Shoppers are threatening to 'boycott' Woolies over new technology at checkouts
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A few months ago, Woolworths announced that they would be trialling new technology in their self-serve checkouts to better streamline the experience of shoppers and make the whole process much more convenient for everyone.
As a precautionary measure and to reduce the likelihood of scanning errors, the supermarket chain installed overhead cameras at some of their self-service checkout locations.
And along with those, a hidden 'second' camera that uses artificial intelligence (AI) was also put in place inside self-serve scanners to speed up the checkout process.
But the second camera does more than just speed up the scanning process; it also deters shoplifting by making sure shoppers can't swap out an expensive item for a cheaper one when they're at the checkout.
Woolies buyers have threatened to boycott the store over a camera trial at self-check-outs. Credit: News.com.au.
Since then, the technology has been introduced in several Woolworths stores across Australia, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for the next few years.
While most shoppers had nothing but good things to say, and many said they don't mind the cameras at checkout if it helps stop theft (which, in turn, makes prices go up), other customers were more worried about their privacy while shopping.
Some customers of Woolworths were so upset by the introduction of the new technology that they took their anger to social media, stating that they would 'boycott' Woolworths if the company did not fix the problem.
Frustrated customers have taken their complaints about the supermarket's self-checkout system to the popular forum site, Reddit, demanding that the store make improvements to, or do away with, the newly-installed cameras altogether.
'I've stopped going to my local Woolworths because of this,' one person wrote in a post, with another agreeing and adding, 'I have legit just walked out of Woolies and left my stuff there because the self-service checkout wouldn't let me pay.'
Some customers have even said that when they were checking out, they felt like they were being treated like a 'thief'.
'You wanna treat me like a f***ing thief, then YOU scan my s***,' one person said.
Meanwhile, others have complained that the technology is 'extremely annoying' because it often recommends the wrong products or more expensive ones.
What are your thoughts, members? Have you recently encountered the new camera technology in your local Woolies? If so, how was your experience with it? Share them with us in the comments below!
As a precautionary measure and to reduce the likelihood of scanning errors, the supermarket chain installed overhead cameras at some of their self-service checkout locations.
And along with those, a hidden 'second' camera that uses artificial intelligence (AI) was also put in place inside self-serve scanners to speed up the checkout process.
But the second camera does more than just speed up the scanning process; it also deters shoplifting by making sure shoppers can't swap out an expensive item for a cheaper one when they're at the checkout.
Woolies buyers have threatened to boycott the store over a camera trial at self-check-outs. Credit: News.com.au.
Since then, the technology has been introduced in several Woolworths stores across Australia, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for the next few years.
While most shoppers had nothing but good things to say, and many said they don't mind the cameras at checkout if it helps stop theft (which, in turn, makes prices go up), other customers were more worried about their privacy while shopping.
Some customers of Woolworths were so upset by the introduction of the new technology that they took their anger to social media, stating that they would 'boycott' Woolworths if the company did not fix the problem.
Frustrated customers have taken their complaints about the supermarket's self-checkout system to the popular forum site, Reddit, demanding that the store make improvements to, or do away with, the newly-installed cameras altogether.
'I've stopped going to my local Woolworths because of this,' one person wrote in a post, with another agreeing and adding, 'I have legit just walked out of Woolies and left my stuff there because the self-service checkout wouldn't let me pay.'
Some customers have even said that when they were checking out, they felt like they were being treated like a 'thief'.
'You wanna treat me like a f***ing thief, then YOU scan my s***,' one person said.
Meanwhile, others have complained that the technology is 'extremely annoying' because it often recommends the wrong products or more expensive ones.
What are your thoughts, members? Have you recently encountered the new camera technology in your local Woolies? If so, how was your experience with it? Share them with us in the comments below!
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