‘Too scared to confront shoppers about theft,’ worker who mans 6 grocery checkouts says retail rage is real

A GROCERY store employee has become too scared to confront potential shoplifters as more customers rage over self-checkout.

Her concern has been met by stores like Walmart and Target which have begun to remove or limit self-checkout in some locations.

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Bernadette Christian works at Giant Food in Clinton, Maryland, where she is responsible for manning six self-service stations simultaneously.

But since the Covid-19 pandemic, Christian, 59, said shoppers have become angrier.

She’s become afraid to confront or help customers who are struggling at self-checkout – including those who might be stealing.

“It would be easy for us to be cashiers, and it would be a lot more safer in today’s world,” Christian told the Associated Press.

The debate over self-checkout has raged for years as more stores introduced the technology, especially during the pandemic.

Self-checkout was brought to stores and companies facing labor shortages, filling a crucial need.

But now, many are starting to roll back the kiosks as shoplifting has escalated.

Walmart has completely removed self-checkout from three stores in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Target has reduced self-checkout to customers with 10 items or less at many of its stores.

A supermarket chain in the UK called Booths has completely rid most stores of self-checkout after intense customer backlash.

Much of the divide over self-checkout has come from frustrated shoppers who have had to deal with malfunctioning technology while ringing up their own items.

“Going to the grocery store used to be simple, and now it’s frustrating,” said Cindy Whittington of Fairfax, Virginia.

“You’re paying more. You’re working harder to pay for merchandise at their store. And it’s become an ordeal to check out,” Whittington, 66, said.

“I should get a 5% discount.”