ANU researcher identifies “swipers” as a new type of thief
Image credit: Mark McGuire on Flickr.
An ANU criminology researcher has found up to a third of supermarket customers regularly steal when using self-service checkouts.
Dr Emmeline Taylor, from the School of Sociology, coined the acronym SWIPERS - seemingly well-intentioned patrons engaging in routine shoplifting - to describe this new type of shoplifter after her review of market surveys from around the world.
"Do-it-yourself checkouts appear to increase the incidence of theft by customers, particularly those who wouldn't normally steal," said Dr Taylor, from the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences.
"These shoppers often claim that they first stole items by accident or they couldn't get an item to scan, and then they continue to steal regularly and come up with a range of excuses to justify their behaviour.
"Many of these shoplifters do not think their behaviour is really criminal but rather they think they're just cheating the system or gamifying an otherwise mundane activity," she said.
Dr Taylor said SWIPERS used many different approaches to stealing, such as substituting cheap items for more expensive items or covering barcodes while scanning.
Dr Taylor said self-service areas might also allow thieves to exit the store more easily, particularly if employees were occupied with another customer.
This study was published in the Criminology & Criminal Justice journal.