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Woman Paid £2.80 For Electronics Worth £1,400 After Swapping Bar Codes At Self-Scan Checkout

Woman Paid £2.80 For Electronics Worth £1,400 After Swapping Bar Codes At Self-Scan Checkout

The woman loaded up her trolley with pricey electronics before heading to the clearance section and putting reduced stickers on them.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A woman in Florida was caught trying to pay $3.70 (£2.80) for electronics worth $1,800 (£1,400) by switching price stickers at the self-service check out.

I know people who put their bananas through as onions, but that's some fucking cheek, isn't it?

Twenty-five-year-old Cheyenne Amber West was shopping with her mum in Walmart, and loaded up her trolley with a laptop, video game controllers and other electrical items. She then headed to the clearance section and stuck the cheaper price stickers over the barcodes on the items, before going through the self-service check out.

Credit: Indian River County Sheriff's Dept

However, her plan was scuppered by a security guard who spotted what she was up to.

Staff totted up their prices of their items, which came to $1,825.20, before calling the police.

West was arrested and charged with felony grand theft and shoplifting, according to the New York Post.

When asked by officers why she was attempting to steal the items, she said: "The computer is for my husband. Since he just got me a Coach purse, I figured he deserved something nice, as well."

Adding: "I am just trying to get gifts for my son that I cannot afford."

Credit: Indian River County Sheriff's Dept

Her mum, Alicia West, was questioned by police but wasn't charged. She told an officer: "Yes, I know what my daughter was doing but I never walked out with anything, and she is just trying to get gifts for her son."

West was able to pay her $3,000 (£2,290) bond and was released on bail pending a court appearance next month.

According to a recent study from the University of Leicester, there's something about self-service tills that turn usually honest shoppers into criminals.

Researchers found that the combination of how easy it looks to steal, coupled with the frustrating technology ("UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA") makes law-abiding citizens consider shoplifting.


via GIPHY

The study revealed that the cost of stolen items more than doubles when shops introduce a self-scan checkout.

Meanwhile, an Australian study found that a third of shoppers steal using the self-service checkouts.

Dr Emmeline Taylor,who conducted the study, told the MailOnline, these 'new breed' of shoplifters are all about 'manipulating the machine'.

She added: "They are more likely to scan the vine tomatoes as loose tomatoes - they are not interested about putting things down their pants, in their pockets and jackets."

Source: New York Post; MailOnline

Featured Image Credit: Indian River County Sheriff's Dept

Topics: theft, US News