Target is limiting self-checkout hours in some stores as the retailer continues to battle missing inventory

Self checkout and cashier stations at a Target store in Queens, NY. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

• Target is curtailing hours of operation for self-checkout at some locations as it battles shrink.
• In some stores, self-service lanes are only available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Certain locations also have started limiting the number of items allowed at self-checkout.

Target’s self-checkout reckoning continues as the retailer is cutting the hours of operation for self-service lanes at some of its stores.

The move does not yet include all of the company’s nearly 2,000 locations, but employees told Business Insider that store staffing levels and sales volumes are key factors in the decision.

In particular, Target is aiming to keep the percentage of overall store sales through self-checkout below a certain threshold, the workers said.

Most Target stores are open daily from 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but Reddit users on r/Target indicated that the self-checkout lanes in some of their stores were only open from about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. An employee in Illinois confirmed to BI that her store’s self-checkout hours were reduced and were no longer available after 8 in the evening.

Workers in Oklahoma and Michigan said their stores hadn’t made the change, and expressed concerns about having enough staff available to cover enough full-service lanes to avoid long lines for customers. BI has verified their employment but is not identifying them as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Target did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

“If and when we do have to close the self-checkouts in the morning and in the evening, we’re going to have a lot of people extremely upset with us,” the Michigan worker said. “I’m going to have to explain to them that they are closed down due to theft.

In addition to shoplifting, which is by definition intentional, one recent study found self-checkouts also contribute to a phenomenon known as “partial shrink,” where a customer accidentally fails to properly scan all of the items in their transaction.

Both shoplifting and missed scans are factors that contribute to the measure of missing inventory known as shrink, which has proven especially challenging for Target over the past year.

Other research found that self-service can have a negative impact on customer loyalty.

Directing shoppers to staffed check-lanes also offers more opportunities to promote the Target Red credit card, which the Oklahoma worker said is a current priority at their store.

The reduction in hours follows some stores setting limits of 10 items or fewer at the self-checkout lanes, which Target said would help “reduce wait times and better understand guest preferences.”

Other retailers, including Walmart and Kroger, have also recently eliminated or reduced self-checkout kiosks at select locations.

If you work for Target and would like to share your perspective, please contact Dominick Reuter via email or text/call/Signal at 646-768-4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.