Archie Norman, chairman of Marks and Spencer, has claimed that self-checkout machines are driving 'good, honest people' to shoplift. He argued that when the technology proves troublesome and no staff are available, customers may feel justified in taking items without paying.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Norman said: 'When normally good, honest people come in and they're buying their shopping and it doesn't scan, and there's nobody manning the checkouts, they're saying: 'It's not my fault and I don't have much time so if I can't get my strawberries through, I'll just put them in my basket.''
Despite these concerns, M&S has installed hundreds of self-service machines as part of a £150 million cost-cutting programme, rolling out 800 tills in just 12 months in 2023. Norman, a former MP for Tunbridge Wells, argued that the technology has severed the 'human link' between customers and staff.
However, Norman distinguished between opportunistic theft and organised crime, blaming police for failing to tackle persistent shoplifters. He said: 'When you have gangs of kids coming in and sweeping the shelves, that's a police event and it requires an active police response.'
Retail chiefs, including Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts, have called for greater police presence in stores to combat shop crime, which they say has become more brazen and aggressive.
