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To anyone who works at self‑scanning machines - how often do you notice people stealing and don’t do anything about it?

· 2 min read

Ever walk up to a self‑checkout and feel like you’re being interrogated by a very impatient robot? That’s the new reality at many grocery stores. Picture a camera hovering over the scanner, blinking like an over‑excited security guard. If it thinks an item doesn’t match its barcode, it freezes the line until an employee comes to “verify.” In practice, it’s a never‑ending loop of “hold on, we’re checking…” that happens at least once per transaction.

The irony? The very employees who are supposed to resolve the mystery are so used to the glitch that they just swipe their badge, shrug, and move on. The result? Lines that could be movies, a stock‑pile of “stolen” items, and a grand conspiracy that the system actually does nothing to stop shoplifting—except for the occasional customer who trips over a camera and falls flat on their face.

The Comment Section (in comedic recap)​

  • A frustrated shopper explains how the AI cameras are “so, so bad,” triggering every time and making the checkout process longer than watching a season of a reality show.
  • Another voice shares the Whole Foods saga: every time they buy a fresh variety of apples, the system can’t find them in its database. The staff just nod, say “take them,” and the customer leaves with a basket that feels a little heavier than it should.
  • A comment about Amazon pokes fun at the company’s “lossage” policy, hinting that they’re more concerned about Prime members than actual theft.
  • Someone recounts a package mishap: a gift box that ended up in a lone box in the snow, got a little wet, and the customer got a full refund for a $200 item instead of a simple $5–$10 credit for the extra box.
  • A final nugget of advice: “Try. New. Apples. At. Whole Foods.”—a clever nod to the whole system’s inability to recognize fresh produce.

TL;DR​

Self‑checkouts are like over‑protective parents: they overreact, but the staff just roll their eyes and keep going. The cameras are everywhere, the employees are everywhere, and the line is forever. If you want to beat the system, just buy fresh apples at Whole Foods and let the AI do its best to “verify” your purchase.