Man didn't outsmart self-checkout

A 34-year-old man who thought he could beat a self-service checkout at a Migros supermarket in Bern has been told to pay CHF 500.

He stuck a bar code for carrots, worth two francs, onto the palm of his hand. As he seemed to scan his shopping he used the fake code. He got away with CHF 330 of shopping, but paid only CHF 26. 

But the shop managed to track him down. A court gave him a suspended fine of CHF 400 and he had to pay CHF 500 in costs.

Migros, like other supermarkets, doesn’t disclose how much they lose though the self-checkout systems – but says the majority of people are honest. 

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