Target shoppers furious over bizarre self-checkout rule that drags out a simple purchase to ’20 minutes’ or more
Target customers are up in arms against a rule that leaves self-checkouts closed, increasing wait times.
Local bosses now have ‘the flexibility to set self-checkout hours that suit their store’. The new policy, introduced in March, allows staff to open kiosks late or close early – or even during the day.
But customers say this is leading to long wait times because stores are not opening additional traditional staffed checkouts to compensate for the closed self-checkouts.
“The store closes at 10pm but the automated checkout closes at 9pm and there are only three cashiers between 9pm and 10pm?” wrote a customer on X, formerly Twitter.
‘A huge queue every evening between 9pm and 10pm.’
Some Target stores keep the self-checkout closed during certain hours
Target recently made a series of changes to its self-checkouts
Another raged at X: “I was banging my head against the wall. Why does it now take twenty minutes to run to the goal to catch Red Bull?
“Because they closed all the self-checkouts until 10 a.m.”
Target has made changes to its self-checkout policy that started on March 17.
Local store bosses now have the option to open kiosks late or close early, causing the problems described above.
This move is in response to store managers needing time to set up machines at the start of the day and time to shut them down at the end. At these times they also need to cash cash and sort stock – and it is thought the self-checkouts could be a distraction.
Target has also implemented a ten-item limit for all self-checkouts in its stores. It renamed it ‘express self-checkout’ – saying the limit made the lines move faster.
It was try out the limit in 200 stores since October and was implemented in all 2,000 stores – although shoppers complained that stores were not opening additional staffed lanes for people with more than ten items.
Target has a limit of ten items in all 2,000 stores
At the time, Target said: “Store leaders have the flexibility to open more lanes staffed by team members and set self-checkout hours that work for their store.
“While hours may vary based on shopping needs, Express Self-Checkout will be available during peak shopping times.”
Some Target stores are taking stricter measures in response to high crime rates, such as age restrictions and increased security.
In December, one store introduced an age restriction, requiring customers under 18 to be accompanied by an adult.
Meanwhile, other retailers are making changes to self-checkouts, and many are removing them.
DailyMail.com reported on Wednesday how Walmart completely removed them from two more stores.
The measure is related to the increasing number of thefts at the kiosks, rather than a measure to improve customer service.
Some of the largest retailers have taken steps this year to reverse the failed self-checkout experiment. The machines were designed to reduce labor costs, but caused increased theft
Last month, Dollar General announced it would completely remove self-checkout stands from 300 of its stores with the highest levels of shoplifting and improperly scanned items.
At 9,000 other locations, the company says it is converting some of its self-checkout registers to regular registers, and limiting self-checkout purchases to five items or fewer in another 4,500 stores.
Other retailers are also developing their self-checkout strategies.
Walmart tested self-checkout lanes exclusively for Walmart+ members and experimented with closing self-checkout during specific hours.
READ MORE: Target unveils its latest weapon against self-checkout shoplifters
Aim to use covert technology against shoplifters, with the AI-powered cameras able to identify repeat offenders at the checkout
A new system uses cameras and sensors to detect items that shoppers cannot scan and will notify them with audio and visual cues.
But the secretive technology – known as TruScan – is different from simply having CCTV cameras pointed at the area being monitored by security staff.
Instead, computers powered by artificial intelligence are thought to be used to monitor shoppers as they scan items.
Target started rolling out the cameras several months ago and will equip all U.S. stores with them by the end of the year.