'Your items are offside': Tesco rolls out 'VAR-style' checkouts that record customers scanning

ITV News

2 days ago

Tesco's new "VAR-style" self-checkouts have caused mixed reactions from customers, with the retail giant's latest effort to deter shoplifters being mocked on social media.
The self-checkout system has been introduced into some stores, in line with a number of other retailers as the retail industry battles to contain a record rise in shoplifting.
The new checkout system includes an overhead camera which records customers scanning and packing their shopping.
Most customers will be used to the dreaded "unidentified item in bagging area" message but the new system, which uses AI technology, plays videos to the customer if they scan an item incorrectly.
It also includes a message saying "the last item wasn't scanned properly".
The AI technology has led to some customers and social media users joking that it is similar to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology used in football.
Replying to this video which has been shared across social media, some viewers commented that the milk was "offside".
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
"We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier."
But not all shoppers agree, with many sharing their thoughts on the new system on social media.
One instagram user poked fun at the new system in a comment: "Careful if you've already scanned one yellow label, two and you're off!"
But some customers are unhappy with the new changes.
One person on X (formerly Twitter) said: "This is disgusting public shaming from #Tesco; simply avoid this supermarket that is too lazy to open more tills and staff them properly."
Other social media users defended the new system, one saying: "If you have nothing to hide there's no reason not to use it - it's there to stop shoplifting and therefore keep prices down, so will benefit honest shoppers in the long run."
Some people questioned whether it would be able to deter shoplifters altogether, asking: "How does this prevent people putting stuff in shopping bag when they take it off shelf?"
How bad is retail crime?
Figures from April show that retail crime is now at the highest levels ever since policing records began, with over half a million offences in the last year alone.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed shoplifting offences had increased by 20% from 429,873 offences last year, to 516,971 this year.
It was the first time half a million offences had been surpassed since policing records began in March 2003.
But that number could be a drop in the ocean, because so many incidents are not reported by shopkeepers.
Earlier this year the British Retail Consortium said theft had reached an "all-time high", with over 20 million incidents in 2023/24, costing retailers £2.2 billion.
The trade association claimed that retail crime was "spiralling out of control"
What are other retailers doing?
Sainsbury's rolled out similar AI self-checkout technology across some of its stores earlier this month.
While Greggs has announced it has had to remove self-service kiosks in some stores to try to fend off shoplifting.
In at least five stores, sandwiches and drinks are now kept behind counters after a spate of thefts.
Asda is trialling facial recognition technology in five of its Greater Manchester stores, in a bid to reduce retail crime.
The two-month trial will see the faces of shoppers scanned from CCTV and compared to a database of "individuals who have previously committed criminal activity on an Asda site".
If a match is found, Asda's head office security team will alert the store.
Home Bargains, Southern Co-op, Budgens, Costcutter and several independent convenience stores use similar technology.