The days of going to a self-checkout line with a cart full of items has officially ended at Target.
As of March 17th, the retailer has implemented restrictions and the checkout lane has now become “Express Self-Checkout” meaning only customers with 10 items or less will be able to use them. It was already tested out last Fall at 200 of their stores, which came back with positive results.
Self-checkout was twice as fast at our pilot stores. By having the option to pick self-checkout for a quick trip, or a traditional, staffed lane when their cart is full, guests who were surveyed told us the overall checkout experience was better, too.
Because of these changes, Target says they will be adding more workers to the traditional checkout lines.
Target isn’t the only major retailer who has made changes to self-checkout lanes. Dollar General recently announced that they are removing self-checkout, all together, from their stores where theft is most high. For the other locations, restrictions will be placed to five items or less. In addition, Walmart is doing a test-run where they will reserve self-checkout for only Walmart+ members and delivery drivers.
