Walmart spokesperson, Brian Little, told Business Insider that the decision was influenced by feedback from customers and employees, as well as an analysis of local shopping patterns.
He stated: "We believe the change will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalised and efficient service."
This follows a similar move last October when Walmart removed self-checkout machines from three renovated stores in New Mexico in order to "provide our customers with the best shopping experience", according to a company statement.
Despite these changes, Walmart, which has over 4,700 locations across the US, has no plans for a widespread removal of self-checkout machines. These machines gained popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as they helped limit contact while social distancing measures were in place.
However, they have been criticised after a perceived increase in shoplifting led to billions of dollars in losses each year. As a result, Walmart and other retailers like Target and Costco have implemented policies where employees check customer receipts at store entrances, reports the Express US .
Neil Saunders, Global Data Retail's managing director, assumes that significant retail businesses are curbing their reliance on self-checkouts without totally wiping them out.
Speaking to CBS News, Neil stated: "They are trying to see how does this play a role in the future, but it's not going to be the same thing they've done for decades, where it's a free-for-all, and anyone could use it. There is a lot more caution."
The primary cause of shoplifting hiking losses, according to Neil, and leading retailers to curb or totally abolish self-checkouts at a local extent.
Further, he highlighted that honest errors, like consumers failing to scan items correctly, could also raise losses for sellers.
Neil expressed: "Self-checkout is an area of the store where people can steal things. Retailers are very actively trying to reduce it, or in Target's case put more restrictions around self-checkout to try to reduce the losses they incur from it."
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