Target makes major changes to self-checkout to curb snaking as Walmart and Kroger face customer revolt over same issue
- The store is testing a limit on the number of items that can be purchased at self-checkout.
- Targeted stores in Maine are among some stores subject to new rules.
- This comes after customers at major retailers complained about long checkout lines.
Target is testing major changes to self-checkout at some stores to speed up the shopping process for customers.
The retail giant is limiting self-service lanes to customers purchasing 10 or fewer items to reduce long lines in stores.
According to WCYY, the affected stores in Maine are among those subject to the rule.
The company confirmed to DailyMail.com that it is testing limits on the number of items to reduce wait times and better understand guest preferences.
He did not specify the specific locations in the target areas where the tests were being conducted or whether the policy would later be rolled out nationwide.
The company confirmed it was testing the change to reduce wait times.
Retail giant is testing limiting self-service lanes to customers purchasing 10 or fewer items.
The change comes after Target customers took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain about long checkout lines.
One user in Illinois lamented that there were “huge lines” inside the store and that “only 3 of the 18 cash registers were open.”
Another wrote: “We’re in long lines to get into the store and we’re in long lines at the checkout with only one cashier.”
But Target isn’t the only store where customers are complaining about long wait times online.
Shoppers at Kroger and Walmart have also expressed their frustration online.
“The checkout line was well over a mile long, with one lane and several self-checkout lines empty,” one Walmart shopper complained.
“Self checkout is only available on Sunday mornings in Commerce, Michigan,” a Kroger shopper wrote to X. “Long lines and elderly people are physically struggling.”
In response to the post, a Kroger spokesperson apologized and said, “We are sorry that our cash registers are not open, resulting in long lines and that seniors in need are unable to receive help.” That’s not the kind of customer service we should be providing. ”
Grocery Giant, which operates about 170 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, also limited the number of items customers can purchase at one time in its self-checkout lanes to 20 items.
Giant’s president, Ira Kress, told WTOP that the chain is banning the use of “full baskets” at self-checkout stations to curb the rise in theft.
In June, Kress announced that in-store shoplifting rates had increased five to 10 times over the past three years.
Walmart shoppers also express frustration with long checkout lines.
The move comes as stores across the country battle a growing crime wave that has forced many stores to close.
A recent report from the National Retail Federation said the industry is under an “unprecedented” threat from crime and violence, and store owners are threatening not only their safety but their livelihoods.
It found that shrinkage, the total losses incurred by retailers, increased by $20 billion in one year, reaching an eye-watering $112.2 billion in 2022.
And up to 70% of shrinkage is due to theft, meaning retailers have lost approximately $78.4 billion to shoplifters.
A recent report from the National Retail Federation found that retailers lost about $78.4 billion to shoplifters last year.
This shocking number jumped by almost a fifth from 2021, when it was around $65.7 billion.
This increase is believed to be due to a sharp rise in the number of violent thefts. Overall, 88% of retailers said shoplifters will become more violent in 2022.
“Retail crime, violence, and theft continue to impact the retail industry at unprecedented levels,” the report states.
“The impact of these criminal acts is not limited to major national brands or large cities. Daily media reports indicate that no company is unaffected and these issues are affecting every sector of the country, It’s impacting retailers of size and location.”