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You could be arrested for shoplifting even when you are unaware you made a mistake.
Attorney Carrie Jernigan took to Tik Tok to tell people "stop using self-check" at stores now! She warned her over 1.2 million followers that days after a grocery store run, you could have police show up and put the cuffs on you. “As a criminal defense attorney, I advise most people to steer clear of self-checkout,” she says in the video.
With prices soaring, shoplifting is growing as well. Many stores are taking inventory regularly and then going back to check on the cameras that control their checkouts. They can trace your transactions with your credit cards and get all the info they need to prosecute you, even if you didn't realize you did anything wrong.
I think we've all gotten home once or twice, looked at the receipt, and realized that maybe you forgot to ring something up, or it was under your cart and you forgot. Jernigan called that "accidental" thieves but it's still a crime. She said that there are three groups; those that plan to steal, “accidental” thieves, and the truly innocent. She warned that you may not get arrested on the day of any alleged theft, but stores are finding people after the fact when they find inventory shortages and going after them.
It would be terrible to have to go through criminal proceedings and potentially have a record for a simple accident. Maybe the self-check aisles aren't your best option. Just something to consider.
The majority of us try to be honest people and make sure we're paying for everything we grab from the store. When I find something that may have gotten overlooked, typically I'm like well "they just paid me with cheese for work I did for them ringing it all up". Now I'm a little anxious with using the self-checkouts.
Will you steer clear now?
Here are some tips on using Self-checkout better:
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