A TARGET buyer exposed an apparent self-checkout issue as hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise was sold for a fraction of its price.
Richard Reppert was arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft and fraud after multiple visits to the retailer.
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Reppert, 31, was accused of changing the tags on certain items and using self-checkout kiosks at Target to pay, according to a CBS affiliate WPEC.
He allegedly did this with toys and trading cards in the Palm Beach County, Florida area.
Reppert was accused of targeting Pokémon trading cards, which cost around $50.
He allegedly paid as little as $4.99 for these cards on multiple occasions.
Other items he was also accused of paying less than the retail price for were a Pokémon toy, NFL trading cards, and a Godzilla toy.
Reppert was arrested on Friday, June 7, and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail.
He was charged with 25 counts of theft and two allegations of fraud in 13 cases.
These cases covered a three-month period, between mid-November 2023 and mid-February 2024.
Law enforcement officials believe $1,334.99 was lost from Target in just 10 of these reported incidents.
Reppert appeared in court on Monday, June 10.
Retail theft through self-checkouts has become an increasingly common problem for retailers.
While some customers may make human errors and accidentally scan items incorrectly, some have intentionally used kiosks to pay cheaper prices.
Loss Prevention Research Council Director of Research Cory Lowe explained how big of a problem it was for stores, according to WPEC.
“It’s a huge problem,” he said.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed at specific times and more cashiers were offered in its place.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting would fuel the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would thwart fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, this test has been discontinued.
At Target, items are being limited in auto-checkout.
Last fall, the brand researched new express self-checkout lanes in 200 stores with 10 items or less for added convenience.
In March 2024, this policy was expanded to 2,000 stores in the US.
“It’s one of the questions that is constantly on the minds of those who have self-checkout.
“Just because you opened up, you created a vulnerability within your organization.”
TARGET CHANGE
The retailer recently introduced a drastic change to its self-checkout area.
The store has implemented a 10 items or less policy for this area, The US Sun previously reported.
Therefore, shoppers with more than 10 items will have to go to the cashier to pay for their merchandise.
The store announced that it will enforce the policy in all of its stores in Massachusetts.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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