A SHOPLIFTER tried to sneak in $1,200 worth of alcohol by tricking a store’s employees with a large purchase of bananas.
Eugene Moore, 41, was arrested in St Louis County, Missouri, and was charged with a class D felony.
GettyA man tried to steal liquor by fooling the store and buying a bunch of bananas[/caption]
Moore was charged on Wednesday with trying to steal over $750 in merchandise with a banana trick, per KMOV.
Court documents claim he attended a Schnucks supermarket on two separate occasions.
On both trips, he placed various bottles of liquor in a shopping cart and covered them with a jacket.
He went through the self-checkout and tried to disguise the liquor by purchasing a bunch of bananas.
He stole $1,193 in merchandise total from the two separate trips.
Moore also paid with his debit card, which was later used to identify him.
He was summoned to appear in court on November 13, where he’ll answer to his charge.
Banana tricks are a new trend in shoplifting, used mostly in self-checkout stations.
The tactic consists of ringing up a cheap item instead of a pricey one, throwing employees off their trail.
Self-checkout theft has become increasingly popular over the past years, with major grocery stores having to rethink their practices in order to deal with shrinkage.
Kroger and Walmart have been trying to devise new tools to prevent theft, with Walmart incorporating a hybrid version of self-checkout.
Kroger shops have added more security cameras and have started incorporating AI tech.
“We are implementing initiatives to mitigate the financial impact, including increased security and new technology solutions,” said Kroger’s CFO.
“But we expect shrink trends will continue to be a challenge for the remainder of the year.”
Stores like Target have decided to lock up many of the items that are often stolen, requiring customers to ask employees to help them shop.
The experience has proved to be frustrating for many shoppers, who have to spend a while when purchasing items like body wash, toothpaste, and deodorant.
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