“Two Walmarts Stores in Missouri and Ohio Remove Self-Checkout Lanes to Enhance Shopping Experience”

Two Walmarts, located in Missouri and Ohio, are making a significant change by removing self-checkout lanes to enhance the in-store shopping experience. The decision, confirmed by the company to Business Insider, will affect the Cleveland Steelyard location and a Supercenter in the St. Louis area. The transition process, occurring after hours, is expected to be completed within two weeks.

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Two Walmarts

According to spokesperson Brian Little, this decision stems from feedback received from both employees and customers, as well as insights into local shopping behaviors. Little expressed the company’s belief that this change will not only enhance the overall shopping experience but also allow associates to offer more personalized and efficient service.

This move mirrors a similar decision made by three Walmart stores in New Mexico last year. Additionally, discount retailers Dollar General and FiveBelow have announced plans to scale back or eliminate self-checkout options in response to inventory management challenges.

Despite these changes, Walmart has clarified that there are no widespread plans to remove self-service kiosks from all stores. However, retailers, including Walmart, have implemented various measures to address challenges associated with self-checkout. For instance, some Walmart locations have restricted access to self-checkout lanes to users of the Walmart+ or Spark delivery apps. Meanwhile, Target has capped item counts to ten or fewer in self-service lanes, resulting in a faster checkout process. Additionally, some stores have limited the hours during which self-checkout lanes are available.

Researchers have noted that self-checkout can lead to “partial shrink,” a phenomenon where inventory loss occurs due to customers inadvertently failing to scan and pay for all items in their transactions.