For Brian Simpson, a recent routine shopping trip to a Canadian Tire store in Toronto turned into an unsettling experience. He says after paying for his items at a self-checkout, a security guard blocked him from exiting and demanded to see his receipt.
“It made me feel like a suspect, like I had done something wrong,” Simpson said. “I don’t like that they’re … painting us all with the same brush, that they’re assuming that everyone who uses self-checkout is going to steal.”
The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) told CBC News that shoplifting is on the rise and that it’s working with retailers on solutions. Some major retailers have adopted random receipt checks in selected stores, but the practice has sparked backlash from shoppers, who say they shouldn’t have to pay the price for self-checkout theft.
“It’s treating us like criminals because of the changes that they made to the store because of this expansion of self-checkout,” said John McCracken, who encountered a receipt check warning sign last month at a Loblaw-owned Superstore just outside Halifax.
“If you’ve ever used the self-checkouts, you know how unbelievably easy it is to rip them off.”
Brian Simpson of Toronto says he felt as though he was being treated as a suspect when he was stopped for a receipt check at the exit of a Canadian Tire store. (Keith Burgess/CBC)
So just how bad is the self-checkout theft problem — and is it the driving force behind receipt checks? CBC News put those questions to Canadian Tire, Walmart and Loblaw Companies Ltd., which have each incorporated the checks in some capacity. None directly answered the questions.
Canadian Tire said in an email that receipt and bag checks, which are left up to the discretion of individual store owners, are commonly used in the industry for “inventory control.” Walmart said receipt checks can be used for theft prevention, but it didn’t specify what type of theft. Loblaw directed comment to the RCC, but the retail council said it doesn’t track self-checkout losses.
So CBC News turned to criminologist Adrian Beck, who has studied self-checkout theft for more than a decade. He said it’s a growing problem due to the expansion of self-checkout machines and the fact that thieves feel the risk of getting caught is low.
“We’ve got a larger proportion of people using them, and quite a lot of people now are feeling more comfortable about how you might be able to use and abuse these systems,” said Beck, an emeritus professor at the University of Leicester in England.
I had a receipt check <a href=”https://twitter.com/CanadianTire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CanadianTire</a> tonight by the security guard at the exit. I used the self-checkout. Not impressed. I was already watched by the staff member who was monitoring the self-checkout.
As part of an industry-funded study published in 2022, Beck surveyed 93 retailers (he wouldn’t provide names) spread across 25 countries that have incorporated self-checkout technology.
According to the study, retailers estimated that as much as 23 per cent of their store losses were due to a combination of theft and customer error at self-checkouts.
Two-thirds of the retailers said self-checkout-related losses were a growing concern.
The carrot trick
Sometimes customers make honest mistakes at self-checkout, such as accidentally failing to scan an item. Beck said that can embolden thieves to steal, because they feel they have a good excuse if they get caught.
“I can simply say, ‘You know what, I’m sorry, I’ve obviously made a mistake. The machine was difficult to use,'” he said. “The real issue that retailers have is they find it very difficult to prove that I am a thief as opposed to a poor scanner.”
Beck said there are various methods thieves use to steal at self-checkouts, such as inputting the code for carrots when scanning pricier produce without barcodes, such as grapes, for example.
“They’re misrepresenting what they’re actually purchasing because they know carrots are a lot cheaper than grapes.”
Loblaw customers angry about receipt checks
Loblaw customers are disgusted by signs posted in stores that say customers must be prepared to show their receipts to validate their purchases. Some say it adds insult to injury with inflated prices and call the search of bags an invasion of privacy.
Another trick is called “skip scanning,” where thieves scan only some of their items. Tom Doyle, a plain-clothes investigator who patrols Ontario retail stores, said he frequently catches people doing this at self-checkouts.
“They’ll scan the oranges there, but they’ll put the steak [directly] in the bag,” said Doyle, with Corporate Protection & Investigative Services in Toronto. “If there’s $200 worth of groceries, they might pay $50.”
Doyle said in his experience, self-checkout thieves tend to be average shoppers looking to cut down their bill.
