In an era where privacy has never been more critical, and people are becoming increasingly concerned about how, where, and why their information is being handled, a Woolworths store in Sydney may have become the latest target of scrutiny.


It all began when the internet started buzzing with a video that warned customers of Woolworths at the Wetherill Park location about small, subtle cameras fitted along the supermarket's shelves, which were assumed to be installed as a measure to help prevent theft in-store.

The uploader wrote: 'Public service announcement. Woolies now has little cameras to prevent 5-finger discounts.'

The video stirred up quite a virtual storm, sparking heated conversations from other Aussies.

One user lamented: 'So they can spend millions probably installing and purchasing these cameras and putting them in stores but yet can’t lower prices? Yep, makes sense.'

Another displeased fellow said: 'Ah, so all those profits [went] into control systems instead of fair pricing. Nice.'


Surprisingly, not everyone was negatively swayed. Some commenters shared their indifference towards the CCTV setup, while others attempted to clarify the cameras' intended use.

'I work at Woolies and have read the pilot; it takes pictures at certain points every day and looks at which shelves are empty and alerts the team,' one user revealed.

'The cameras don’t affect me at all. I’m still buying what I buy, paying for it, and walking away. They don’t change anything,' said another shopper.

You can watch the full video below:



This news comes after the announcement that Woolworths installed some 500 tiny cameras back in June as part of a trial. Wetherill Park was one of the locations chosen for the undertaking.

The supermarket giant said that this initiative was intended to help monitor the store’s stock levels.

These cameras were not secretly placed either. They were deliberately installed close to price tags and designed to click photographs of the shelves across them every half an hour.

Upon launching the pilot program, a Woolworths spokesperson said: 'Customers of our Wetherill Park store may notice a number of new mini cameras in each aisle and on every shelf.'

'We’ve recently begun a trial of new camera technology at the store to assist our teams by reducing manual processes and with replenishment tasks, such as real-time inventory management and restocking prioritisation.

'This is expected to improve product availability throughout the day for all our customers, not just at regular intervals.

'We’ll listen to feedback from our Wetherill Park customers and team members over the coming months before assessing our next steps.'

Reports also say that customers captured in the photos will be 'silhouetted out', and signages will be installed to inform customers of the trial and the changes that come with it.


In similar news, shoppers at Coles feel unsettled with the supermarket’s new 'invasive' feature—a camera that captures the shopper's image, which is then flashed on the top right corner of the checkout counter’s screen.

'[What is this]? When you put your groceries through at Coles, you see yourself on camera in this square. More surveillance overdrive,' said the livid shopper who discovered the new feature.

'I got a shock to see myself on the screen! Feels really invasive.'

Coles reportedly started implementing stringent security measures, such as cameras, trolley locks, fog machines, and smart gates, as a response to the rise of theft incidents, which is up by 20 per cent this year.

You can read more about this story here.
Members, what are your thoughts on the security measures being employed by the different supermarkets? Are the measures just enough? Or are they a bit too much? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!