If this were tyranny and some grand plan to track and trace everyone, that would not happen. This is a profit protection mechanism, so this person can cut bait on the hand scan thing because the couple of bucks they might lose on Alex isn't going to be worth the hassle he's clearly presenting. It's like when you work in some retail environment. Often you have the ability to add a discount or a coupon at checkout because you can diffuse tense situations with clear assholes that way.