IN an effort to crack down on shoplifting, new self-checkout technology is being tested at some Aldi locations and customers may not like it.
Shoppers at a location in Sydney, Australia noticed a major change at their local store as giant monitors were installed above self-checkout kiosks.
The screens are about the size of a desktop computer and portray a high-definition view of customers as they scan and place items in bags.
The words “monitoring in progress” are shown at the bottom of the screen.
Aldi has about 600 stores in Australia so it’s unclear at this time if other locations were given the same treatment.
“ALDI have CCTV in place across all our stores as a security measure to ensure the safety of our customers and employees and also to monitor for theft,” a spokesperson for the company told 9News.
“We are trialing a variety of new CCTV technologies across a select number of stores which are in line with all relevant surveillance laws.”
Aldi cameras don’t currently use facial recognition or AI technology, according to the spokesperson.
It’s unknown how customers feel about the change at Aldi but many have been vocal about the crackdown on retail theft.
Some have argued that all the changes make the customer experience more difficult.
According to the National Retail Federation, retailers lost $94.5billion from retail shrink in 2021, up from $90.8billion in 2020.
“Although retail theft is nothing new, the study showed that retailers saw roughly a 25 percent increase in organized theft in one year, up from an already high average 40 percent of all retail theft coming from organized shoplifting, this is not a figure retailers can ignore when pressured to increase yearly sales,” Retail expert Jeanel Alvarado of Retail Boss told The U.S. Sun.
“In 2022, organized retail theft increased by 26.5 percent.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Aldi for comment on the new self-checkout technology.
