Target is limiting self-checkout to 10 items, a move it claims will improve the customer experience and speed up the process.
The Minneapolis-based retailer joins dozens of other retail chains, including rival Walmart, that have limited or removed self-checkout kiosks following complaints about the clunky technology and concerns about an increase in theft.
The changes will go into effect Sunday at most of the Minneapolis-based chain’s roughly 2,000 stores nationwide. the retail giant said.
Along with reducing the amount of customer self-checkouts, stores will expand the number of traditional checkout lanes available.
Target piloted the new self-checkout restrictions at 200 stores last fall before expanding the changes nationwide, the company said.
“By being able to choose self-checkout for short trips or traditional manned lanes for full carts, surveyed guests also said their overall checkout experience was improved. ” said the company.
Target attributed this change in part to changing consumer patterns, noting that self-checkout options benefited during the height of the pandemic as customers sought to minimize contact with others. did.
The self-checkout improvements come as Target laments the spike in organized retail crime plaguing its stores across the country.
Last fall, Target closed nine stores in cities across the country, including San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Harlem, citing concerns about the “safety” of its employees amid a rise in violent crime.
New York retailers lament that organized shoplifting rings will cost them a staggering $4.4 billion in 2022.
And a study earlier this year found that one of the reasons Gen Z prefers self-checkout is the ability to swipe items without being detected.
Other retail giants are also testing self-checkout options. Walmart store closed Some contactless lanes have been completely eliminated.
A Walmart spokesperson said, “We are constantly adjusting the use of manned and self-checkout at our stores.” told NBC’s Today. “For example, stores may have staffed cash registers at the beginning and end of the day. As the number of shoppers and employees increases, these stores may have self-service checkouts to accommodate the increased flow of customers. We are opening checkout registers. This process is not new.”
