Latest news with #shoplifters
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Walmart shoppers left stunned after realizing products have secret codes hidden within them
Shoppers have been left stunned after discovering hidden barcodes in Walmart's Great Value brand products. A worker, known as beatsbycait on TikTok, showed off the invisible barcodes with a scanner in a recent video. 'Real ones know almost all great value items have hidden bar codes,' she captioned her clip. The TikToker used the scanner on six different Great Value products, pointing it directly at the middle of each item rather than at a barcode. The tech, which saves shoppers the time spent searching for barcodes on items at self checkout, was originally introduced in 2019, but many shoppers are still finding out about it to this day. 'As someone who worked for Walmart many years, please explain how?,' one TikToker wrote. 'I thought I was tripping,' another Walmart employee responded. Invisible barcodes were also brought in to make it more difficult for shoplifters to steal items by pretending to scan them. The invisible barcodes were first introduced to Walmart branded items in 2019 through the chain's partnership with Digimarc. Digimarc barcodes are invisible to the naked eye, but are printed all over an item enabling it to be easily picked up by a self-checkout scanner. 'It's really cool how it's embedded in the art itself in each layer,' another person commented on the TikTok video. Walmart began using the technology as a way to crack down on shoplifting at self-checkouts. 'It's to stop skip scanning. If they pass it over the scanner in any direction it scans,' another user wrote. 'Walmart is a forward-thinking technology leader with an unwavering focus on customer experience,' said Digimarc CEO Riley McCormack in 2022, when the company said it was extending its partnership with Walmart. 'We are thrilled to expand our partnership with them and look forward to sharing more details about this expansion in the coming months.' Besides invisible barcodes, Walmart has added other gadgets to self-checkout machines in order to crack down on card skimming. The tech, which saves shoppers the time spent searching for barcodes on items at self checkout, was originally brought in at Walmart in 2019 It also unveiled a $9 billion investment in-store makeovers, which is currently in its full rollout. But the company has also been in hot water this month due to the removal of a popular perk and price hikes. The company confirmed its plans to raise prices as the result of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump after meeting with him in April. It also announced earlier this week that around 1,500 US jobs will be slashed due to a restructuring plan being implemented to cut expenses and simplify operations. The layoffs will hit employees who work in its global technology operations, e-commerce fulfillment, and its ad sales division Walmart Connect. In addition to the layoffs, Walmart shuttered its North Carolina office and is relocating workers to main hubs in California and Arkansas.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Tesco becomes latest UK supermarket to make major change at self-service checkouts in bid to crackdown on shoplifting
TESCO has become the latest retailer to launch VAR-style replays at self-checkouts – after their rivals successfully used them to stop brazen thefts. A camera above scan-and-go tills records packing actions and uses AI to detect when an item may not have been scanned properly. 2 2 It then shows shoppers an instant replay of themselves failing to scan the products. The move is thought to have already cut some self-checkout thefts at Sainsbury's, where the footy ref aid-inspired cameras were quietly introduced last month. Supermarket bosses believe thieves who can see their illegal actions have been caught red-handed are far more likely to pay for them instead. It is unclear when the kit was added to Tesco tills, but any would-be robbers attempting to take from the stores now see the message: 'The last item wasn't scanned properly. 'Remove from bagging area and try again." If the measure is successful, lock-boxes and security stickers, which are typically reserved for high-value items, could finally be removed from everyday goods like teabags, chocolate and tins of Spam. A retail source said: The early indications are that this is working and it is an effective measure. 'This is different to a live camera because many shoplifters assume nobody is watching. 'If your attempted theft has been clipped up and replayed to you seconds later, you know you might only have two options. 'One is to pay, and the other is to get caught. Watch as defiant Tesco shoppers wait in MASSIVE queue rather than use self-service checkouts 'A great deal of shoplifters simply will keep going, whatever the stores do. 'But it will deter some, and much like Tesco's slogan, every little helps.' In February, Tesco unveiled a specialist security centre at its warehouse in Daventry, Northants, which monitors the unbelievable shoplifting crime wave 24 hours a day. The multi-million pound centre is the beating heart of the retailer's shrink transformation team, who are responsible for hunting Britain's marauding criminals. Security boss Emma Sparrock said: 'Our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our colleagues and customers has never been stronger. 'This move is a symbol of our team's growth, and we're ready to face what lies ahead with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.' A record 516,971 shoplifting incidents were logged by police in 2024 — up from 429,873 in 2023. Yet only a fifth resulted in a charge, while more than half of the investigations ended with no suspect identified. Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said shoplifting was costing £2billion a year with rising violence and abuse against staff. A Tesco spokeswoman 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.' It comes after a huge supermarket chain revealed major changes across its nearly 2,400 stores - but it will leave shoppers divided.
