December 9, 2025 • 8 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
So you're telling me there's a theft problem in America.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, more shoppers admit to stealing from the self checkout.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Twenty seven percent of shoppers admit they've intentionally stolen an
item at self checkout. That that is a twelve percent
increase from the same exact survey that was done two
years ago.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh wow, what do.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You think there's stealing?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well, how much is ripen? Well, that's what I'm saying, Like,
how much is really available in the self checkout? I
mean you got what candy bars, right or gum?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, it's items that in their shopping cars.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, I see what you're saying. They're saying, they're gonna
say they pill for something out of the self checkout.
There you're saying, they're saying not scanning. You didn't scan something.
Now I am hyper paranoid about this, like because I.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Is, because the big camera right in front of it
face honest.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Like anybody could actually when you're doing all this stuff
yourself and you're moving to da da da. I'm sure
it totally accidentally happens all the time, or somebody's trying to,
you know, put things in or I think I scanned
something or didn't register, like there's no militia intent whatsoever.
But I'm always hyper paranoid, like I check every item
because that's the last thing I need. Like I didn't
scan something properly. Rob Kendall goes down to detain for
(01:11):
stealing something from the Walmart. So I'm always just very
very paranoid. But these people are saying they they purposely
didn't scan something right.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And then walk out the door, oh wow, yeah, with
it in their cart, or they'll just put it in
a bag without scanning it. And the surprising part about
this is it's not big ticket items. It's not like electronics.
It is essential items like food, water, and basic household
or health products.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
There was an article, this was a while ago, I'm
don't remember where it was, but that stores were pondering
getting rid of the self checkouts again because of the
theft issue, and what they were losing in terms of
product and merchandise was offsetting or even more than what
they would have had to pay someone to run these
(02:05):
these registers. And now there's some stores, and I don't
know if it's gotten any traction or not, but some
of these major stores are pondering going back to the
you stand in line and scan everything out.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah. Some of the stores are responding by restricting or
reducing these self checkout or the number of items. For example,
Target now has a ten item limit dollar General and
five below. They put in fewer self checkout lanes. Walmart
has removed some of the machines. Sam's Club now is
pushing their scan and go app instead of doing it
(02:39):
at the register, and the stores are increasing their video monitoring,
their staffing in some cases, and also AI systems now
to detect suspicious behavior.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
This is a big deal because it's costing you money
every ounce of theft. The store doesn't eat.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
It then pass it on to you.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
They pass it on to you. So the more prevalent
it just becomes, the more you shrinkage. Thank you. The
more prevalent this becomes, the more you're going to pay
for stuff every time you go through the through the
to the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So you have to wonder why are people stealing? Is
it just there a holes to get their kicks?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
No.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Forty seven percent say that essentials are too expensive.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Well, okay, before you read that the rest of this list,
let's just stop there. I guarantee you ninety five percent
of those people have an iPhone or equivalent. Right, So
don't give me some sad story about how you can't
afford food when a lot of these people, I guarantee
have streaming services all the stuff the nails done exactly. Yeah, yeah,
(03:45):
I don't buy that for a second. I mean, I
get that they may give that as an excuse, but
I don't buy that that's the reality on the ground
for a second.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
So forty six percent say that price increases are due
to tariffs. Thirty nine percent feel that prices are unfair
and too high. So there's a portion of people who
just want to stick it to the corporation.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
But it's not the corporation causing the inflation. This is
what Look. I'm not on the side of corporation because
you know, I think they're trying to make as much
money as they possibly can at the expense of you,
and I think they're trying to get as much out
of their employees as they can at the expense of
the employee. But the price rising has been directly caused
(04:30):
by actions of our government, whether it's the magical money
printing factory, whether it's shutting down supply chains, whether it's
now these tariffs, like the corporations Walmart didn't just wake
up one day and if it were some big act
Target or Meyer or whoever, would immediately undercut them and
take all their business. Everybody's prices are rising because of
(04:52):
all the stuff the government has done, both Democrats and Republicans,
and yet for some reason people just refuse vote better.
But they always complain about their circumstance where they're at
and blame everybody but the people that they've put in
charge to make these policies.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So sixty nine percent believe that self checkout makes it
easier to steal, and it does break down across gender.
