Texas Grocery Store Ends All Self-Checkout Experiment

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Self-checkout lanes are all the rage among grocery stores these days, but do customers actually like them? The results are mixed and one grocery chain in Texas is ending its experiment of having only self--checkout lanes.

According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, cashiers are returning to a Kroger store in Oak Lawn in Dallas. Three years ago, Kroger launched the all self-check out at its Oak Lawn store to see how customers liked it. After three years, and a lot of feedback later, cashiers are coming back according to the Dallas Morning News.

"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.

Self-checkout lanes are spreading. From your neighborhood grocery store all the way to places like Walmart, Target, and Costco. For stores, the feedback has been mixed. The Dallas Morning News reported that in 2022, about 29% of food retail transactions were through self-checkout. And while many customers seem to like self-checkout for quick trips where your purchasing few items, many customers seem to not like self-checkout lanes when purchasing many items and having to bag those items.

In fact, Walmart once experimented with an all self-checkout Supercenter in the city of Plano. The idea failed fast in 2021 and the idea was ditched within months.

Personally, I don't mind self-checkout lanes as long as I only have a few items and the lanes actually work and scan correctly. But most of the time? I'm heading to a lane that is staffed by an employee.