Goods worth £3.2 billion are stolen through self-service checkouts every year, with the average Brit stealing £23 worth of items a month.
According to a study conducted by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, the average Brit is now stealing £5 per month more than they did in 2014, when the total amount of items stolen was £1.3 billion.
Twenty-three per cent of respondents admitted to having stolen from the self-service checkout in the past and 46 per cent claimed to do so on a regular basis.
Of those who admitted to stealing, 40 per cent stated it was because they knew they could get away with it.
A further 18 per cent said they didn’t have the money at the time.
Sixty two per cent stated they stole because an item wouldn’t scan, while 36 per cent said they forgot to scan an item.
The most commonly stolen items were toiletries, followed by fruit and vegetables and dairy items.
“The amount stolen annually has skyrocketed since 2014, from £1.3 billion to over £3.2 billion,” VoucherCodes’s George Charles said.
“The economy may not be in top shape currently and money may be tight, but that is no excuse to start stealing your weekly shop instead of paying for it.
“Stores may want to reconsider just how many store assistants they have manning their self-service stations.”
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