More and more stores are abandoning their self-checkout machines due to the increasing number of thefts and customer complaints.
It was predicted that the all-self-checkout format would eventually become the norm. But instead, several major supermarket chains in the US and Canada continue to cut back on technology in some of their stores.
Walmart has completely eliminated self-checkout lanes at two stores in Shrewsbury, Missouri and Cleveland, Ohio.
The retailer said it would replace the kiosks with staffed checkouts that will “give our associates the opportunity to provide a more personalized and efficient service.”
Dollar General and Target have also made sweeping changes to automated stations in stores — and now another retailer is following suit.
Walmart has decided to eliminate self-checkout lines in some of its stores — and many customers are happy with the decision
Franchise owner Scott Savage has removed all self-checkout lanes at his Giant Tiger discount store in Stratford, Ontario.
Instead of problems with theft, he said CBC he made the change because many of his older customers don’t like using the machines.
“The biggest complaint you have from anyone is, ‘You’re not paying me to work here,’” Savage said.
“They would be queuing at my regular checkouts, and they would just prefer that service.”
Several customers told the Canadian outlet how happy they were with the decision to ditch automated checkouts at the discount store, which sells home goods, clothing and groceries.
“I like the personal touch,” Leslie Clayton-Winget said. “You can’t say to a machine, ‘Have a nice day.’”
Ironically, following the announcement that Walmart is eliminating some of its self-checkout lanes, a funny photo went viral of a self-checkout machine in Walmart, right next to a sign saying the retailer was “investing in American jobs.”
A DailyMail.com reader joked that if they do the work of scanning items, they should also be on Walmart’s payroll.
“If there are self-checkouts, where is my W2 at the end of the year,” they wrote in an email. ‘If I have to check out myself, I need a discount to compensate for the time I am employed by you.’
Franchise owner Scott Savage has removed all self-checkout lanes at his Giant Tiger discount store in Stratford, Ontario (Photo: A store in Ottawa)
A photo of the self-checkout machines at Walmart, ironically placed next to a poster claiming the company is “investing in American jobs,” went viral
Self-checkout machines were introduced to reduce labor costs and ostensibly streamline the shopping experience for customers, but in reality the technology is vulnerable to theft.
“The rollback of self-checkouts is largely due to retailers’ concerns about theft,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told DailyMail.com earlier this year.
‘Theft rates at self-checkouts are quite high, due to both intentional actions and unintentional errors. Forcing more customers to use manned checkouts will solve many of these problems and save retailers money.”
“The rollback of self-checkouts is largely due to retailers’ concerns about theft,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.
Self-checkout lanes are also more vulnerable to customer errors while scanning or weighing items.
Some products – such as fruit, meat and freshly baked goods – do not have barcodes and must be entered manually into the system. Customers can intentionally or accidentally enter a cheaper product code, causing stores to incur losses.
A survey last year by personal finance website LendingTree found that 15 percent of self-checkout users admitted to purposefully stealing from a machine.
This figure rose to 31 percent when analyzing Gen Z shoppers and 21 percent for millennials.
Earlier this year, John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart, said this ABC this shrinkage – the industry term for the loss of merchandise due to theft – has increased at the retailer in recent years.
He said Walmart is removing self-checkout at locations where there are more cases of shoplifting and incorrectly scanned items.
“There are a few stores where we have made the decision where they will come out, but we haven’t made that decision in every store,” he told the outlet.
‘In the coming years we will really be using new technologies that can make the checkout process for customers even better.’
In March, Dollar General announced it would completely remove self-checkout stands from 300 of its stores with the highest levels of shoplifting and misscanned items.
At 9,000 other locations, the company says it is converting some of its self-checkout registers to regular registers, and limiting self-checkout purchases to five items or fewer in another 4,500 stores.
Dollar General is among the retailers that have announced major changes to automated checkouts in U.S. stores
Target has moved to express self checkout at most of its 2,000 stores, meaning customers can purchase just 10 items or fewer
Rather than completely cutting back on self-checkout lanes, Target announced earlier this year that it will limit the number of items shoppers can purchase at its automated checkouts.
After a trial period in select U.S. stores, Target has moved to express self-checkout at most of its 2,000 stores, meaning customers can purchase just 10 items or fewer.
The company also said it will open more staffed checkouts at new locations.
“Check-out is one of the most important times of the Target run, and we know that a fast, easy experience – whether it’s at the self-checkout or at the lanes manned by our friendly team members – is critical to getting guests through quickly.” to help you on your way. the company said in a statement.
Customers have long complained about snaking lines at the store and long wait times to get help at a self-checkout station when there’s a technical problem or an item needs to be approved by an employee.
