Why Does Self-Checkout Make This Tempting?
Psychologists have suggested that interacting with a machine can create a feeling of anonymity.
A person who would never walk directly past a cashier without paying may psychologically perceive manipulating a machine as somehow different.
Research and commentary on self-checkout theft have explored this phenomenon, including the idea that the absence of a human cashier can make some people feel less personally accountable.
That doesn’t mean most self-checkout customers steal.
It simply helps explain why some people behave differently when the “cashier” is a screen rather than a person.
