Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's not why cashiers are there. The cashier is there for when you decide to pay for your goods. If you try and walk out with them, the cashier will not stop you. For legal reasons, even the security probably won't touch you. The reason most people who don't steal isn't the punishment, it's because they don't want to steal. Likewise, removing the fine doesn't make a late book not late. People do not have some inher…
Cashier apparently is here because is the substantial amount of people, who will steal if not watched, but won't take a risk of cashier will confront them or will call a police.
It's not a binary outcome. Self-checkout increases shrinkage, of course there are people who steal when not watched as carefully.
But the vast majority of people walking in a store are not stopped from stealing because of the odds of being caught.
Like, stores would literally not work if that was the case. Margins these stores have a razor thin. The amount of shrinkage they'd have to deal with, and the amount they'd have to invest in LP would be insane.
Similarly, the vast majority of people who are borrowing books would not steal them instead just because there was no late fee (it's not like there's no due date).
And similarly, libraries would not work if that was not the case. When you keep a book, it still has to be replaced before someone else can use it, and if you don't pay the late fees/replacement fees the library either eats the whole cost, or sends it to a collection agency and eats part of the cost.
How many libraries could afford to deal with a populace hellbent on stealing books regardless of late fees?