The people of Japan have a good relationship with the machines. They seem inspired by the idea that every device deserves a chance. The stick fan for cooling hot noodles has therefore made it to the market in the island state, as has the desk washing machine for cleaning wristwatches. And hardly anyone accuses the self-service machines, which are increasingly replacing the conventional checkout in supermarkets, of taking away jobs from people. You accept it and make the best of it. Still, there is trouble. Or maybe because of that?
In any case, Japan’s retailers are realizing that they have a problem with shoplifting. And the connection between crime and the trend towards self-service machines is clear. Checkout terminals are popping up in stores all over the world. In Japan, according to the National Supermarket Association, it started in 2003 and spread for good reason. In the aging island nation, it is not getting any easier to find workers. In addition, the machine requires no wages.
But the machines fail at a sensitive point in the sale of goods: when paying. They’re too easy to take advantage of by people who just pretend they’ve held up a product in front of the scanner, or who intentionally drop something and then stick it right in. “There are also people who illegally put half-price stickers on items or even bring their own price tags,” says Yu Ito, a shoplifting prevention expert at the weekly Bunshun, “by introducing something convenient, fraud spreads.” The newspaper mainichi reports on an example from Nakagawa: A woman wanted to leave a discount store with 48 unscanned items worth 21,745 yen, just under 150 euros. And Fukuoka-based retailer Trial Company reports that 80 percent of shoplifting in May 2023 involved self-service systems.
Japan is not a country of thieves. On the contrary, if you lose your wallet here, you usually get it back with the full contents. Due to the current debate in retail, the Japanese are probably a bit more criminal than they really are. But the industry fears for the money that they wanted to save with the machines. Their managers therefore put their heads together. Big companies like Aeon Kyushu and Nishitetsu Store have joined a self-help association. Companies are so actively considering sharing pictures and information about suspicious customers that lawyers are cautious about the privacy rights of supermarket visitors.
A tricky situation. The nature of the self-service machine and the nature of human beings create a temptation that not everyone resists. At least the problem has been identified. The Trial Company says they are catching more and more repeat offenders because they recognize their clothing. And if need be, there is also Japan’s confidence in technology. Eventually there may be a self-service hedging machine.