Tim Richards3d ago

Interesting piece about supermarket theft and its intersection with the cost of living crisis. I shake my head at supermarkets installing customer-hostile security measures, when they could just reinstate staffed checkouts. (Also their dodgy behaviour over illusory discounts hasn't won them any friends.)

[gift link] https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/share/22860/2OX13elG

Inside supermarket surveillance measures

Australian retail crime costs an estimated $9 billion a year. It is a growing problem, with 70 per cent of retailers reporting increased theft in 2024/25. Total retail loss includes “shrink” – goods lost between manufacture and point of sale – internal theft and vendor fraud. The biggest contributor by far, though, is theft by customers or other third parties.

The Saturday Paper
Show threadAndrew Jennings
@timrichards it's interesting that Woolworths is the most hated brand in Australia. Quite an achievement when you consider the contenders
Mar 22 at 11:36pmWeb
Show threadTim Richards3d ago
@andyjennings Quite a crowded field in fact
Show thread00Pete3d ago
@andyjennings @timrichards espcially considering Coles is now signed up to use palantir systems for facial recognition and mass surveillance of customers - an american system linked with the US military complex... great... I can see some benefits from it, IF it was used properly, but we all know it won't be.
Show threadPaul Armstrong2d ago

@andyjennings Wow, I'd missed the fall of Woolies. From most to least trusted in only 2 years, that's quite the feat.

Still, at least in my local area, I'll take Woolies over Coles every day. The local Woolies doesn't treat everyone like a crim, the local Coles does. And, of course, there's Palantir. That was really the final straw.

I also make a habit of using the staffed checkout lines. Dunno how much difference it makes, but it's nice to have a human conversation.