POLICE are searching for a woman who is suspected of using a self-checkout to steal three televisions for the price of a can of Pepsi.
According to Murfreesboro Police Department in Tennesee, the Walmart customer stole the items using a self-checkout trick.
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On June 5 the suspect was seen entering the store on Memorial Boulevard.
She then allegedly went to the self-checkout where she scanned and paid for a can of Pepsi but did not scan any of her other items.
The suspect was then seen leaving the Walmart store with three televisions and her can of soda.
Police have revealed that the license plate on her old red Ford Crown Victoria came back as a red Chrysler 200.
Cops have shared a still from surveillance footage of the woman in question in order to try to locate her.
A Facebook post by the police department said: “Detectives need help identifying a person of interest in a shoplifting case.
“Call Detective Ray Worden at 629-201-5637 if you know this woman.
Self-checkouts have been at the center of a huge conversation to address shoplifting, which has now become an almost $100billion issue, according to a 2021 study by the National Retail Federation.
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Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC Squawk Box in December last year that theft “is higher than what it has historically been.”
The retailer was even forced to close its two stores in Portland, Oregon on March 24 amid rising crime rates.
Commenting on the story of the woman who is suspected of stealing the televisions, Facebook users are rallying against the self-serve kiosks.
One user told Walmart: “Bring back your cashier’s. This is what is going to happen with a lot of self-checkout.
“Everyone saw that coming.”
Another said: “[Theft] is a huge issue because customers eat the costs of these thefts.
“Also, in some cities, some stores are closing shop because of all the thefts. It’s getting out of hand.”
“They decided they didn’t want to pay cashiers and laid off countless people for us to do it ourselves despite the millions of people telling them repeatedly it’s an issue,” one added.
They continued: “Walmart caused the issue- they’d see less theft if they manned their cashier stations again and closed the self-checkouts.”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/8420052/walmart-shopper-accused-of-stealing-from-self-checkout/