I’m a former Walmart exec – using the self-checkout could land you in trouble but another payment method is far worse

WALMART shoppers have been caught out using the self-checkouts in store and some have even been handed cautions by the cops after accidentally failing to scan groceries.

But, Joel Larson, a former executive at the retailer, has warned that the Scan & Go payment method was far worse for thefts.

The cashless technology allowed customers to scan groceries before putting them into their shopping carts.

Shoppers could use a handheld set provided or their camera on their cell phones.

After Scan & Go was rolled out across hundreds of Walmart stores, it was suspended because of low takeup and errors in the system.

One customer tried to leave a store with 100 items in their cart but only 40 products had been scanned.

Larson told Insider: “You think that the theft is bad on self-checkouts?

"Wait until you try Scan & Go where nobody is watching the customers out in the aisles.”

And, Jeremy King, the Walmart chief technology officer, said: “We found too many errors in the process… making sure people were scanning things right, multiple quantities, that sort of thing.”

Walmart told Insider: "In our efforts to minimize friction points, we found that the program created some of its own such as receipt checks, weighted produce, and un-bagged merchandise resulting from using the program.

“Additionally, low adoption played a role in the removal of the program."

Experts have warned shoppers about the risks of using the self-checkout machines in major retailers, not just Walmart.

Between January 2021 and March 2022, more than 60 customers were arrested at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona after accidentally forgetting to scan some items.

Counselor Sandra Barger said she’s heard the tale that shoppers failed to scan one item and have been given a ticket.

She told KGUN9: “I had one client that had his kids with him and it was the simple one item that he missed, which can happen. Anyone can do that.”

She believes shoppers should have the chance to scan items that they may have missed before the cops are called.

One shopper, who is in her 60s, was left in "complete shock" when cops handed her a petty theft citation after she failed to scan some items.

And, legal expert Carrie Jernigan has revealed there are three groups of people who are most at risk of getting caught out.

She said: “The first group of people getting charged with shoplifting using the self-checkout are people going into the stores with the intent to steal.

“The second group of people catching this charge, I will call the theft-by-mistake. These are the people that I genuinely think just forgot to scan an item.

"The last group of people is targeted after they left the store. They get into trouble when the store starts looking into lost inventory."