A Coles supermarket has been branded “creepy” and “dystopian” after a customer spotted dozens of security cameras hanging above the checkout area.
The shopper took a photo at the Epping store in Melbourne’s north, showing the array of cameras pointing down from the high ceiling.
The photo was shared on Reddit on Monday with a touch of humor.
“I don’t think my local Coles has installed enough cameras,” they wrote.
Social media users were shocked by the extent of security measures aimed at preventing theft and preventing customers from passing all their purchases through unmanned checkouts.
“It seems like they really hate their customers,” one wrote.
Another asked: “Hey Coles Epping, how many more cameras do you need?”
“I understand that cameras are necessary, but why so many? I mean they could achieve the same thing with so few. Is it just to deter thieves? It’s a bit creepy,” said one.
A Victorian shopper snapped a photo of the number of security cameras at her local Coles supermarket, shocking many Australians (pictured)
Other buyers compared the scene to a ‘gaming room in a casino’ and even ‘‘A work of art’.
The sore was also described as “exaggerated” and “dystopian.”
“All the cameras make it seem dehumanizing somehow,” one wrote.
“We’re just preparing the store for when there are no people at the checkout,” another said.
“I feel like I’m going through a maximum security military checkpoint,” added another.
But some said the food giant was justified in having such safety measures.
“Having cameras at cash registers and counters where cash theft, staff harm or abuse, and outside crime are most likely to occur… doesn’t seem so far-fetched,” one wrote.
One shopper added: “These cameras are there to protect me and them. There are too many people stealing, too many people abusing other people, too many people getting nasty. It’s 2024.”
“If someone you loved was punched in the face at Coles, you’d demand body camera footage for the police,” they said.
Retail theft is estimated to cost more than $9 billion each year in Australia (file image)
Some Australian shoppers also thought the store’s location could be a reason there appeared to be extra cameras.
“It’s Epping, need we say more? That’s where the most burglaries and thefts happen,” wrote one.
Another added: “I’m surprised the cameras haven’t been stolen yet.”
Others suggested the camera was not monitoring customers, but rather the cashiers.
“Many of these cameras actually serve to monitor staff and what they are doing at the checkout,” one wrote.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the safety of its staff and customers is its “top priority”.
“While the majority of our customers do the right thing, unfortunately a small number do not,” they said.
‘We have a variety of security measures in place to reduce theft in our stores, including security personnel and surveillance technologies such as CCTV.
‘Any CCTV footage recorded is done so in accordance with all relevant laws and the Coles Privacy Policy.’
Daily Mail Australia also understands that more security cameras are needed in some of the supermarket’s older stores, such as Epping, to support the range of loss prevention services and technologies.