... the name of the crime (here) is "false imprisonment". It carries a considerable jail term with the other crimes you commit as part of it. Years in addition to your other crimes.
I'll grant that the click-bait AI author at (whoever was hoping to earn advertising revenue from this) maybe wasn't capable of looking around and reading the signage, including the "small print". But that's a problem of moronic pseudo-journalism, not whatever the store chain is doing.
For that matter, my local store (within walking distance - how to say "not American" without saying "not American") has recently added gates to the "self-checkout area" which the human assistant (I think) triggers if they've seen you complete a purchase. Me - if I don't buy anything (common - I pop in to see what's on the "reduced" shelves for supper tonight ; nothing good ; nothing brought) - I just push through the barriers. It takes about 5kg force. Or I go through one of the till-lanes, putting my hand basket into the receptacle at the conveyer end (no force, just an "excuse me". Absolutely no compunction about doing it. If the stores prices aren't to my liking, I'm not going to buy. End of discussion.