More than 1 in 4 self-checkout shoppers admit they’ve stolen: Survey

( Hill )

Self-checkout may save time at the store, but a growing number of shoppers admit they’ve also used it to steal.

Among Americans who have used self-checkout, 27 percent say they’ve intentionally taken an item without scanning it — up from 15 percent in 2023, according to a recent LendingTree survey.

Millennials (41 percent) and Gen Z adults (37 percent) were the most likely to admit to stealing at self-checkout, while only 2 percent of Baby Boomers said the same. Men (38 percent) were more than twice as likely as women (16 percent) to say they’ve done it.

When asked why they stole, 47 percent said the current financial climate has made it difficult to afford essentials. Nearly as many (46 percent) cited higher prices — including increases they attributed to tariffs — and many (39 percent) said today’s prices “feel unfair” or “too high in general.”

“Even though people know that stealing is wrong and most understand the risk they’re taking, tough times require tough choices, and lots of people are clearly willing to take a risk,” LendingTree’s chief consumer analyst Matt Schulz said in the report.

About a third of those who admitted to stealing said they don’t feel remorseful, and a similar share (35 percent) see self-checkout as “unpaid work,” so taking small items “feels like compensation.”

Interestingly, those with household incomes of $100,000 or more were the most likely (40 percent) to say they’ve intentionally taken an item without scanning it. Just 17 percent of those making less than $30,000 said the same.

Stores rethink how widely they use self-checkout

Self-checkouts have become more common in recent years, but major retailers have started to pull back.

Aldi shoppers in the Chicago area recently noticed that some stores had removed their self-checkout stations, prompting several frustrated customers to post about it on social media.

“Nothing scarier than the line at Aldi after they took out all the self-checkout kiosks,” a Chicago TikToker said in a video. Another shopper blamed theft for the change, saying: “We can never have a good thing because people just ruin it.”

Aldi did not respond to a request for comment from NewsNation, The Hill’s sister station.

The grocer told Axios the stations were removed to “ensure we’re offering the best shopping experience possible while delivering exceptional value,” and said self-checkout will remain available at many stores.

Dollar General said last year it had removed self-checkout from 12,000 stores, citing the “ongoing challenge from shrink,” the industry term for inventory lost to theft and other non-sales factors.

Target rolled out express self-checkout in March 2024 at most of its stores, but limits the option to 10 items or fewer. Meanwhile, Amazon has largely removed its cashierless Just Walk Out technology from Amazon Fresh stores.

LendingTree’s findings underscore why self-checkout remains a complicated tool for retailers. Most respondents (55 percent) said they liked self-checkout machines for their speed and convenience, but among those who admitted stealing, the same share — 55 percent — said they think they’ll do it again.

“I get that people are frustrated, but no one should encourage people to walk away from a retailer without paying for something,” Schulz said.

The online survey of 2,050 U.S. consumers was conducted in October.