TARGET continued to implement several new policies and safety measures in stores across the country.
Despite Target’s attempt to make in-store shopping more convenient for its customers, some shoppers are criticizing the retail giant for its revamped self-checkout policy.
two
NOT ON TARGET
In March 2024, Target announced that it would limit self-checkout transactions to shoppers purchasing 10 items or fewer.
The change is designed to make shopping more convenient and efficient for customers, especially those purchasing a few items.
However, the move backfired, with many shoppers abandoning full carts at the door due to a lack of full checkouts and increasingly long wait times.
User X, @12itemsOrLess, shared his thoughts on the new policy with a first-hand account of a recent shopping trip.
Read more about self-checkouts
“Hey @Target I just left a cart with about $90 worth of stuff I spent 20 minutes filling including frozen and perishables because you have 3 cashiers for an entire 2 story store and no self checkout,” they he wrote.
In recent years, Target has increased the number of self-checkout kiosks in stores across the country, reducing checkout lines — and the cashiers to man those checkouts.
“I’m not waiting in lines of 12 people. Not today. Not anymore,” they continued.
While consumers previously had the option of using a self-checkout route or checking out their items at an open register, these options continue to dwindle.
“Never mind that I saw at least seven employees wandering around talking to each other,” they wrote.
“If that’s their job, then they deserve a raise because they were really committed. However, I don’t think it is,” they added.
In February 2024, Target reported that its overall workforce had decreased by 6%, according to the Star Tribune.
The retailer went from employing 440,000 people nationwide to 415,000 “full-time, part-time and seasonal workers.”
“The year-over-year comparison is also influenced by our intentional focus on providing more hours to current team members before hiring seasonally,” Target said, emphasizing that headcount “fluctuates” depending on business needs.
Still, despite providing more hours to full-time team members, the loss of more than 25,000 employees is being felt in stores across the US.
Latest self-checkout changes
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 updates, 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.
Shoppers also identified their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
TARGET’S REGRETS
“While I applaud your efforts to try and reduce theft, you now have a bigger problem of cart abandonment and product loss due to spoilage,” wrote user X.
As more and more shoppers become frustrated with long lines and even longer wait times, many leave the store – and their carts – behind, full of perishable, refrigerated and frozen goods, among other items.
“The highlight of all this, though, is the fact that there is so much chaos at the checkout, it is very easy and conceivable that people could just walk out without paying,” they wrote.
“So, in effect, you are encouraging theft by having cashiers and not self-checkout,” they added.
Many retailers, including Target, have limited self-checkout kiosks due to increased theft or shrinking products.
From customers intentionally or unintentionally scanning items — or not scanning items at all — to selecting different items when weighing fruit and produce to get big discounts, Target has had to beef up its security to combat both casual and organized shoplifters.
Instituting transaction limits and increasing the number of employees at self-checkout stations are just a few of the ways the retailer is fighting crime.
It’s also starting to use artificial intelligence to identify unscanned items — and to track shoppers who fail to scan items properly, as reported by USA today.
Still, some dissatisfied shoppers are wondering why Target isn’t simply using its purchasing power to hire additional staff.
Opening additional checkouts at peak times or ensuring that both self-checkout and open checkouts are adequately staffed seems like a surefire way to alleviate customer concerns.
“I’m not expecting a follow up from @Target and it’s too late because I already went to @Walmart,” user X wrote.
“Of course I will pay more, but they have self-checkout and always have cashiers and value my time and patronage,” they added, along with the hashtags #target, #BadCustomerService and #Values.
What is Target Circle 360?
In April, Target launched its first paid membership program, Target Circle 360.
For $99 per year, members have access to the following benefits:
- Unlimited, free same-day delivery on orders over $35
- Another 30 days to return your items
- Free two-day shipping on 100,000 items
- 5% discount in store and online
- Automatic offers and exclusive benefits for partners
ABANDONED WALMARTS CARTS
Walmart, however, has also faced criticism for its security policies, with many shoppers expressing similar concerns about the discount giant’s reduction in self-checkout kiosks.
“Extremely long lines at Walmart self-checkout. 3 cash registers open with long lines too,” one user shared on social media.
Other security measures, such as locking items behind plexiglass displays and checking customers’ receipts as they leave the store, have also drawn the ire of new and existing customers.
“The last time I went to Walmart I had time and that lady literally chased me out the door to see my receipt,” another user wrote.
“I had her accompany me to customer service where I returned all of the mf items,” they added.
The only surefire way to avoid long lines and wait times is for shoppers to order online for pickup or delivery, although these options also have their drawbacks.
“My mom gets pickup from Target and there is something expired in almost every order,” one user shared on X.
“Hey @Walmart you guys are killing me,” another user posted.
“My curbside pickup order has been delayed since Thursday at 5pm… and it’s an item! I tried to cancel the order and was basically told the store had to cancel it,” they added.
Despite claiming that it will “make our checkout experience even more pleasant”, Target has, at least in some stores, failed to “open more traditional avenues with employees on our team,” according to customer complaints.
Read more about Target’s self-checkout policy.
Also, compare it with similar retailers like Walmart’s self-checkout issues and Kroger’s self-checkout issues.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25572450/080124_HP_OmniBook_X_ADiBenedetto_0002.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "HP OmniBook X 14 review: A business laptop by any other name")
