THIS is the exact way Sainsbury’s new self-checkout tracks shoppers as they pay.
In an urgent attempt to crackdown on thefts, the supermarket giant has installed new cameras that record packing actions at the till.
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If an item isn’t scanned, Sainsbury’s customers are shown the video feed and told: “Looks like that last item didn’t scan.
“Please check you scanned it correctly before continuing.”
Shoppers’ reactions have been mixed, with one saying they were sent the warning because the packet of basil they bought was “too light”.
Another joked: “Thanks to Sainsbury’s, I can now re-live and learn from my packing mistakes.
“I can almost hear (Sky pundit) Jamie Carragher lamenting my positioning.”
A retail source said: “It’s a deterrent to shoplifters.
“Most people have made a genuine mistake while scanning, which is detected by the scales.
“It’s a more gentle reminder than red flashing lights and a member of staff coming over.”
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We regularly review the security measures in our stores and our decisions to implement them are based on a range of factors, including offering our customers a smooth checkout experience.”
Despite shoplifting being at a record high, just one in five incidents reported resulted in a charge — and more than half ended with no suspect identified.
Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said the crime is costing firms £2billion a year.
This comes as shoplifting offences have gone past half a million in a year for the first time.
A record 516,971 incidents were logged by police — up from 429,873 in 2023.
Yet only a fifth resulted in a charge while more than half of investigations ended with no suspect identified.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics came after a Sun investigation exposed the scale of shoplifting from Greggs.
Countless cases of thieves swiping baked and sweet treats from branches across the country have been reported — with staff powerless to intervene.
Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said shoplifting was costing £2billion a year with rising violence and abuse against staff.
He added: “While the ONS statistics show shoplifting at record levels, the figures severely underestimate the problem.
“They are equivalent to less than two incidents per shop per year. Shopkeepers will tell you they’re lucky if a day goes by without a shoplifting incident.”
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “This Labour Government will not tolerate the criminality blighting our communities. That’s why we’re putting almost 3,000 more bobbies on the beat this year.”
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Law and order is taking a back seat under Labour.”