A TARGET shopper has called on the retail giant to employ more staff to tackle the long queues clogging up stores.
This comes as California hopes to make it mandatory for stores to have one employee for every two self-checkout machines.
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A Target shopper complained on X, formerly Twitter, today about the long lines at his local branch.
He shared two photos of people in a line that stretched across the Westbury outlet in New York.
“Target, ask for help [at] Westbury,” he begged.
Many shoppers waited to pay for carts loaded with items.
There were also families lined up in the clothing, book and toiletries sections, alongside their bored-looking children.
The US Sun reached out to Target asking for comment about the long lines and how it plans to help shoppers.
The megaretailer has already responded directly to the customer’s complaint on X.
“Thank you for reaching out to us with your comments about the long lines at the store,” he said via his Ask Target X account.
He then requested more information about the agency’s location and zip code.
“We will forward your feedback to the store leadership team. We hope to hear from you soon,” Target’s response added.
LIMITS
It’s unclear whether the man’s long wait was due to Target introducing a ten-item limit on self-checkout registers nationwide in March.
This new policy proved controversial in some stores, with customers complaining on social media about long delays.
In one case, a customer abandoned their cart and left the store.
“True story: the other day, I went to Target to buy a few things and found myself waiting in a line that I estimated to be 30 minutes or more,” they wrote on X.
“Just a long line of customers, including self checkout. I left my cart and left the store.”
Latest self-checkout changes in the US
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed at specific times and more cashiers were offered in its place.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting would fuel the upgrades, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would thwart fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, this test has been discontinued.
At Target, items are being limited in auto-checkout.
Last fall, the brand researched new express self-checkout lanes in 200 stores with 10 items or less for added convenience.
In March 2024, this policy was expanded to 2,000 stores in the US.
“Is your goal for people to just place pre-orders and not buy from your stores anymore?” another shopper asked.
“Because you used to have a flawless shopping experience and now self-checkout is 10 items or less and you only have one or two cashiers.
“I don’t want to shop there.”
“Thank you for sharing your latest experience with us. It’s disappointing to hear that there weren’t enough boxes during your checkout,” AskTarget responded.
“Dear Target, if you’re only going to have two employees working cash registers, do some demolition to get rid of the other 20 vacant cash registers and install self-checkout registers,” another customer at X suggested.
ACCOUNT FOR MORE STAFF
In California, the move toward installing more ATMs in stores has raised concerns about employee safety.
“As self-checkout has become more common, lone workers have become easy targets for theft and violence,” he warned. Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevasa Democrat from Los Angeles.
“The proliferation of self-checkout has caused [an] increase in theft and violence.”
She has worked with grocery and retail store workers and criminal justice advocates to create a safer environment for store employees.
This bill does not prohibit self-checkout.
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
SB 1446 – the Retail Theft Prevention and Security Act – is currently being considered by lawmakers to help “California begin to curb these problems.”
The new bill would require California grocery stores to hire one employee for every two self-checkout machines.
It would also limit customers to purchasing 15 items in self-service aisles.
However, large warehouse retailers that require a membership would be exempt.
The project took a step closer to being enshrined in law yesterday, reported the Court News Service.
It was approved by the Assembly’s Labor and Employment Committee and will then be reviewed by the Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.
Smallwood-Cuevas told fellow lawmakers that $10 billion in revenue is being lost because of ATM thefts.
“This bill does not ban self-checkout,” she added.
There are nearly eight million Americans working in retail, according to Bloomberg.
The site reported last September that U.S. retail workers are quitting en masse due to “low pay, erratic hours and monotonous tasks.”
For example, to stop theft, they need to “run through the aisles to unlock items as basic as toothpaste.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
