My favorite example of putting security ahead of usability:
"Unexpected item in bagging area. Please remove item from bagging area."
"Item removed from bagging area. Please wait: an attendant will be with you shortly."
This one sets me off because I worked in the self-checkout division.
The simplest way for stores to improve customer satisfaction and increase usage of self-checkout was to disable the bagging scale and accept that there would always be a certain level of "shrink," or grocery item theft.
France has a workable system - you do all interactions with the machine - it doesn't weigh your items - but a clerk oversees you (along with another 3 ppl) and checks your receipt against your bags at the end.
Like the Costco receipt checker, it's very unlikely this person will flag anything unless you're suspicious as hell. It's like those "eyes stickers" in Asia - to keep honest people honest.
It depends on the system, but I've seen the weight system work consistently well in one store chain and fail on every other item in another store chain. Perhaps there's a leniency configuration, and some stores set it to "ultra, ultra paranoid" mode?
"Unexpected item in bagging area. Please remove item from bagging area." "Item removed from bagging area. Please wait: an attendant will be with you shortly."
This one sets me off because I worked in the self-checkout division.
The simplest way for stores to improve customer satisfaction and increase usage of self-checkout was to disable the bagging scale and accept that there would always be a certain level of "shrink," or grocery item theft.