Men are twice as likely to steal as women. Really. Yeah,
And of the people who.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Say you did the study, who put this together? It
always fascinates me who the who the actual study.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Is lending Tree?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Okay, all right, very good.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
And of the people who have stolen in the past,
sixty one percent say they do it again.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Have you ever gotten out of the store with something
that you didn't pay for accidentally? Because I guarantee it's
not that I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Aware of, because I'm pretty good at checking that, not
only checking to make sure that everything is scanned. But
when I do this self checkout and put everything in
the bag, so I always spin the wheel again to
make sure that I have picked up the bags, you know,
with the items that I've put in, Because very much
like you, I would that would be the stupidest thing
(06:09):
to go down for.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And I wonder maybe somebody who is in this industry,
because we have a.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Course, somebody who's done.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It, well, yeah, or somebody who's done it, let us know.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
If you've shoplifted.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You don't need not give your name when you're If
you do this, is there's some there has to be.
There's no way that if you paid for one hundred
and fifty dollars in groceries and you had some two
dollars and fifty cent jug of milk that you just
didn't scan, there's no way they called the cops on
you for that. So my question is if you've been
a victim's not the right word, but if you've had
(06:41):
this happen to you, do they what is the.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Process like let you go back in and oops, oh,
let me just pay it.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
There's no it has to be relative to what you're
actually doing, right, I mean, there's no way. You would
be an insane person to spend all this money in
groceries and then risk it on, you know, one little thing.
There has to be some some formula that they used
to decide whether they're going to go. Hey man, I
think you forgot to pay for that versus going nine
one one. You know, we've got a serial thief on
(07:10):
our hands.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Well, according to this study, the people that have stolen,
forty six percent have been caught, and there are some
sociopaths doing it because thirty one percent say they don't
feel remorse.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well, you'll love this. When I worked at the State
Auditor's Office, so this was years ago, one of the
guys I worked with had a part time job at
I think it was Target, but I don't know that
for sure. I can't remember his Target or his Kmart.
But he had a job. His weekend job was he
worked in loss prevention and he would come in on Monday,
you know, he'd work there Saturday and Sunday, and he
(07:42):
was the eye and the sky guy, right and he
was this guy was perfect for this. He was totally
cerebral about everything, very sharp, and he would tell me
these stories of what was stolen and how they would
catch get red hated. And then his favorite part was
he was not the guy that approached them then. I
think they had like an office are on duty who
then when they would do, okay, that person whatever. And
(08:03):
the excuses then, because they take you back to some
sort of not holding cell or whatever, but some way
that they, you know, try to get you to fess up.
And the excuses that these people would give when they've
got them right on camera, he said, they were just,
I mean, the worst, but it was hilarious the stuff
they would try to come up with to explain stealing
(08:24):
the stuff
So you're telling me there's a theft problem in America.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, more shoppers admit to stealing from the self checkout.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Twenty seven percent of shoppers admit they've intentionally stolen an
item at self checkout. That that is a twelve percent
increase from the same exact survey that was done two
years ago.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh wow, what do.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You think there's stealing?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well, how much is ripen? Well, that's what I'm saying, Like,
how much is really available in the self checkout? I
mean you got what candy bars, right or gum?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, it's items that in their shopping cars.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, I see what you're saying. They're saying, they're gonna
say they pill for something out of the self checkout.
There you're saying, they're saying not scanning. You didn't scan something.
Now I am hyper paranoid about this, like because I.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Is, because the big camera right in front of it
face honest.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Like anybody could actually when you're doing all this stuff
yourself and you're moving to da da da. I'm sure
it totally accidentally happens all the time, or somebody's trying to,
you know, put things in or I think I scanned
something or didn't register, like there's no militia intent whatsoever.
But I'm always hyper paranoid, like I check every item
because that's the last thing I need. Like I didn't
scan something properly. Rob Kendall goes down to detain for
(01:11):
stealing something from the Walmart. So I'm always just very
very paranoid. But these people are saying they they purposely
didn't scan something right.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And then walk out the door, oh wow, yeah, with
it in their cart, or they'll just put it in
a bag without scanning it. And the surprising part about
this is it's not big ticket items. It's not like electronics.
