Wegman's Food Markets is ditching their popular SCAN app two and a half years after introducing "contact-less shopping" at the majority of its stores during the COVID pandemic.

The company had gambled on their customers using the honor system. They lost. A lot.

Too many people were walking out with items they never paid for.

The app allowed customers to scan and bag items as they shopped, then pay for their purchases using a single bar code at checkout.

In a message to app users, the supermarket acknowledged how popular the SCAN app has become, but, "Unfortunately, the losses we are experiencing from this program prevent us from continuing to make it available in its current state."

The app will be deactivated as of Sept. 18.

Users are being given a $20 credit to their online account as a courtesy.

Wegmans did not say how much they have lost, but it is believed to be significant.

They have tried modifications to the app and implemented more strict loss-prevention measures in stores in recent weeks, including random bag checks to make sure all items being bagged were being paid for.

Wegmans told customers they have "learned a lot and we will continue to introduce new digital solutions to streamline your shopping experience for the future," but the message did not elaborate.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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