Tesco has become the latest supermarket chain to introduce VAR-style replay technology at its self-checkout tills in a bid to combat shoplifting.
The new system follows Sainsbury's successful implementation of similar technology last month. The cameras are part of retailers' efforts to tackle the growing problem of theft in stores, which has reached unprecedented levels across the UK.
The technology works through a camera positioned above the self-checkout tills that records customers' actions while packing their shopping.
Using artificial intelligence, the system detects when items may not have been properly scanned.
The scale of shoplifting has reached record levels
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It then immediately displays a replay of the shopper failing to scan products correctly, making it clear their actions have been captured.
When shoppers fail to scan items properly, they now see a message stating: "The last item wasn't scanned properly. Remove from the bagging area and try again."
Retail experts believe the visual evidence of attempted theft makes shoplifters more likely to pay for items rather than risk being caught.
If successful, the technology could lead to the removal of security measures like lock-boxes and stickers from everyday products such as teabags, chocolate and tins of Spam.
The scale of shoplifting has reached record levels, with police logging 516,971 incidents in 2024, up from 429,873 in 2023.
However, only a fifth of these cases resulted in charges, while more than half ended with no suspect identified.
According to Tom Ironside of the British Retail Consortium, shoplifting is costing retailers £2billion annually, with staff also facing increasing violence and abuse.
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Shoplifting is costing retailers £2billion annually
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A Tesco spokeswoman said: "We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
"We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier."
A retail source added: "This is different to a live camera because many shoplifters assume nobody is watching.
"If your attempted theft has been clipped up and replayed to you seconds later, you know you might only have two options. One is to pay, and the other is to get caught."
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