Retail giant Target is experimenting with a new self-checkout policy. In select stores, Target is now limiting self-checkout to customers purchasing 10 items or fewer, redirecting those with more items to full-service lanes manned by cashiers. This change is hoping to address concerns that cashier-less technology alienates customers. John Mulligan, Target’s Chief Operating Officer, emphasized the importance of customer relationships, noting, “Our guests tell us they enjoy interacting with our team.”
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The change in the self-checkout system is aimed at understanding shoppers’ preferences and reducing wait times. Self-checkout lanes were designed to streamline processes and cut labor costs. But recently, Target has seen a 6% increase in customers utilizing full-service cashier lanes, since the self-checkout systems often breakdown and error out, causing them to be cumbersome and time consuming.
The impersonal and unreliable nature of self-scan machines has led many retailers, including Walmart, Costco, and Shoprite, to reevaluate their self-checkout strategies.
Additionally, research in the retail industry has revealed that self-checkout leads to higher losses due to theft and customer error. Target emphasized that while theft is an ongoing concern, it didn’t drive their new self-checkout policies.