Walmart has made several changes to its checkout counters over the past few years. First, the company said it was going to use only self-checkout, and then there were rumors they were going to remove them altogether.
Finally, it seems the mega-store has decided to keep self-checkout registers, but they will only be available to customers willing to pay for them.
The Self-Checkout Debate
Self-checkout registers have existed for decades, though they became far more popular in the last ten years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were doing everything they could to avoid contact with others.
However, there has been some debate regarding the seemingly convenient machines. While some say checking out themselves is easier, faster, and less stressful, others find the process too complicated and frustrating.
Walmart Planned to Make All Its Registers Self-Checkout
In 2020, Walmart announced that it planned to remove all employee-run cashier lines and replace them with self-checkout counters in one of its stores in Arkansas. If the experiment worked, Walmart was considering implementing this new system in the vast majority of its stores throughout the USA.
But four years later, Walmart has abandoned the idea of a self-checkout-only system. In fact, the company is actually moving in the other direction and has shut down many of these registers in several stores.
Why Did Walmart Remove Self-Checkout Counters?
Walmart, as well as several other popular stores like Costco and Wegmans, removed several self-checkouts in recent years after they noticed a significant increase in theft at the machines.
Because no one was watching, customers were “forgetting” to scan certain items or swapping a cheaper item for a more expensive one, such as typing in the code for bananas but then weighing a sirloin steak.
There Are Other Downsides to Self-Checkout
For large corporations, using self-checkout registers instead of standard, employee-run tills can be a great way to cut down on labor costs.
However, there has been a significant amount of pushback from customers who feel that in doing so, companies like Walmart are hurting the American economy, as those jobs are essential for thousands of people. Additionally, some customers argue that Walmart is putting its profits over its customers, as instead of being helped by an employee, people have to “do the work” of checking out themselves.
Walmart Is Changing Its Checkout Options Yet Again
Because there is such a divide among customers regarding self-checkout registers, many companies like Walmart have been at a loss of how to proceed. The general consensus has simply been to offer self-checkout to those who want it but ensure that there are several traditional employee-run lines available to those who don’t.
But as of March 2024, Walmart has decided to once again try a new tactic, and, unsurprisingly, some people love the idea and others are infuriated.
The Big Announcement From Walmart
Walmart announced that in certain locations, self-checkout registers will be reserved for customers who are members of their Spark Shoppers or Walmart+ programs.
All other customers will have to use the standard employee-run lines whether they want to or not.
That Means Walmart Customers Have to Pay $98 to Use Self-Checkout
Because the lowest possible subscription package costs $98, that means customers essentially have to pay an extra $98 a year to be entitled to use self-checkout at Walmart.
Some say this is really just another way for Walmart, which is already worth a whopping $488.64 billion, to make even more money from their customers.
There Are Not Enough Walmart+ Members to Make This an Efficient Plan
Another aspect of this plan customers find quite annoying is that there are not nearly enough Walmart+ or Spark members to make this an efficient use of the checkout counters. This means several member-only self-checkout stations are going unused while regular customers have to wait in long lines.
Walmart customer Zack Benson explained, “I just went to a Walmart in LA that had this. One section of the self-checkout was for Spark shoppers and the other section anyone can use. It was a very busy Walmart, but the Spark shopper section always had empty scanners.”
Many Americans Don’t Want Another Bill to Pay
While $98 over the course of a year may seem reasonable to some people, the truth is that many Americans, even those who could technically afford the membership fee, are sick and tired of paying for unnecessary subscriptions.
In addition to the standard utility bills, mortgages, monthly rent, phone bills, insurance, and car payments, Americans also pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, and so much more. The idea of adding another one to the list just to be able to use self-checkouts at Walmart is quite disheartening.
Those With the Membership Are Excited by the New Program
Of course, Walmart customers who already pay for a Spark or Walmart+ membership are quite excited by the fact that they will no longer have to wait in line to checkout.
Walmart+ has always offered customers “mobile scan & go, which enables [them] to scan items as you shop in-store, streamlining your checkout process.” However, as customer Carm Marie explained, “It always annoyed me how I still had to wait in the self-checkout line to scan a QR code after I’d already scanned my items with my phone. It didn’t make sense… I was paying for a convenience I wasn’t getting.”
Will All Walmart Self-Checkouts Be Reserved for Members?
So far, Walmart has only implemented this program in a few of its thousands of stores. Whether or not they decide to make it company-wide will likely depend on how the system works over the next few months.
It seems that Walmart can’t quite figure out how to best serve themselves and their customers during the checkout process, but they are going to continue experimenting until they do.
