When I used to shoplift, I'd just pop the items I was stealing into my pockets and walk out as surreptitiously as I could muster.

I wouldn't go anywhere near the checkout areas, where someone might notice and call me out on it. Would have done the same for self-checkouts if they'd existed back then, I'd have entirely avoided them, especially as they have high definition cameras attached these days.

So I agree, this doesn't make much sense from a practical, real-world shoplifting perspective.