Up to three million Aussies stealing from self-serve checkouts
Updated . First published at
Millions of fed-up Australians are taking matters into their own hands to drive down their grocery prices - but they’ve been warned it could land them in very hot water.
New research from Finder showed that 14 per cent of survey respondents - the equivalent of three million Australians - admitted to deliberately scanning a premium item as a cheaper one at self-serve supermarket checkouts in the past 12 months.
Millions of Australians are cheating supermarkets at the checkout. Julia Gomina
About 5 per cent of Australians did so regularly, and 9 per cent say they’ve intentionally done so “once or twice”.
And a further 6 per cent said they’d done so sometimes by accident.
Finder personal finance expert Sarah Megginson said the numbers were a sign of how desperate and how fed-up Australians had become.
“Australians have been doing it tough at the checkout for years and this research shows that some have clearly decided: enough is enough,” she said.
“We’ve seen supermarkets report record profits and many people think scanning items for a lower price isn’t hurting anyone, but ultimately, deliberately scanning the wrong item is theft.”
However, Megginson warned the shoppers were placing themselves at risk, as supermarkets took advantage of escalating technology.
“Supermarkets have invested heavily in surveillance and AI-powered checkout monitoring, so the chances of being caught could be much higher than people realise,” she said.
“A split-second decision at the checkout could have embarrassing consequences, or even legal ones.
“Someone caught scanning an $8 chocolate bar as a $1 item could technically face theft charges.”
Even in cases where a first-time offender was given a warning or minor penalty rather than being arrested, they could still find themselves banned from the store.
Gen Z were the most likely checkout cheats, citing cost-of-living pressures.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) admitted they’d intentionally passed off a dearer item as something cheaper.
That’s compared to just 6 per cent for Generation X.
Megginson said those struggling with grocery costs had better options available to them than stealing, including switching to home brand, buying in bulk, seeking out specials, cashback services, and using discount programs.
People at self-checkouts pass off more expensive items as cheaper ones. Hakase
“If your budget is under serious pressure, services like food banks and community pantries might be able to help,” she said.
“Shoplifiting and other retail crime costs Australian businesses close to $9 billion a year, and that cost ultimately gets passed on to consumers through higher prices.
“The irony is that shoppers stealing to beat high prices are actually contributing to them.”
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
