Two Walmart stores remove self-checkout machines as retail giants re-think the self-service option

Walmart is scaling back on its self-checkout machines at two stores, as more retail giants are reducing the self-service option at their stores, citing an effort to combat theft.

A Walmart in a suburb of St. Louis, Mo, recently began removing self-checkout machines, CBS News reported on Friday. Another location in Cleveland also did earlier this month.

The retail giant pointed Fox News Digital to a statement to the media.

“As part of our announced plans for additional investments and improvements to facilities across the country, we’ve decided to remove self-checkout lanes and replace them with staffed lanes at select locations including at our Shrewsbury, Missouri, store,” the statement said.

Self service checkout, Walmart megastore, North Carolina. Getty Images

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“These decisions were based on several factors, including feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns and business needs in the area. We believe the changes will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,” the statement continued.

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“We believe the change will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,” a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider about the changes.

Five Below announced in March that it would be cutting back on its self-check out machines in an effort to reduce theft.

The company has “now evolved” to associate-assisted checkout across its over 1,500 locations, CEO Joel Anderson said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. He said Five Below locations susceptible to more “shrink,” an industry term referring to lost or stolen merchandise, are mostly offering cashier-run checkouts. The retailer is also adding receipt checking, extra employees and more security guards at such stores, according to Anderson.

Target converted its self-checkout option to “express,” which requires 10 items or fewer at all self-check-out registers.

A shopping cart outside a Walmart store in Richmond, California, on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. Getty Images

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The managing director for retail at GlobalData, Neil Saunders, told CBS that stores wanted to see how pulling back on self-checkout would play out.

“Self-checkout is an area of the store people can steal things,” Saunders said. “Retailers are very actively trying to reduce it, or in Target’s case, put more restrictions around self-checkout to try to reduce the losses they incur from it.”

Dollar General is also pulling back on self-checkout machines, Fox News Digital previously reported.

A sign hangs above a Dollar General store on August 31, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images

The company announced last month it is set to remove the self-checkout option from 300 stores experiencing the biggest loss of merchandise.

Dollar General, in addition to providing an assisted checkout option, is also limiting self-checkout to transactions consisting of five items or fewer.

Fox News’ Aislinn Murphy and Danielle Genovese contributed to this report.

Original article source: Two Walmart stores remove self-checkout machines as retail giants re-think the self-service option