'Hate hate hate,' cries Walmart shopper over closed self-checkouts – as other customers threaten to switch to Target | 0468PF1 | 2024-05-02 17:08:01
CUSTOMERS at Walmart have been left fuming over the state of the retail giant's self-checkouts.
Some are even claiming they'll be switching to competitors like Target in the future after some negative shopping experiences.
The kiosks have come under some significant scrutiny by Walmart customers in recent years.
Since then, Walmart made several changes to the self-checkout area, including adding anti-theft technology, more employee presence, and a few policy changes to attempt to improve customer interaction with them.
While there are procedures in place for self-checkouts at Walmart nationwide, store managers can also use their discretion for how the kiosks are operating at their store.
Some have even decided to remove the self-checkouts at their store entirely for varied reasons.
At least three Walmart locations in New Mexico removed their kiosks last year, and a St. Louis area store took out their entire self-checkout section last month, as The U.S. Sun previously reported.
While some fans had been calling for the move back to cashiered-only lanes, others still claim there isn't enough support from staffers to make up for the influx of customers who used to use self-checkout.
"If you're going to remove self-checkout, for throngs of lines of shoppers; how about giving the lines a place to queue, that's not in the way of other shoppers?" a frustrated Walmart shopper wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"No more self checkout at my Walmart," another said.
"They go through your cart and scan my stuff."
Others felt even more strongly about the self-checkout changes and updates at the retailer and were not happy to see the kiosks gone at their local store.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> "HATE HATE HATE NO MORE SELF CHECKOUT AT WALMART," someone remarked.
Someone else claimed they'd be heading to competitors instead.
"Back to Target I go lol," they commented.
Walmart locations that still have self-checkout kiosks, which is the vast majority of the brand's 4,615 stores in the United States, have also seen a key update that left fans fuming.
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Earlier this year, select stores began sectioning off self-checkout kiosks for Walmart+ subscribers and Spark Drivers.
Some claimed that the majority of the kiosks at their store were restricted to Walmart+ and Spark Drivers, leaving only a few open for regular customers to checkout.
"It ain't gonna last," someone fumed of the change in a thread on Reddit.
Several argued that this meant Walmart shoppers would effectively have to pay the $98 annual subscription fee for Walmart+ just to use self-checkout.
Walmart has denied this assertion.
The kiosks were sectioned off so Walmart+ customers who pay and use the Scan & Go feature could swiftly move through the checkout.
Similarly, Spark Drivers on their way to delivering their orders to awaiting customers at home could move faster if self-checkouts were set aside for them.
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Walmart spokesperson Joe Pennington confirmed to The U.S. Sun that the decision was made in the interest of best managing customer traffic.
"Our managers look for ways to innovate within their stores and pay close attention to customer feedback on where they can better meet their needs," he said.
"Based on several factors, including customer and associate feedback, shopping patterns, and business needs, some locations are temporarily testing different checkout staffing options."
Pennington also stressed that the changes were purely based on customer traffic and did not have anything to do with subscription rates for Walmart+.
For more related content, check out The U.S. Sun's coverage of why Walmart is officially ending an important service in all states.
The U.S. Sun also has the story on the "right-size" change Walmart is making.
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