“Prices are going up on everything,” he said. “They say, ‘That’s too expensive. I can use that $20 for something else.'”
Are receipt checks a good solution?
Beck said retailers are using various techniques to combat self-checkout losses, such as training attendants to watch over customers, incorporating technology like surveillance cameras and doing random receipt checks.
But receipt checks can be a turnoff for customers. Romina Moazami said, several times earlier this year, she was asked to show her receipt after using self-checkout at a Canadian Tire in Burnaby, B.C. Moazami says she’s now boycotting the store.
“Why are you profiling me as a suspect?” she said. “I’m willing to pay more or drive farther, just so I don’t condone this behaviour.”
Toronto Canadian Tire customer Simpson said stores grappling with self-checkout theft should consider pulling their machines. “Maybe you need to rethink whether or not self-checkout is right for your location.”
John McCracken, a customer at a Loblaw-owned Superstore just outside Halifax, saw this sign last month warning about receipt checks. He said the sign was removed shortly after he complained to the store’s manager. (Submitted by John McCracken)
But Beck suggests retailers will keep offering self-checkout, as long as the money they save from reduced labour costs is higher than what they lose due to theft and scanning mistakes.
“The amount of self-checkout is only ever going to grow, particularly in grocery where we see it is very dominant now,” he said.
Receipt checks may also be here to stay. Despite the backlash, Canadian Tire, Loblaw and Walmart gave no indication that they’re reconsidering the practice.
According to legal experts, retailers can’t enforce receipt checks unless they witnessed a shopper stealing, or their customers have signed up for a store membership, such as at Costco, where they agreed to the checks.
Our associates are trained to check receipts to make sure unbagged items, and those at the bottom of the basket, have been scanned. As more of our stores are equipped with self-checkout machines, our associates will check receipts to make sure the transaction went smoothly.
VANCOUVER – Environment Canada has issued several rainfall warnings for British Columbia, covering much of Vancouver Island and the coastal regions as the first atmospheric river of the season approaches.
It says heavy rain is expected to reach inland sections of the central coast that will intensify throughout the day before peaking this afternoon, bringing up to 70 millimetres.
The weather office says west and inland Vancouver Island will see rainfall amounts of about 100 millimetres, possibly more than 200 millimetres in mountainous terrain.
It says Metro Vancouver will also see up to 70 millimetres, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor may get up to 100 millimetres.
The atmospheric river will also roll over B.C.’s southern Interior with prolonged periods of heavy rain expected to persist through the weekend.
The expected rain has prompted flood watches by the River Forecast Centre for several rivers along the central and south coasts, Lower Fraser tributaries, waterways in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
Wind warnings have also been issued for exposed sections of Haida Gwaii, North and Central Coasts, and North Vancouver Island.
Environment Canada is also maintaining snow warnings along the B.C.-Yukon boundary that may bring up to 25 centimetres in some areas.
It says rapidly accumulating snow may make it difficult to drive, so it is asking travellers to be cautious while on the roads.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain nearly 100 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 87.36 points at 24,777.84.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 85.55 points at 43,153.50. The S&P 500 index was up 17.22 points at 5,858.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 118.13 points at 18,491.74.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.42 cents US compared with 72.52 cents US on Thursday.
The December crude oil contract was down US$1.75 at US$68.34 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.27 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$26.60 at US$2,734.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up five cents at US$4.37 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
More details are expected today on a proposed $32.5-billion deal filed in an Ontario court that would see three major companies financially compensate provinces and territories as well as some smokers and their families.
Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst and lawyer at the Canadian Cancer Society, says that while the settlement is a good first step, it fails to support public-health measures that would change the fact that tobacco is the leading cause of death in Canada.
Cunningham says the $1 billion earmarked for research into tobacco-related diseases should be modified to also account for awareness, education and community prevention programs.
Lung Health Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Jessica Buckley says financial restitution can’t make up for the loss of life tobacco use has caused, killing 46,000 Canadians every year.
Buckley says the close to $25 billion that would be handed to provincial and territorial governments should be reinvested into preventing people from vaping and smoking.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
