WALMART customers are getting tired of long wait times.
Shoppers expressed strong opinions after a Walmart store announced its self-checkout lanes were getting the ax.
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Staffed checkouts are replacing self-checkout lanes at a store in Shrewsberry, Missouri, according to NBC affiliate KDSK-TV.
“I don’t know what’s worse,” one shopper (@subonekd) wrote on X.
“Cashiers who don’t know what they’re doing or customers who are surprised they’ve got to pay for everything in their cart.”
They said their local Walmart had “invested big” in self-checkout before “shrink” or theft got too out of hand.
Approximately 15% of self-checkout users have admitted to purposely stealing, according to LendingTree.
CHECKED OUT
Missouri isn’t the only state where Walmart stores are removing self-checkout lanes.
A store in Sacramento, California, followed suit in March according to KGTV, an ABC affiliate in San Diego.
“They can close the self-checkout, I understand the problem with theft,” one customer said.
“But they need to respect the consumers and open more checkout lines.”
More consumers expressed anger on a Reddit thread after a user posted a picture of their store.
The caption read, “Our Walmart has completely closed all the self-checkout lanes.”
One user noted how the change would likely put more pressure on limited cashier staff.
“Every cashier is burned out,” a purported worker replied. “Cashiering for Walmart is soul-sucking. Nobody is happy to be there.”
Another user said they didn’t care if Walmart wanted to roll back its self-checkout lanes.
“But then for God’s sake, start staffing the normal check-out lanes again,” they added.
Latest self-checkout changes
How retailers are tweaking their self-checkout formula.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
“I’m so over seeing two lanes staffed and 15 people in line waiting.”
One user said their Walmart store cut back on regular check-out lanes once self-checkout lanes were installed.
Walmart did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
LONG WAIT
Walmart’s competitor Target has also been in the hot seat for failing to deliver customers’ expectations.
One shopper called the store’s lines “outrageous” and said it had not yet opened new self-checkout lanes since implementing a change.
The new rule limits shoppers to a 10-item maximum when scanning products at self-checkout.
The U.S. Sun has more retail coverage on store closings, deals, and shopping hauls.
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