A LAWYER has shared his top tips to avoid being accused of stealing at a self-checkout which could save you from being prosecuted.
Haseeb Hussain, who specializes in consumer rights and criminal defense, warned there has been a huge spike in shoplifting cases.
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The Chicago-born attorney explained stores are coming down hard on customers who haven’t paid for items – even if it’s by mistake.
Self-checkout machines have been blamed for confusing shoppers during transactions, causing them to forget to scan some items.
But major retailers are cracking down on careless customers and are bringing the full force of the law down on shoplifting suspects.
Target’s CEO Brian Cornell has already rolled out increased anti-theft measures in stores after he said the company is expected to lose $600million in profits this year due to missing inventory.
Haseeb has now revealed his helpful hacks to ensure replenishing your groceries goes as smoothly as possible in an online video.
The lawyer regularly shares legal advice on TikTok to educate his 435,000 followers on how to avoid catching a criminal case.
He said: “Grocery store customers all across the country are being prosecuted for accidentally missing items at the self-checkout line.
“It doesn’t matter if it was an accident – these individuals are being prosecuted for theft.”
The attorney then explained how being cautious with self-checkout machines and each item is key to dodging shoplifting allegations.
He continued: “If you can avoid the self-checkout line, do it.
“But if you have to use the self-checkout, be slow and intentional with your scans to make sure that you do not miss any items
“Cause if you do, you could find yourself in a criminal case.”
Shoplifting has now become an almost $100billion issue, according to a bombshell study done by the National Retail Federation in 2021.
But some Americans feel that issues with self-checkouts are fuelling the problem and pinned the blame on retailers rather than supposedly innocent shoppers.
Social media users called for the machines to be scrapped in favor of more cashiers to ensure customers aren’t wrongly accused of theft.
Others shared their own personal methods to efficiently ringing up their items while making sure each one is scanned.
One person commented: “Just stop using self-checkouts!”
Another fumed: “They have us working for them.
“We’re not getting paid and it’s not reflected in the cost of items and they want to prosecute people? Smh.”
A third said: “I always count my items physically then when I pay, in the corner of the screen it shows you the total items. So I make sure the number matches.”
A fourth wrote: “You made me glad I use curbside pick-up or delivery.”
And a fifth chimed in: ” Technically you are stealing if you’re not scanning… so yes they should be prosecuted.”
We previously told how an artificial intelligence company introduced new tech that could help stores tackle the shoplifting epidemic.
Everseen has created multiple products that survey the self-checkout process and provide users and staff with data and alerts that prevent theft.
The company is working to introduce its patented AI solution to increase surveillance without sacrificing the customer experience.
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