A lawyer has explained the risk behind self-checkouts in grocery stores.
Self-checkouts might be the preferred option for many shoppers, meaning they can scan and bag their groceries at their own pace without having to make mall talk with a cashier at the same time.
However, taking to TikTok, criminal defense attorney Carrie Jernigan revealed why using self-checkout might not be such a great idea after all...
"As a criminal defense attorney, I advise most people to steer clear of self-checkout," Jernigan said in the clip, which has racked millions of views over time.
Jernigan revealed the self-checkout machines make it easier to prosecute a person for theft - before going on to state that there were three main groups involved and while that may seem like a lot, two are completely innocent.
The first group is the guilty shoppers AKA those that come "with the intent to steal."
"When self-checkout first started it was a very basic theft approach. They would scan a few items that they would pay for and then they would drop a few items that they did not pay for in their sack," she explained.
"Nowadays that will not work - the system is too good to do something that simple," the lawyer continued, adding that shoplifters needed a more "specific plan" to get away with it due to more advanced technology in self-checkouts.
The second group of people is those who steal "by mistake", but the accidental blunder doesn't stop them from getting into trouble.
"Big-box stores are not going to spend their time and resources deciding if you stole it on purpose or if it was a mistake. They have lost all sympathy and they are just taking a 'tell it to the judge approach,'" she continued.
And the final group is the "truly innocent" as per Jernigan.
"They will begin watching hours of video to see the last person who checked out with the Mario Lego set because they’re two short or an Xbox game. And, for some reason, they pinpoint that they think you did it," she revealed, adding that large stores needed "very little evidence" to obtain an affidavit for warrants.
This means that even if you didn't steal anything by accident, you could face up to "a year in jail."
Jernigan concluded the video by advising viewers to pay by card at self-checkouts and to always keep proof of the items they have purchased.
Thousands took to the comments to discuss the issue between themselves.
"Unfortunately there’s a Walmart near my house that is 100% self checkout so we don’t have a choice," wrote one user while another added: "My mom accidentally left a tiny $3 lemon oil in her cart after buying $300 in groceries. She was charged with theft and had to do community service."
A third recalled their own personal experiences saying: "I missed a scan at Walmart and the computer blocked more scans and kept showing the video of me stealing until the worker could help me."
"I am clearly not a criminal bc when you said the barcode taped to hand I was like wow that’s good! Never thought of that," another commended the lawyer.
So be careful out there guys or you could potentially find yourself doing time for your grocery store blunders.
