Not all pass help-yourself store tests

A female customer pays her bill through an online payment system at the first self-checkout supermarket in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/IC]

Two self-checkout convenience stores opened in Beijing and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Saturday. There were no cashiers and customers paid for their purchases by following the in-store instructions. Some customers reportedly made insufficient payments or even took some goods away. However, they will not be held accountable as they are unaware participants in an integrity test of shoppers reportedly sponsored by Sesame Credit Management of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Comments:

Such a test is more likely a stunt for business promotion, as it is more concerned with attracting public attention than the economic losses caused by insufficient payments.

Changsha Evening News, June 8

Of course, we ought to thank Sesame Credit Management for the integrity test it launched, and look forward to real self-checkout stores in the years to come. But, as of now, one should not place high hopes on such a practice, because self-checkout shops, such as the ones in Beijing and Hangzhou, too easily fall prey to greedy shoplifters.

rednet.cn, June 8

What happened in the aforementioned integrity test shows again that self-discipline is not enough to forge perfect social relations if an efficient management system is absent.

Hangzhou Daily, June 8