Nearly a third of Gen-Zers steal from self-checkout aisles, survey shows

Roughly one in three young shoppers in the U.S. has admitted to giving themselves five-finger discounts at self-checkout counters, a new survey shows.  

According to loan marketplace LendingTree, 31% of Gen-Z consumers have stolen items from self-checkout kiosks, compared to 15% of consumers of any age. Those figures come as businesses work to combat shoplifting, which some retailers have blamed for hurting their financial performance and even for store closures. 

"Ultimately, retailers need to decide whether the self-checkout terminals are worth the risk," LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz said in a statement. "That's a question lots of retailers are likely wrestling with."