Self-Checkout Shoplifting Skyrockets — Here’s How Thieves Are Doing It

Extremely malicious tactics are running rampant

“Bulk scanning” — bringing multiple identical items and scanning only one. “Barcode fraud” — sticking a cheaper item’s barcode onto a pricier item. “Single-item scan” — scanning just one can instead of a six-pack’s barcode.

At self-checkout registers, where customers scan and pay themselves, extremely malicious shoplifting methods are rampant. As self-checkout machines become more common in supermarkets and convenience stores, theft incidents at these registers have surged. The exact losses are unknown, but a survey by the National Shoplifting Crime Prevention Organization of five retailers found about 2,000 incidents in 2024. Yu Ito, a shoplifting G-man who has tracked down some 6,000 thieves over more than 25 years, comments (below, Ito’s remarks):

“I think the real damage is even greater. At one supermarket, shoplifting increased 35-fold after self-checkout was introduced. On the other hand, even if staff grow suspicious and warn someone, it’s hard to report to the police when the person says, ‘I was going to scan it,’ or ‘I just forgot’—there’s no clear evidence. It’s true that many losses go unrecognized.”

According to Ito, self-checkout thieves have telltale behaviors:

“They often carry many of the same item, and they pay an unusual amount of attention to staff. The biggest feature is that they repeat the crime. Even if someone can excuse themselves the first time by saying they forgot to scan, repeated identical actions captured on security cameras become crucial evidence.”

What works is store staff speaking up to customers

Yu Ito shared several cases where he apprehended thieves.

This spring, he caught a couple in their 30s in Chiba Prefecture. Their cart had relatively inexpensive items like diapers on the top and pricier items like rice on the bottom.

“The couple coordinated to stay mostly out of the staff’s line of sight, scanning only the top items. After checkout, they tried to leave without paying for the expensive items on the bottom. This method is called bottom-shelf skip. Because the couple had previously displayed suspicious behavior, we reported them to the police.”

Another case in Chiba, in September, involved a woman in her 30s.

“She packed multiple items into a single plastic bag, placing expensive products like meat at the bottom and scanning only the discounted items with soon-to-expire dates on top. This method is called plastic bag bulk scanning. She reportedly had financial difficulties and had been shoplifting once a week for the past two to three months. She intends to reimburse all the stolen goods.”

According to Ito, the most effective prevention is staff speaking up.

“Thieves usually act nervously. We instruct staff to ask, ‘Do you need help?’ if something seems suspicious. This often startles the thief and makes them abandon the theft.”

It’s a mistake to assume self-checkout makes stealing risk-free. Shoplifters should remember that even a single act can ruin their lives.

From the October 17, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”