Walmart has continued to eliminate some self-checkout systems in stores, and shoppers couldn’t be happier.
Self-checkout machines were introduced to reduce labor costs and supposedly optimize customers’ shopping experience. But for the most part they were hated.
DailyMail.com readers and X users came out in droves to express their own reasons for why they hate machines, and their reasons varied.
Some considered them a frustrating waste of time, while others simply enjoy the human interaction they can have with a cashier. Many said they simply wanted to keep people in their jobs.
A funny photo went viral of a self-checkout machine at Walmart, ironically right next to a sign that said the retailer was “investing in American jobs.”
A photo of the “scan and go” self-checkout machines at Walmart ironically placed next to a sign claiming the company is “investing in American jobs.”
One reader joked that if they’re doing the work of scanning items, they should be on Walmart’s payroll, too.
“If there are autopayments, where is my W2 at the end of the year?” they wrote in an email. “If I have to check it out myself, I need a discount to compensate me for the time I’m your employee.”
Another expressed disappointment at not being welcomed at Walmart’s Christmas party. One person joked that if you use the bathrooms you might have to clean them too.
“Self-checkouts have worked very well,” they wrote. ‘Walmart is expanding other tasks we can do for them. Be careful when asking to use the bathrooms though, you may have to clean and shine the mirrors once you’re done.
They share a fake broadcast from the retailer: ‘Starting Tuesday…customers will now need to unload semi-trailers at Walmart. This will be added to your self-checkout tasks.’
Meanwhile, some people confessed that they liked self-checkout machines because they made it easier to steal.
“I like automatic payments so I can steal, so please keep them,” one wrote.
One X user joked that they scan cheaper items for discounts: “I scanned the TV like they were bananas at the self-checkout.”
Another stated that they may not scan items completely and that when it comes to produce, they may not get all the items they are taking into the system.
At two stores, in Missouri and Ohio, Walmart will completely replace self-checkout machines with “traditional” staffed lanes, as shown in the image.
“I will game the system when using self-checkout,” they wrote. ‘Oh, those paper towels under my cart, I forgot to mark them; How many avocados are in this plastic bag? More than I’m going to pay.
One person commented that when they scan their items they feel too supervised and scrutinized by staff members.
“I enjoy going to the drive-thru and having 3 paid employees watch me do my job for free,” they said.
A common complaint was also that self-checkout machines are especially inefficient when it comes to processing fresh produce.
“Things I hate about self-checkout: Getting pinged for not scanning something I obviously scanned,” one X user wrote.
Others have pointed out in the past that the indicated weight of meats does not always correspond to the weight shown on the scale.
‘Dear Walmart, while you’re at it, fix the problem with your scale. “There seems to be a disconnect between the meat department scales and the cash registers,” one person tweeted.
Some major retailers have taken steps this year to reverse the failed self-checkout experiment. The machines were designed to reduce labor costs, but led to an increase in theft.
Last month, Dollar General announced it would completely remove self-checkout kiosks from 300 of its stores with the highest levels of theft and incorrectly scanned items.
At another 9,000 locations, it said it is converting some of its self-checkouts to regular checkouts and will limit self-checkout purchases to five items or fewer at another 4,500 stores.
Kroger also added traditional checkout lanes at a store in Texas where it previously only offered self-checkout machines, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Meanwhile, Costco began placing additional staff in self-checkout areas to monitor shoppers and ensure all items are scanned correctly, as well as to ensure membership cards are not shared.
