Steal an entire shopping cart? Too visible. An Aargau resident committed fraud in a more subtle way by shopping at Migros, reports ArgoviaToday. The man in fact scanned only some of his items when going to an autonomous checkout without staff, therefore leaving with paid items, but also stolen bolognese, cat food and even cheese. He was badly offended since his gesture was spotted. He was sentenced to a fine of 150 francs, added to some 300 francs. legal costs.
This type of theft is extremely common, “La Liberté” recently reported: while retailers refuse to disclose data concerning this specific method, we know that in total, in 2022, nearly 20,000 shoplifting incidents were recorded in Switzerland, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year.
And the perpetrators of these little everyday thefts are not necessarily those who lack money, explains Marcel Stadelmann, behavioral economist. “For many, it is not a question of money but of principle. We actually see a compensation effect appear: we can say to ourselves, for example, “last time the raspberries I bought were moldy, so now I’m going to take a croissant without paying for it.” In people’s minds, it’s absolutely right.”
