What happens when you cover the camera at the self-checkout? One man tests it

Self-checkout machines are a hotly debated topic. Some say they are timesavers without having to speak to an employee , while others are upset by the long lines that often plague the machines.

The scanners can make it easier to shoplift , as there isn’t a worker there watching what’s being bagged. That’s why the machines have cameras, recording your every move while at the station.

The TikToker @themortgageengineer recently posted about how he finds the camera distracting while he checks out. He then wondered what would happen if he just covered the recording device.

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“When I check out at Walmart, it is so distracting when I can see a video of myself while I’m in the self checkout line,” he said.

“I want to do an experiment to see what exactly would happen if I take a bandaid and I cover the camera so it can’t look at me while I’m checking out.”

People theorized in the comments that he would likely be confronted by employees.

One said, “he'll probably be arrested,” while another said there’s multiple cameras on the stations.

In a follow up video, he showed himself attempting just that. He placed this phone over the camera as he bought a few items from the self-checkout.

“Nothing happen,” he said. “I covered it up with my phone, and nothing happened. So there’s that.”

A person commented: “They have cameras everywhere, the ones above the machines can pick up anything.”