Dallas, TX
Kroger’s all self-checkout Dallas store brings back cashiers
Cashier-staffed checkout lanes are returning to Kroger’s Oak Lawn store.
After three years, Kroger is reversing its decision to turn its smallest store in the market into an all self-checkout store.
The location at 4142 Cedar Springs Road converted to all self-checkout in Feb. 2021 and it was the only one among the grocery chain’s 2,700 U.S. stores trying out the idea.
“We listened closely to customer feedback and made the decision to convert back to hosting staffed checkout lanes at this store,” said John Votava, Kroger spokesman.
The conversion to a mix of staffed and self-checkout lanes started on Tuesday, he said.
Shoppers love and hate the self-checkout experience, but people are using it. About 29% of food retail transactions were through self-checkout lanes in 2022, according to the food industry association, FMI.
While retailers rethink self-checkout, a walk into any Walmart, Target, Costco and any brand of traditional supermarket reveals a mix that signals the self-service payment lanes aren’t going away. Trader Joe’s is a holdout with all cashier-staffed lanes and has also stayed away from e-commerce.
Some stores have modified their self-checkout areas for purchases of fewer than 10 or 15 items. Target last year started testing 10 items or fewer checkout lanes in stores saying it wasn’t about theft but it was intended to speed up the process for shoppers who want to use it.
H-E-B has put limits of 10 or 15 or fewer items on its self-checkout lanes, said Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B and Central Market spokeswoman. The San Antonio-based grocer has also added two self-checkout lanes with longer belts for 25 or fewer items in its newer stores including Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney stores, she said. Central Market has also added self-checkout lanes over the last three years with a 15-item or fewer limit.
Walmart hasn’t put a limit on its self-checkout lanes, said Walmart spokesman Josh Havens.
Walmart experimented with an all self-checkout Supercenter in Plano, creating this huge circle of checkout lanes with employees corraled in the middle watching and ready to assist shoppers. The self-checkout area was installed in 2021 and the idea was ditched within months.
On its customer service website, Walmart says, “If you prefer checking out with a cashier, we will continue to have that option available for customers who prefer that method.”
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