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A WALMART shopper has been arrested after he allegedly tried to steal Pokémon collector cards while using the self-checkout.
Cops said Chase Green failed to scan the three boxes of cards, worth $85, while he was at the kiosk on May 19.
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Surveillance footage appeared to show Green, 27, holding gum packs over the boxes of cards in the Ohio store, per the CBS affiliate WOIO.
Green allegedly pretended to scan the boxes but didn’t pay for them, according to a police report obtained by the outlet.
Green reportedly told officers he scanned the gum and the cards at once.
He claimed that he didn’t look at the amount on the screen.
Green then offered to pay for the cards because he was worried about losing his job, per the Fox affiliate WJW.
He was placed on administrative leave by the Sandusky Fire Department but has since resigned.
Green faces a theft charge and pleaded not guilty, according to Sandusky Municipal Court records seen by The U.S. Sun.
Reports of self-checkout-related theft have become more widespread in recent years.
It has led staffers’ to coin phrases to describe different types of theft.
Some shoplifters use a tactic that is known as a “pass around,” per The Atlantic. This is where an item is deliberately not scanned.
Criminologists at the University of Leicester have explained that people who wouldn’t normally steal may be more inclined to do it at the self-checkout.
Adrian Beck, a criminology professor, said “Normal shoppers can become very emboldened by the cloak of excuse-making that surrounds self-checkout,” as reported by Forbes.
Major retailers such as Kroger have teamed up with the tech company Everseen in a bid to combat the problem.
It involves using high-resolution cameras alongside computer vision and AI technology.
Kroger initially rolled out the technology in a trial period and the retailer was pleased with the results.
It was reported last year that technology had been installed at 1,700 grocery stores, per Chain Store Age.
Kroger has said more than 75 percent of self-checkout errors are corrected without a staffer required to solve the problem.
Walmart is also among the retailers that have introduced measures to deter theft.
The strategies range from wrapping expensive items in spider wrap to locking goods in cabinets and putting up signs warning shoppers about the consequences of theft.
But, not all strategies have been welcomed, with some customers claiming that they have made shopping “impossible.”
