Supermarket recordings at checkout

[ElatedTealCritic]

I have just come back from a bit of shopping in Sainsbury's, Sloane Avenue. When I went to the self checkout, all of the screens over all the self checkouts started up with me and my young child recording us . We were on the screens of every self checkout, up close recording with bright red flashing light with RECORDING IN PROGRESS on it. I am utterly freaked. I have been going there for 19 years and I have never stolen a thing in my life. Surely, this is a serious GDPR breach? I videoed it as evidence. It's our local but I never want to go back into it .

I think it's such an invasion of privacy. I hate this shit...when you compare it to having a nice little chat with a local at a corner store. The world is becoming so heartless imo

That's one way to make sure you scan every item I guess. It's definitely not a GDPR breach if it's telling you you're being recorded. If you don't like it you can stop shopping there.

It's the case where a minority ruin it for everyone, too much theft so they don't really have a choice

How is it a GDPR breach? They haven’t shared the recordings with anyone. It’s your choice to use the self service too.

Why does it matter? You're presumably not breaking the law, you're in public so people can see you anyway, and if you're in witness protection etc then it still doesn't matter as the recordings can't legally be accessed without approval for a justified reason.

Utterly freaked, why

Most shops record you at self check out. I hate it, but you can use a till if you want to avoid it.

I don't blame you for feeling freaked out, but I don't understand how this can work if there is more than one self service checkout in use? Does it alternate between them all?

You'll be recorded many many times during a nornal day in most towns.

I am utterly freaked.

Don't be. It's now a fact of life. Everywhere you go, from transport to shops to cinemas and churches - cctv is recording it all.

I think we’re recorded everywhere we go? Roads, shops, checkouts.

Its life

Why over EVERY screen, that sounds like a system error?

It isn't a GDPR issue for them to record you, but I agree it feels unpleasant to have it so obviously in your face.

In our store you are recorded everywhere even if we appear to be a friendly corner store, just because it isn't as obvious does not mean it's not happening in all shops at both self service and manned checkouts (we have no self service)

Theft is absolutely rife on self scanners in stores. I work in retail, and when you see just how many people try to get away without scanning in all of their items (usually the most expensive products surprise surprise) it makes you lose faith in the general public, so many are dishonest and have no shame.

From my experience, I would say that on average about 3 out of every 10 people will deliberately try and avoid scanning everything, and will steal if they can get away with it. Also, literally anyone will steal if they're that way inclined, often it's the people who pull up in their flash cars, wearing their designer gear who think nothing of helping themselves at the self service.

I'm not surprised there's CCTV everywhere in stores.

Meh! I look up at them and smile.

It sounds like an error if you were on every screen. But I don’t really see how it’s different to the cctv they’ll have in the rest of the shop.

Can’t speak for Sainsburys but I’ve worked in two other supermarkets and they act as a deterrent and don’t actually record.

Just out of interest, why did you stop going into the local corner store? If you preferred it, surely you'd have carried on giving them your business which probably meant it, and shops like it, would never have closed down. Or did you switch to supermarkets for convenience and cheapness? We reap what we sow!

My understanding is that if you don't scan something, it plays it back at you like a shopping version of football's VAR. It's an attempt to shame thieves.