Some major retailers are doing away with self-checkouts as legislators fight for stricter regulations on self-checkout systems.<\/p>\n
Among those brands, Walmart is eliminating self-checkout machines as the retail giant continues their experiment with automation.<\/p>\n
The retailer has been slowly removing their machines from its stores to go old school and bring back traditional cashier lanes. The latest location to dump its self-checkout was in South Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Retailers are removing self-checkout machines \u2014 but not because of customer service. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n A company spokesperson insisted to the outlet that the shift is about customer service, presenting it as a way to shorten lines and increase efficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cThese changes are guided by feedback from associates and customers, local shopping patterns, and the needs of the business in each community,\u201d the spokesperson said, adding the change aimed to \u201cimprove the checkout experience and enable associates to provide more personalized customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n However, self-checkout kiosks are also extremely vulnerable to theft, and experts say the rise in shoplifting is the real reason they\u2019re being cut.<\/p>\n A December 2025 Lending Tree survey<\/a> found that 69% of people who use them believe they make it easier to steal, and many self-checkout users admitted to theft<\/a>, whether intentionally or unintentionally.<\/p>\n Lending Tree found that 69% of people who self-checkout believe they make it easier to steal. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n A whopping 27% have purposefully taken an item without scanning. Meanwhile, 36% of users admitted they\u2019ve accidentally left with an unscanned item, and though they didn\u2019t intentionally steal, 61% who accidentally took something said they kept it the last time.<\/p>\n \u201cLargely unattended self-checkouts provide a potential opportunity for folks to help themselves,\u201d Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst, said in a statement. \u201cEven though people know that stealing is wrong and most understand the risk they\u2019re taking, tough times require tough choices, and lots of people are clearly willing to take a risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Retail expert Neil Saunders agreed that self-checkout stations have led to high rates of theft because of both purposeful actions and \u201caccidental mistakes,\u201d he told the Daily Mail<\/a>.<\/p>\n Self-checkout kiosks are extremely vulnerable to theft, and experts say the rise in shoplifting is the real reason they\u2019re being cut. Jeffrey Greenberg\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cForcing more customers to use manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWalmart regularly reviews stores based on theft and customer experience and takes self checkout out of their highest theft stores,\u201d retail expert Bryan Gildenberg told the Daily Mail. \u201cI would not read much more into it than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Walmart isn\u2019t the only store to axe self-checkout. In 2024, Dollar General removed<\/a> self-checkouts from 12,000 stores nationwide.<\/p>\n Last year, Sam\u2019s Club, a subsidiary of Walmart, announced it would remove self-checkout<\/a> machines in favor of AI-powered \u201cscan and go\u201d technology.<\/p>\n Costco has begun rolling<\/a> out a similar technology, but they reportedly don\u2019t have plans to get rid of self-checkout. <\/p>\n While standing in line for checkout, a Costco staff member will come to your cart and scan all of the items. Once you reach the register, you\u2019ll scan your membership card, and all of the scanned items will load on the screen. All you have to do at that point is pay.<\/p>\n The move comes as legislators in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Washington have been looking to enact laws that would require a balance between self-checkout stations and employee-operated stations, a certain number of employees per self-checkout, and\/or limits on the items that can be brought through self-checkout, USA Today reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cForcing more customers to use manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money,\u201d retail expert Neil Saunders said. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n