Tesco’s 'VAR for veg' checkout cameras mocked by shoppers as queues grow and frustration mounts
28 May 2025, 14:36 | Updated: 28 May 2025, 15:14
Tesco's new VAR-style security system has been mocked by shoppers - who say the "annoying" new technology is holding up queues more than ever before.
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The supermarket chain has installed overhead cameras at its self-service checkouts to prevent people "conning" the machines to steal goods.
When customers fail to scan an item, an instant replay of their mistake will play back on the screen with the message: "The last item wasn't scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again."
It has been installed by the retailer to make the checkout experience "quicker and easier", but many have taken to social media to mock the technology or complain about it.
Comparing the measures to football's VAR technology, one Instagram user wrote: "VAR Decision - Tuna Disallowed."
Another joked: "Clearly offside, good process lads."
Taking to Reddit, another shopper complained: "Bag of salad a couple of days ago, with barcode that was too close to the weld/join of the bag itself - me swiping like a madman - and the overhead VAR showing me the video footage of my wee bald patch as I'm desperately trying to do the right thing."
A second user added: "If their answer to stopping theft is to annoy people that don't steal from you, you shouldn't be surprised if theft is on the rise."
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Tesco's technology upgrade is the latest move by retailers to combat Britain's shoplifting epidemic.
Workers on the company's shop floor have compared their plight to that of a referee, with one staff member telling the BBC they needed all the help they could get to stop the supermarket thieves.
"I feel like I double up as a security guard," the anonymous staff member said.
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"You're not paid very well anyway and then you have tills to look after.
"I quite often have to monitor 10 self-checkouts, on my own, whilst two staff cover manual checkouts."
According to the latest ONS figures, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in a year surpassed half a million for the first time on record.
The 516,971 offences recorded in 2024 marked a 20 per cent increase on the 429,873 offences in 2023.
It was also the highest number recorded since modern record-keeping practices began in 2003 and continued the "sharp rise" in shoplifting offences since the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Tesco spokesperson told the Telegraph: "We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
"We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier."
