Target limits self-checkout for customers with 10 items or fewer

Target has brought a change into what was considered a quicker alternative for its customers to make purchases at its stores.

The retail corporation announced Thursday via press release that it would switch its regular self-checkout to express self-checkout. The new concept would be reserved for customers with 10 items or fewer.

The change was brought into effect as of Sunday, March 17, at most of the company’s 2000 locations nationwide.

In the release, the company noted that customers began to rely heavily on the self-checkout during the pandemic as it offered them a contactless option.

Speaking to “Good Morning America,” Dominick Reuter, a senior reporter at Business Insider said the change would yield quite a few challenges.

“One of them is this funny little notion called partial shrink,” he explained. “Which is when a shopper perhaps either accidentally or intentionally doesn’t scan all of the items in their order. So, some of the stuff goes out the door without having been paid for.”

Prior to implementing the new self-checkout concept, Target had tested out the program at about 200 of its stores last fall, according to its release.

The company said it saw the effect it brought to the stores, telling, “GMA,” “We did see a reduction of theft in our test stores, but the program wasn’t directed in targeting theft even though we did see it was reduced.”

Target added the swap out was introduced to help improve efficiency and customer experience.

The change comes after other retailers such as Dollar General and Walmart also pulled out some of their self-checkout stands in stores recently.

Last week, Dollar General announced it would remove the options entirely in 300 of its “highest shrink” stores.

Meanwhile, some customers had voiced their opinions on social media after Walmart scaled back its self-checkout options, with one frustrated user calling out the company on TikTok.

In a statement to ABC News, Walmart explained, “During these times of limited access, some stores are designating select self-checkout stations for Walmart+ customers using our Scan and Go service and Spark drivers for quicker access and delivery services.”

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