It is essential items like food, water, and basic household
or health products.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
There was an article, this was a while ago, I'm
don't remember where it was, but that stores were pondering
getting rid of the self checkouts again because of the
theft issue, and what they were losing in terms of
product and merchandise was offsetting or even more than what
they would have had to pay someone to run these
(02:05):
these registers. And now there's some stores, and I don't
know if it's gotten any traction or not, but some
of these major stores are pondering going back to the
you stand in line and scan everything out.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah. Some of the stores are responding by restricting or
reducing these self checkout or the number of items. For example,
Target now has a ten item limit dollar General and
five below. They put in fewer self checkout lanes. Walmart
has removed some of the machines. Sam's Club now is
pushing their scan and go app instead of doing it
(02:39):
at the register, and the stores are increasing their video monitoring,
their staffing in some cases, and also AI systems now
to detect suspicious behavior.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
This is a big deal because it's costing you money
every ounce of theft. The store doesn't eat.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
It then pass it on to you.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
They pass it on to you. So the more prevalent
it just becomes, the more you shrinkage. Thank you. The
more prevalent this becomes, the more you're going to pay
for stuff every time you go through the through the
to the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So you have to wonder why are people stealing? Is
it just there a holes to get their kicks?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
No.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Forty seven percent say that essentials are too expensive.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Well, okay, before you read that the rest of this list,
let's just stop there. I guarantee you ninety five percent
of those people have an iPhone or equivalent. Right, So
don't give me some sad story about how you can't
afford food when a lot of these people, I guarantee
have streaming services all the stuff the nails done exactly. Yeah, yeah,
(03:45):
I don't buy that for a second. I mean, I
get that they may give that as an excuse, but
I don't buy that that's the reality on the ground
for a second.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
So forty six percent say that price increases are due
to tariffs. Thirty nine percent feel that prices are unfair
and too high. So there's a portion of people who
just want to stick it to the corporation.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
But it's not the corporation causing the inflation. This is
what Look. I'm not on the side of corporation because
you know, I think they're trying to make as much
money as they possibly can at the expense of you,
and I think they're trying to get as much out
of their employees as they can at the expense of
the employee. But the price rising has been directly caused
(04:30):
by actions of our government, whether it's the magical money
printing factory, whether it's shutting down supply chains, whether it's
now these tariffs, like the corporations Walmart didn't just wake
up one day and if it were some big act
Target or Meyer or whoever, would immediately undercut them and
take all their business. Everybody's prices are rising because of
(04:52):
all the stuff the government has done, both Democrats and Republicans,
and yet for some reason people just refuse vote better.
But they always complain about their circumstance where they're at
and blame everybody but the people that they've put in
charge to make these policies.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So sixty nine percent believe that self checkout makes it
easier to steal, and it does break down across gender.
Men are twice as likely to steal as women. Really. Yeah,
And of the people who.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Say you did the study, who put this together? It
always fascinates me who the who the actual study.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Is lending Tree?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Okay, all right, very good.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
And of the people who have stolen in the past,
sixty one percent say they do it again.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Have you ever gotten out of the store with something
that you didn't pay for accidentally? Because I guarantee it's
not that I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Aware of, because I'm pretty good at checking that, not
only checking to make sure that everything is scanned. But
when I do this self checkout and put everything in
the bag, so I always spin the wheel again to
make sure that I have picked up the bags, you know,
with the items that I've put in, Because very much
like you, I would that would be the stupidest thing
(06:09):
to go down for.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And I wonder maybe somebody who is in this industry,
because we have a.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Course, somebody who's done.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It, well, yeah, or somebody who's done it, let us know.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
If you've shoplifted.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You don't need not give your name when you're If
you do this, is there's some there has to be.
There's no way that if you paid for one hundred
and fifty dollars in groceries and you had some two
dollars and fifty cent jug of milk that you just
didn't scan, there's no way they called the cops on
you for that. So my question is if you've been
a victim's not the right word, but if you've had
(06:41):
this happen to you, do they what is the.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Process like let you go back in and oops, oh,
let me just pay it.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
There's no it has to be relative to what you're
actually doing, right, I mean, there's no way. You would
be an insane person to spend all this money in
groceries and then risk it on, you know, one little thing.
There has to be some some formula that they used
to decide whether they're going to go. Hey man, I
think you forgot to pay for that versus going nine
one one. You know, we've got a serial thief on
(07:10):
our hands.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Well, according to this study, the people that have stolen,
forty six percent have been caught, and there are some
sociopaths doing it because thirty one percent say they don't
feel remorse.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well, you'll love this. When I worked at the State
Auditor's Office, so this was years ago, one of the
guys I worked with had a part time job at
I think it was Target, but I don't know that
for sure. I can't remember his Target or his Kmart.
But he had a job. His weekend job was he
worked in loss prevention and he would come in on Monday,
you know, he'd work there Saturday and Sunday, and he
(07:42):
was the eye and the sky guy, right and he
was this guy was perfect for this. He was totally
cerebral about everything, very sharp, and he would tell me
these stories of what was stolen and how they would
catch get red hated. And then his favorite part was
he was not the guy that approached them then. I
think they had like an office are on duty who
then when they would do, okay, that person whatever. And
(08:03):
the excuses then, because they take you back to some
sort of not holding cell or whatever, but some way
that they, you know, try to get you to fess up.
And the excuses that these people would give when they've
got them right on camera, he said, they were just,
I mean, the worst, but it was hilarious the stuff
they would try to come up with to explain stealing
(08:24):
the stuff
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