LAFAYETTE, La. – If you’ve ever been to a big box store in Lafayette or any other town in Louisiana, you’ve likely experienced the line leading to self-checkout snaking around the front of the store.
Customers have mixed feelings about the kiosks that hold a prominent place in the store – some applaud them while others bemoan their existence.
Thousands of people have shared and copied a social media post that outlines the various reasons why individuals harbor a strong dislike for them. The post’s original author, who remains anonymous, expressed frustration over the requirement to have their receipt checked by a store employee before exiting. A portion of the post states:
You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be.• I’m not interested in proving that I did your job for you.• If you want me to be a cashier with no training then that’s your problem not mine.• Keep employing young people and give them job opportunities.YOU DON’T PAY ME TO SCAN MY OWN SHOPPING.YOU DON’T GIVE ME STAFF DISCOUNT FOR WORKING FOR YOU.
The criticism of self-checkout is widespread, even though it is not accurate to say that everyone opposes it.
There are also individuals who appreciate self-checkout for a variety of reasons. While there are fewer posts expressing admiration for the kiosk, they tend to be similar to this statement from a user in Louisiana:
Self-checkout kiosks have been a topic of debate among consumers, and now a shift is occurring as they are disappearing from stores in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, stores in Texas, Illinois, and other states are making significant changes to their self-checkout systems.
The reason behind the changes in retail practices extends beyond public dissatisfaction. Retail giants such as Target, Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and others are facing financial losses because customers are not scanning all the items in their baskets. This could be an intentional act or not, but it has led to a surge in “shrink,” which is the term used to measure retail theft. According to reports, major retailers lost a whopping $112 billion due to theft in 2022, and this number continues to rise.
Self-checkout is often considered the culprit.
According to a report from Business Insider, a Target store in Illinois has recently reduced the operating hours of its kiosks. Despite the store’s hours being from 7 AM to 10 PM, the self-checkout lanes are now only open between 10 AM to 8 PM. It seems Costco is also experimenting with similar changes.
A Kroger store located in Dallas has opted to remove self-check kiosks and instead, employ more human cashiers for their customers.
Self-checkout at a Walmart in Albuquerque, New Mexico has been closed.
Self-checkout may disappear or face significant changes in availability soon in Louisiana and Texas as the changes have already been initiated in the last few months.
Dealing with delays every time a machine suspects you of shoplifting or making a mistake can be quite frustrating. While some stores are implementing stricter controls to prevent such incidents, it can still be a nuisance for customers.