COPS and Robbers: Customer Operated Payment Systems, Self-Service Checkout and the Impact on Retail Crime

Abstract

Drawing on a range of international examples, this chapter examines the impact that customer operated payment systems (COPS) are having on the retail industry, and in particular on crime. Organised broadly into four parts, it first provides an overview of new developments in COPS and maps their future trajectory, exploring the emergence of self-service checkout (SCO), scan-as-you-go, and mobile payment systems. It then turns to mapping the known impact on customer theft before outlining some of the key concerns and vulnerabilities about their implementation. The final section considers the future of point of sale (POS) technology, including sensor-based retailing, and the impact on retail crime, providing recommendations to the industry on how to embrace customer autonomy in the age of automation and deliver retail solutions that are cognisant of potential vulnerabilities and risks.