Coles and Woolworths intensify supermarket surveillance to combat abuse and theft
- Replies 20
Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have introduced in-store surveillance technologies, with Woolworths alone investing as much as $40 million in new high-tech cameras and scanners—much to the chagrin of their customers.
But now, these retailers are ramping up their surveillance, and not all shoppers are thrilled about the extra eyes on them.
Coles and Woolworths are investing millions into new CCTV systems, self-checkout cameras, scanning assistants, and body cameras for staff in an effort to kerb rising cases of theft and abuse faced by retail workers.
However, the 'Big Brother' experience of customers constantly being watched and scanned has left many feeling anxious.
Social media user Fergus Neal shared his thoughts on Coles' introduction of body-worn cameras in its stores.
'I’m out,' Neal said.
'I’m not walking into a Coles store and seeing a minimum wage cyborg with a camera on their chest, that’s crazy.'
'I don’t want to live in a place like that,' he added.
You can watch Neal’s full video below:
Source: TikTok/@thefergusneal.
Professor Nitika Garg, a Consumer Behaviour Expert from the University of New South Wales said that while there is no 'dangerous motivation' behind the increased surveillance, the move has created substantial unease among customers.
'It is only a recent phenomenon where you can see your own image as your scanning items,' Professor Garg said.
'I know what their motivation is, but even then, it makes you be a bit more self-conscious saying, “Look, I‘m scanning the right variety of tomato here. Not scanning the cheaper version.”'
'We knew they always had cameras in store, but I think is a new one and it is a very blatant signal to the consumer: “Look, we are watching, and please do the right thing.”'
Young retail workers who are often on comparatively low pay compared to their older counterparts sometimes suffer abuse from customers, and retail giants Coles and Woolworths have decided to roll out body-worn cameras as a measure to protect their staff.
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci has also recently unveiled to shareholders that over 3,000 acts of violence, threats and abuse against staff were reported in the past twelve months.
It is understood that the launch of body-worn cameras is not for reducing stock loss or monitoring shoppers.
These cameras are also not permanently switched on, as workers have the option to switch them on during an interaction with a customer that they feel would potentially lead to abuse.
Other initiatives of these retail giants include overhead cameras that track every shopper's move, artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) cameras that track scanning at the checkout and 'smart' lock gates that automatically close if someone tries to bolt without paying.
This move to heightened tech surveillance also comes after the general shift to self-serve checkouts at big retailers, which lessened the workers at the check-outs to scan items and monitor shoppers.
Professor Garg warned big supermarkets that this could damage customers' long-term brand loyalty and force them to shift to their competitors if they are unable to convey the changes to their customers properly.
'They might think this is a non-issue,' she said.
'The reality is yes, we do not have an option right now, but people who think it is a viable option have moved to places like ALDI or IGA, and some of us might do that once other options do become available.'
'We don’t know what kind of shift we are seeing in the local greengrocers.'
The professor encouraged retailers to put up noticeboards in stores, send emails, and employ more staff on the ground to help customers better understand why they were investing in increased surveillance.
'They can afford to do this and they are just missing that opportunity by just letting this negative emotion and unease simmer in the consumer base.'
Furthermore, the professor added that it is vital to let customers know that the data they get from the surveillance will be properly secured.
Members, do you think there are better solutions than extensive surveillance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
But now, these retailers are ramping up their surveillance, and not all shoppers are thrilled about the extra eyes on them.
Coles and Woolworths are investing millions into new CCTV systems, self-checkout cameras, scanning assistants, and body cameras for staff in an effort to kerb rising cases of theft and abuse faced by retail workers.
However, the 'Big Brother' experience of customers constantly being watched and scanned has left many feeling anxious.
Coles has reportedly launched body-worn cameras in order to better protect its staff from potential abuse from customers. Image source: Youtube/7News Australia.
Social media user Fergus Neal shared his thoughts on Coles' introduction of body-worn cameras in its stores.
'I’m out,' Neal said.
'I’m not walking into a Coles store and seeing a minimum wage cyborg with a camera on their chest, that’s crazy.'
'I don’t want to live in a place like that,' he added.
You can watch Neal’s full video below:
Source: TikTok/@thefergusneal.
Professor Nitika Garg, a Consumer Behaviour Expert from the University of New South Wales said that while there is no 'dangerous motivation' behind the increased surveillance, the move has created substantial unease among customers.
'It is only a recent phenomenon where you can see your own image as your scanning items,' Professor Garg said.
'I know what their motivation is, but even then, it makes you be a bit more self-conscious saying, “Look, I‘m scanning the right variety of tomato here. Not scanning the cheaper version.”'
'We knew they always had cameras in store, but I think is a new one and it is a very blatant signal to the consumer: “Look, we are watching, and please do the right thing.”'
Young retail workers who are often on comparatively low pay compared to their older counterparts sometimes suffer abuse from customers, and retail giants Coles and Woolworths have decided to roll out body-worn cameras as a measure to protect their staff.
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci has also recently unveiled to shareholders that over 3,000 acts of violence, threats and abuse against staff were reported in the past twelve months.
It is understood that the launch of body-worn cameras is not for reducing stock loss or monitoring shoppers.
These cameras are also not permanently switched on, as workers have the option to switch them on during an interaction with a customer that they feel would potentially lead to abuse.
Other initiatives of these retail giants include overhead cameras that track every shopper's move, artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) cameras that track scanning at the checkout and 'smart' lock gates that automatically close if someone tries to bolt without paying.
This move to heightened tech surveillance also comes after the general shift to self-serve checkouts at big retailers, which lessened the workers at the check-outs to scan items and monitor shoppers.
Professor Garg warned big supermarkets that this could damage customers' long-term brand loyalty and force them to shift to their competitors if they are unable to convey the changes to their customers properly.
'They might think this is a non-issue,' she said.
'The reality is yes, we do not have an option right now, but people who think it is a viable option have moved to places like ALDI or IGA, and some of us might do that once other options do become available.'
'We don’t know what kind of shift we are seeing in the local greengrocers.'
The professor encouraged retailers to put up noticeboards in stores, send emails, and employ more staff on the ground to help customers better understand why they were investing in increased surveillance.
'They can afford to do this and they are just missing that opportunity by just letting this negative emotion and unease simmer in the consumer base.'
Furthermore, the professor added that it is vital to let customers know that the data they get from the surveillance will be properly secured.
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