Walmart is continuing to remove self-checkout machines from its stores in what it claims is an effort to improve the in-store experience for customers. In two stores — Shrewsbury, Mo., and Cleveland, Oh. — the retailer said it would replace kiosks with staffed checkout lanes that will give the associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service. In reality, many stores are ditching self-checkout kiosks because they’re especially vulnerable to theft, an issue that retailers claim in recent years has been plaguing their business and forcing them to close locations altogether. The reversal of the world’s largest retailer may serve as a landmark moment in what appears to be a failed checkout experiment that lasted years. Dollar General, Costco, and Kroger are just some of the retailers that have chosen to discontinue self-checkout, while Target upped their game by installing new scanners to combat theft, as well as limiting checkout items to a maximum of 10. Missouri-based retailer Schnucks also said it would impose a 10-item cap on its self-checkout machines. Stores are also using other measures — like locking up items behind plastic screens — to combat out-of-control shoplifting.
