Walmart Checkout Systems
For years, Walmart’s company has been evolving. The company has been introducing different strategies regarding how people check out with their items. They have been working on ways for their checkout options to be convenient for the customers by giving them more choice and accessibility to their purchases. Overall, they want to change to provide customers with a more effective and efficient experience and also to decrease the wait time when they check out. Some of these checkout methods and systems include:
- Self-Checkouts.
- Pickup.
- Delivery.
Additionally, there is the original and long time check-out option that hasn’t changed for many years and decades and this is the cashiers that are stationed in their own respective lanes, ready to provide service and support to the customers.
Concerns for the Self-Checkout System
However, the self-checkout system in particular has brought a lot of controversy in the communities which is why Walmart now reconsiders their self-checkout system. Since this a systems that allows for people to have a more engaging and personal experience in order to decrease wait time, moreover this is a more express and faster way to checkout. Nonetheless, this is has been system that has benefit the customers in many ways regarding their self checkout experience.
But, many people also argue that this system in particular has been negative for all stakeholders, like the company, customers, and workers, by taking away many job opportunities since now many people were practicing self-checkout without interacting with cashiers. Also by impacting the company in terms of their economic statistics by theft increasing tremendously because now customers were not being watched and their items were not scanned by personal cashiers. Therefore, many customers, not all, but many started taking advantage of this system and many would leave the store without scanning or paying for their items. Which like mentioned before after this the company seriously reconsiders this system of checkout for customers.
Saving Money Cost More for Walmart
Although the company of Walmart installed self-checkout lanes because they thought that it would them considerable money. Now, they were not having to pay cashiers a salary because now they had the customers scanning and paying for their own items. However, this strategy started to negatively take a turn and affect the company’s economy. And this is not just a problem that is happening in Walmart but in many different big corporation stores, like:
- Dollar General.
- Target.
- Costco.
- Kroger.
Due to the constant and recurrent theft that was taking place, Walmart was losing so much money. In fact, they ended up losing 20-30 times more money because of all the theft that they are experiencing. Overall, this issue that has taken place in the recent years and the company has seriously struggled on how to effectively maintain the system of self-checkout and keeping customers from stealing.
Taking on a U-Turn to Reduce Theft Activity
Now, the company has started to reconsider and address this issue. They are now starting to remove self-checkout machines or incorporated more staff to be vigilant at customers. According to Daily Mail, “Walmart is continuing to remove self-checkout machines from its stores in what it claims to improve in the ‘in-store experience’ for customers.”
In fact, in Cleveland, Ohio and Shrewsbury, Missouri they said that they will now replace “kiosks” (self-checkout machines) with staffed checkout lanes to give associates the opportunity to provide more personalized and efficient service. And many other Walmart will also reconsider their self-checkout system. This being said, also according to DailyMail they are not doing this so customers have a better checkout experience but because they are trying to reduce theft activity overall. Moreover, this decision was based on several different factors, which include:
- Feedback from employees.
- Feedback from customers.
- Shopping patterns.
- Business needs.
Brian K. Little, a spokesperson for Walmart, also talked about this issue to Supermarket News. He said, “As part of our announced plans for additional investments and improvements to facilities across the country, we’ve decided to remove self-checkout lanes and replace them with staffed lanes at select locations.” Overall due to this problem that is causing problems to vulnerable corporations a lot of them now reconsiders their self-checkout system, like Walmart.
Written by Jeanette Sanchez
Sources:
Daily Mail: Walmart removes self-checkouts and swaps back to ‘traditional’ lanes but it’s not because they care about customer service
Supermarket News: Walmart removes self-checkout from two more stores
USA TODAY: Walmart store in Missouri removes self-checkout kiosks, replacing with ‘traditional’ lanes
Progressive Grocer: Walmart Retools Self-Checkout Strategy in 2 States
Featured Image Courtesy of Mike Mozart Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Mike Mozart Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
