A Missouri Walmart is ditching self-checkout kiosks, bringing employees back to work at the checkout counter.
A Walmart store in the St. Louis suburb of Shrewsbury has begun converting self-checkouts to “traditional checkouts,” Walmart spokesperson Briand Little said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Little said the move was part of Walmart’s “announced plans for additional investments and improvements at stores across the country.”
“The decision was based on several factors, including associate and customer feedback, purchasing habits and business needs in this area,” Little added. “We believe this change will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the ability to provide more personalized and efficient service.”
The Walmart store also confirmed to USA TODAY that the kiosks were being removed.
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Walmart allowed to experiment with payment options
No company-wide guidelines have yet been issued for the removal of self-checkouts at Walmart stores nationwide. But Walmart said it would allow store managers to experiment with payment options.
“Our managers look for ways to innovate within their stores and pay close attention to customer feedback to learn where they can better meet their needs,” company spokesperson Joe Pennington said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY in October.
Pennington noted at the time that “there are currently no plans to eliminate self-checkouts nationwide.”
Target and Dollar General among retailers making changes to self-checkouts
Self-checkouts are evolving rapidly, with major retailers like Target and Dollar General choosing to limit the amount of items that can be purchased at self-checkout or removing kiosks from stores altogether.
Target announced in March that it would begin “limiting self-checkouts to 10 items or fewer.” Customers with “larger groceries” will be screened by human cashiers, USA TODAY reported.
Dollar General also made a similar announcement recently, with CEO Todd Vasos saying it has eliminated self-checkout at more than 300 of its stores, where the most “shrinkage” occurs, which is when the theft or sale of products at a price lower than the actual price.
Customers will be limited to five items or fewer at Dollar General stores with self-checkout kiosks.
Vasos said they will begin “converting some or all self-checkouts to assisted checkout lines at approximately 9,000 stores,” according to the USA TODAY report.
Costco has also started cracking down on checking membership cards in self-checkout lines.
Contributor: Mike Snider
