TARGET shoppers have pledged to just walk out if they come across a store with locked-up items and long lines due to early closed self-checkouts.
The retailer has started locking up select items in some stores to help prevent theft, but many customers see it as a burden.
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The hours self-checkout is operating has also been shortened at some Target stores, which had led to lines getting backed up to get to a cashier.
“Store leaders have the flexibility to set self-checkout hours that are right for their store,” Target said in a press release in March.
“While the hours of operation may vary based on store needs.”
UNHAPPY SHOPPERS
The changes have caused Target customers to become extremely upset that their shopping experience has been disturbed.
Many shoppers have expressed their disapproval of the changes on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A woman replied to a photo of a line stretched back with around 15 people and said she would just walk out if she had to wait that long to checkout.
“This is the point where I leave the cart exactly where it is and walk out and I’ve walked out of Target more than a few times in the last few months,” the shopper said on X.
The shopper continued in her complaint about the long line and the locked-up products insisting it was ridiculous.
They added, “They do this AND they locked up the f**king deodorant and laundry detergent. No employees with locked-up inventory? F**k them.”
Another shopper complained, “Stuff being locked at Target will make me walk right out.”
Walking out due to the anti-theft measures has become a common action of many Target shoppers.
One customer said, “When I walk into a store where everything is locked, I walk out without buying anything.”
Another echoed the complaints, saying, “I walk out of stores like this.”
“Went into a Target in Bellevue and everything was locked up but the bread pretty much. Screw that.
“Whatever I need I can get elsewhere. It’s strange though, because with elevator access only it isn’t hard to control inventory.
“Seemed punitive.”
‘EXTREMELY UPSET’
A Target employee from Michigan said they believed the changes to self-checkout would upset customers.
They also spoke about how the self-checkout hours change was due to theft.
“If and when we do have to close the self-checkouts in the morning and in the evening, we’re going to have a lot of people extremely upset with us,” they told Business Insider.
“I’m going to have to explain to them that they are closed down due to theft.”
Target employee from Michigan
“I’m going to have to explain to them that they are closed down due to theft.”
Target spokesperson, Jim Joice also noted in December 2023 that recent store closures were due to an increase in theft.
Latest self-checkout changes
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Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled 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 stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
“The recently announced store closures related to safety, retail theft, and unsustainable business performance,” Joice told CNBC.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Target for common on the matter.
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