Coles new feature angers Aussies: ‘Feels really invasive’

An Aussie shopper has unleashed after spotting a new feature on the self-serve check-outs at her local Coles store.

The woman was scanning her groceries at a self-serve check-out on the weekend when she noticed an image of herself had popped up in a small square in the top right corner of the screen.

The camera technology is among a host of new security measures rolled out by the supermarket giant in a desperate effort to tackle rising incidents of theft, which are up 20 per cent this year amid a soaring cost of living crisis.

The new technology has sparked a divided reaction, with some shoppers furious to find out they’re being watched in-store.

‘Da f** is this s**t? When you put your groceries through at Coles, you see yourself on camera in this square. More surveillance overdrive,’ the furious woman wrote on social media.

‘I got a shock to see myself on the screen! Feels really invasive.’

The woman was scanning her groceries at a self-serve check-out on the weekend when she noticed an image of herself had popped up in small square in the top right corner of the screen.

Her message was quickly inundated with comments from shoppers who were just as concerned.

‘I know they will justify their reasons for the cameras for like theft and what not, but I don’t like them one bit.

Another added: ‘Thanks for posting that. I value my privacy and won’t be shopping there.

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Another suggested sticking chewing gum over the camera.

Many pointed out that Woolworths and Kmart have also implemented similar technology.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles for comment.

The supermarket giant recently announced it would ‘aggressively’ roll-out new technology that will track every shoppers’ movement throughout the store.

The measures include cameras, trolley locks, smart gates and even fog machines.

‘What we’ve done is taken the best of what’s overseas and then enhanced it with a few other tweaks so we believe we’ve been got world-class loss-prevention technology in our stores,’ Coles chief operations officer Matt Swindells told A Current Affair.

‘If you’re a thief, we’re gonna catch ya.’

Staff can wear duress watches that alert other workers of a potential incident or even wear a bodycam that records all of their interactions, similar to police officers.

‘If you’re going to start to threaten a staff member then we will document it and take the necessary actions,’ Mr Swindells added.

The new system has been piloted by Coles across the nation over the past six-months, with an ‘aggressive’ national rollout over the following three-months.

Supermarket giant Coles will ‘aggressively’ roll-out new technology that will track every shoppers’ movement throughout the store