems. Nevertheless, there should still be traditional cash registers. Rewe made a similar statement. “We cannot confirm at all that the number of thefts is increasing. The systems are very well developed,” said the company. Accordingly, it is more likely that some customers are worried about accidentally not scanning an item. Rewe wants to continue to use self-service checkouts in the future and equip more locations with them.
More and more customers in Germany are already scanning their products themselves. According to a study by the retail research institute EHI, there are already 16,000 self-service checkouts in retail. The technology is used primarily in the food trade. Self-service checkouts are most commonly found at Rewe and Edeka, where more than 750 stores are each equipped accordingly. Aldi Süd has also been using self-service checkouts since the beginning of 2023. The company did not want to comment on a possible increase in the theft rate.
“Research shows that self-checkout systems in Germany do not necessarily lead to higher theft rates,” says retail expert Kai Hudetz from the Institute for Retail Research IFH. Camera technology could make cashierless markets just as theft-proof. “With traditional cash registers, only a fraction of thefts can be reduced anyway, as many thefts already take place at the shelf,” says Hudetz.
US markets begin dismantling
In the USA there is apparently a tendency for retailers to rely more heavily on classic, staffed checkouts again. The cause is therefore high economic losses as a result of increased theft rates and the technical error of self-service cash registers. The “Handelsblatt” reported on it. EHI expert Frank Horst does not expect retailers in Germany to stop the expansion of self-service checkouts or attempt to dismantle them. “Things are going far too well for that. We’re experiencing an incredible boom.” The number of thefts in retail has recently increased significantly, but this is merely a return to normality and the values of the pre-Corona period.
Regarding the comparison with the USA, Horst says: “In the USA there have always been significantly higher inventory differences than here.” According to Horst, retailers in this country use various options to reduce the risk of theft. Among other things, additional cameras with artificial intelligence are in use, which can use behavioral recognition to determine whether a product has been pulled over the scanner. Many stores also have an exit barrier that only opens after the receipt has been scanned. The supervisor in the checkout area also has a preventative effect.