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Science & TechB2Used to / would

Sainsbury’s store pauses AI scanning after false shoplifting accusation

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Illustrative photo: Woman in brown coat walking on hallway.
Illustrative photo: Woman in brown coat walking on hallway.
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Warm-up

  1. Have you seen cameras or face scanners in shops near you?
  2. Would you feel comfortable being identified by a machine in public?
  3. How should staff treat a customer after an alert from technology?

Vocabulary

scan
To look at someone or something quickly with a machine or camera.
accuse
To say that someone has done something wrong or illegal.
eject
To force someone to leave a place.
humiliate
To make someone feel ashamed or very embarrassed in public.
surveillance
Watching people or places, usually with cameras or technology.
accuracy
How often a system or test gives the correct result.
manager
A person who is in charge of staff in a shop or business.
suspend
To stop something for a time while it is checked or fixed.

Reading

Sainsbury’s has paused AI face scanning at one of its London stores after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter. The customer, Matt Arnold, was shopping in the East Dulwich superstore and was buying supplies for a comedy event at Dulwich Hamlet football club when two managers told him he could not be served. Staff tried to escort him out and he was briefly ejected from the shop; he later said the experience left him humiliated and that he felt accused. Sainsbury’s head office apologised and has suspended use of Facewatch in the East Dulwich store while it investigates. The retailer said the incident was caused by human error, not the Facewatch system, and it said the system has a 99.98% accuracy rate. Facewatch said a correct alert was sent but handling in store was wrong. The case raises questions about surveillance in shops and how staff should respond to alerts.

Original source

Comprehension

  1. Where did the incident happen?
  2. What was Matt Arnold buying for?
  3. What did staff do after the alert?
  4. What reason did Sainsbury’s give for the incident?
  5. What accuracy rate did Sainsbury’s say the system has?

Grammar focus

Used to / would

Both describe past habits. Only 'used to' can describe a past state — a situation rather than an action. 'The building used to be a cinema' is correct; 'would be' is not. (Examples constructed.)

  • The East Dulwich store used to be open late on Sundays.
  • Managers would sometimes ask customers to show receipts.

Grammar exercise

Complete each sentence using 'used to' or 'would'.

  1. Farmers (burn) ___ the fields at the end of summer.
  2. Neighbours (share) ___ ladders and tools freely.
  3. Traders (shout) ___ their prices across the square.
  4. The journey (cost) ___ far less than it does now.
  5. The building (be) ___ a small cinema before the war.

Discussion

  1. Should shops use surveillance technology like face scanning?
  2. How should staff check an AI alert before acting on it?
  3. Could false alerts harm vulnerable people more? Why or why not?
  4. If a store has one false alert, should the company suspend the system?
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