Sainsbury's Creepy CCTV Cameras

Sainsbury’s customers complain about ‘creepy’ CCTV screens at self-service checkouts.

21:38 06 June 2018

Sainsbury has installed CCTV screens directly above self-service checkouts and customers are not happy about them. While the company argued that the screens were in place to keep “customers and colleagues safe”, shoppers feel that they are “intrusive” with some claiming that keypads were clearly exposed if they were to enter their pin numbers. Meanwhile, civil liberties campaigners described the surveillance screens as “gross intrusion” of privacy and a “blatant attempt to intimidate customers.”

 

One customer, who asked not to be named, said she was “shocked” to find out that she was being filmed while paying for her groceries. “Not only does it feel like there is mistrust and that you are potentially guilty of something, but there’s also the fear they will be storing your data.” 

 

She added: “I shan’t be using their self-service machines ever again. I felt violated.”

 

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson responded to complaints saying the cameras were part of a “security measure” to increase safety at its stores. 

 

“The safety of our customers and colleagues is really important to us so we have invested in a range of measures to keep everyone safe, and this is essentially an example of that,” she said.