[scott_w]

Interestingly, Marks & Spencer don't have scales for your shopping (unlike all other self-checkouts). I wonder if there's cultural and demographic reasons for this. M&S is a very upmarket supermarket, so a potential thief (typically quite poor) is going to stand out like a sore thumb and end up with a security guard stuck to their waist.

The larger supermarket chains (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons) have low-cost lines to cater for the wider market. That means it's harder to distinguish between a thief and a genuine customer, as they'll come from the same socioeconomic backgrounds i.e. they'll dress the same way.

I wonder if there's crossover with what you see in the Netherlands?

[bregma]

That sounds more like the Brits have been socialized into letting the toffs get away with stealing. After all, that's just the way it's always been.

[framapotari]

How would you identify a shoplifter at M&S based on their socioeconomic dress code?

[resolutebat]

Start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav