Walmart shopper is caught ‘using sneaky tag trick to steal from self-checkout’ – but things get worse when cops arrive - TalkLPnews Skip to content

Walmart shopper is caught ‘using sneaky tag trick to steal from self-checkout’ – but things get worse when cops arrive

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  • Retail
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A WOMAN suspected of shoplifting using a self-checkout scam saw things go from bad to worse after a personal bag search.

The 30-year-old was arrested at Walmart in Evansville, Indiana on Wednesday at 8:30 pm following reports of a theft.

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Jeanette Matlock is being held at Vanderburgh County Jail on numerous charges including theftCredit: Vanderburgh County Jail
Retail theft has become a $100 billion per year issue for the industry leading to increased measures that frustrate both shoppers and retailers.

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Retail theft has become a $100 billion per year issue for the industry leading to increased measures that frustrate both shoppers and retailers.Credit: Getty

According to officers, suspect Jeanette Matlock was taken into custody by an asset protection employee.

As well as stealing $80 worth of clothing, Matlock is also accused of swapping item tags at the self-checkout to get them cheaper, according to an affidavit seen by NBC affiliate WFIE.

This was witnessed on surveillance footage by a Walmart employee.

However, once the cops arrived on the scene, the situation worsened.

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According to Evansville Police, a search of the suspect’s backpack revealed drug paraphernalia and heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine.

In addition to this, Matlock also had two active warrants out of Vanderburgh County.

Subsequently, she was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail without bond.

Matlock has been charged with failure to appear, possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana/hash oil/hashish, theft (shoplifting), possession of methamphetamine, possession schedule I, II, III, IV, V, and possession of Cocaine or Narcotic Drug.

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The incident comes amid warnings from retail experts that the self-checkout era could be coming to an end due to unprecedented levels of theft.

Retail leaders are questioning the success of self-checkout as shoppers continue to walk out of the store without paying for their goods.

“I think we are going to see the demise of self-checkouts very soon,” food industry analyst Phil Lempert told CBS affiliate WDJT.

British supermarket chain Booths has announced it would remove self-checkouts in nearly all of its stores, per CNN News.

It comes retail theft has become a $100 billion-a-year issue for the industry, which customers worry is being added to their already increasingly high bills.

Shoplifting has also led to a rise in anti-theft measures such as locking away certain items behind plexiglass, conducting receipt checks, and limiting opening times, frustrating both the law-abiding shopper and retailers.

As a result, some customers find they have long waits to retrieve locked-up items, are falsely accused of theft, and have to wait for their receipts to be checked and verified.

The U.S. Sun previously reported on one lawyer who is calling for the end of Walmart’s self-checkouts calling them “shoplifting traps.”

While the machines were highly beneficial during the pandemic when human contact needed to be reduced, there is now a lack of cashiers and increased issues with the technology.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/9710666/walmart-shopper-arrested-self-checkout-tag-trick-theft/