Mastodawn

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

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Andrew Jennings 3d ago

@timrichards it's interesting that Woolworths is the most hated brand in Australia. Quite an achievement when you consider the contenders

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00Pete

@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.