Walmart Makes ‘Big Announcement’. How It Could Affect Arizona Shoppers

Self-checkouts have been a point of contention for a while. Some shoppers love using them, while others are salty that they're essentially doing an unpaid job for the retailers, so the company can increase its bottom line.

An increasing number of shoppers are growing resentful of self-checkouts. Some feel that they're taking jobs away from employees. Others lament that the temperamental machines are making their shopping experience more stressful.

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Typically, there are only two or three store employees running between a dozen or so self-checkout kiosks, clearing errors, checking IDs for alcohol and other purchases; with such divided attention and an untrained customer trying to navigate the console, mistakes are bound to happen.

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Adding insult to injury, when the shopper leaves the store, a store employee demands that the shopper hand over their receipt so it can be checked for accuracy.

Big retailers are less concerned about shoppers' feelings and more worried about their bottom line. This has led Walmart and others to rethink the customer-as-employee strategy using self-checkout machines.

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Why Arizona Walmart Stores Might Be Rethinking Self-Checkout

Walmart and other retailers have seen a spike in shrinkage associated with the self-checkout machines. Scanning errors and theft are the two factors they point to as causes of product loss.

Some stores are removing self-checkouts or limiting their use to customers in their loyalty programs or consumers with a limited number of items to ring up.

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Some stores have completely eliminated self-checkouts, especially those located in large urban centers or near busy highways. One store in the Midwest noted a considerable drop in theft after police data showed there had been a dramatic drop in theft and emergency calls, falling from 509 to 183 within a five-month period.

What Removing Self-Checkouts Could Mean in Arizona

There are currently no confirmed removals of self-checkout from Arizona Walmart stores yet, but if the trend continues:

• Urban stores with high foot traffic, like those in Phoenix or Tucson, could be early test cases.
• Stores near I-10 or I-17 interchanges, where theft or traffic is higher, might see changes sooner.
• Customer feedback in Arizona, especially in smaller towns where folks value friendly clerks, could shape Walmart’s approach locally.

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Other Retailers in Arizona Who May Rethink Self-Checkout Machines

• Target often leads the way in promoting a positive customer experience. They're currently experimenting with limiting self-checkout use to customers with fewer purchases.
• Dollar General removed self-checkouts from thousands of stores following major retail losses.
• Fry's and Safeway stores are watching the shift but haven’t confirmed large-scale changes.

Sources: AZ Central | Kiosk Marketplace | Men's Journal