We’ve all felt frustrated and overwhelmed when standing in front of a self-checkout machine at the shop. Despite their design to simplify our lives, these gadgets often cause more problems than they resolve. And now you’ve got even more reason to shun them.

According to Sylvain Charlebois, head of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, businesses largely deployed self-checkout devices to save money on labor expenses, without regard for the customer’s best interests. In actuality, users have loathed these devices since the outset.

Companies such as Walmart and Target have made significant investments in self-checkout devices because they can save up to 66% on labor expenses by removing cashiers. However, studies have shown that these devices frequently malfunction, necessitating human intervention to ensure a seamless checkout procedure.

However, there is an even darker aspect to self-checkout devices. Some stores have faced allegations of falsely accusing innocent consumers of theft or stealing to boost their revenues. These stores utilize self-checkout failures as a pretext to target unwary consumers and force them to pay for purported “crimes” they did not commit.

Carrie Jenigan, a criminal defense attorney, recently used TikTok to educate people about the hazards of utilizing self-service checkout machines. In the film, she demonstrates that big-box merchants such as Walmart would go to any length to recover items that consumers may have forgotten to pay for or left in their basket by accident. These firms are even ready to send out a team of attorneys to make you pay for your “offense,” even if it was an honest mistake.

The reality is that utilizing a self-checkout system carries major hazards. Retailers are quick to infer guilt and will meticulously examine security footage to identify prospective “offenders” based on the most recent client who used the machine. They don’t need much evidence to bring charges that may result in a year in prison. Suddenly, you’re trying to clean your reputation and establish your innocence.