Tesco has been accused of treating customers like criminals after installing giant trolley scales to detect stolen self-scan items in its latest trial targeting shoplifters.
The supermarket giant said it had installed the new technology in selected stores across the UK, including at three checkouts at its store in Gateshead.
Trolleys are being weighed before checkout for those using scan as you shop, to ensure the weight matches the items scanned. The aim is to identify unscanned and overscanned items.
Tesco said the measure would help alert customers to any items they had “missed or scanned incorrectly” and help reduce the number of manual service checks done by store colleagues.
The move is the latest attempt by Tesco to crack down on the huge cost of shop theft.
Last month, The Grocer revealed the supermarket had launched a new multimillion-pound security hub to target shoplifters and violence against staff across its UK estate. A team at the centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, will hunt criminals targeting Tesco stores.
The Daventry centre will analyse thousands of hours of CCTV footage with a dedicated team of experts operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy has said the supermarket is spending “tens of millions” a year on measures to fight crime.
The supermarket said its latest move would also reduce queueing times and streamline the checkout experience.
However, some shoppers claim the checkouts are more like airport security than a supermarket, with Tesco accused of resorting to “dystopian” tactics.
You thought the self-scan was bad enough?
— Carl Vernon (@RealCarlVernon) March 8, 2025
Check out these ‘giant trolley scales’ being trialled at Tesco Gateshead. pic.twitter.com/CILnM0Wu1j
Retail Mind founder Ged Futter warned that if shoppers felt they were “being treated like thieves they will go somewhere else”.
“They’re forgetting that trust is the most important thing for all of the retailers and it works both ways. If customers don’t feel trusted or think they’re being treated like thieves they will go somewhere else,” he told the BBC.
Retail criminologist professor Emmeline Taylor said the scales were “quite foreboding and reminiscent of security scanners”.
One user on Reddit wrote: “Am I at border control or Tesco?”
Another said: “Come for the shopping, stay for the full body scan! WTF.”
“Are those the gates for the new Heathrow runway?” another added.
Tesco declined to comment directly on the trial but said it was constantly looking for ways to improve customers’ shopping experience.
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