There were all categories of people who used to take goods without paying. Rich and poor, young and old. Skipping scanning the milk, meat or bread was put into the system, according to trader Michael Johansson.
— These are people with dishonest intentions and they can come from anywhere. It has nothing to do with social class, he says.
Unlike the self-scanning, where customers identify themselves with a membership card in order to shop, Ica Maxi in Angered saw major problems with the express checkouts, so-called express check-out.
— Unlike the self-scan, the direct difference is that you can block a customer who cheats with the self-scan, but that’s not possible when you’re unidentified.
Michael Johansson owns Ica Maxi Angered. Huge waste
In Michael Johansson’s store, the loss amounted to over two million kroner a year, a considerable sum for his store. But he believes that the problem exists in all stores.
— Other traders just think the loss is somewhere else, but they base their calculations on assumptions.
When the cash registers were closed in the store in Angered in October last year, Michael Johansson saw a “significant difference” in the waste. Therefore, it is not possible to look at the issue in any other way than that cheating at the cash registers has previously been the cause of the high wastage, he believes.
— We have a system that says we have certain goods in stock, but where the shelf has been empty, then we know that they have been stolen. We no longer have holes in the system, says Michael Johansson.
— It has been systematic cheating that we have in a way allowed because people have not had to identify themselves.
In the express checkouts, the customer scans the goods directly at the checkout. Stock image from Hemköp. Financial reasons
The basic idea of cash registers is good, according to the trader. It is intended as something positive for the customer who wants to quickly run into the store and buy a few items without having to stand in line.
— I don’t think it was such a big problem initially. But over time it has been discovered that it is a way to mold.
In an already exposed grocery store, where the goods are becoming more expensive to purchase and where households are tighter with their money, the decision to close the cash registers was entirely for financial reasons.
— I need to compensate for this in some way and if I am going to increase it when I set my prices, all customers will suffer. In the beginning there was perhaps a bit of whining, but I think it probably came from the people who had been dishonest before, says Michael Johansson.
— We have gained a great understanding of this. No customer wants to pay for someone else’s dishonesty.