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Walmart Missouri Store Swaps Self-Checkout for Traditional Lanes
April 18, 2024
In a recent change at a Walmart store in Shrewsbury, Missouri, self-checkout kiosks are being replaced with traditional checkout lanes. The decision to make this shift came from Walmart’s ongoing plans to invest in and improve its stores across the country, according to company spokesperson Briand Little.
The move was based on various factors, including feedback from both customers and associates, as well as shopping patterns and business needs specific to the area. Little stated, “We believe the change will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service.”
While this Walmart location has removed its self-checkout kiosks, there has been no corporate-wide directive from Walmart to eliminate self-checkout lanes in all stores. The company is allowing store managers to experiment with different checkout options to better meet customer needs and preferences.
Joe Pennington, another Walmart spokesperson, mentioned earlier that there are currently no plans to remove self-checkout lanes across all stores. Walmart aims to remain open to innovation in all stores and listen to customers in order to continuously improve the shopping experience.
“Our managers look for ways to innovate within their stores and pay close attention to customer feedback on where they can better meet their needs.”
Joe Pennington, Walmart spokesperson, via USA Today
The transition from self-checkout kiosks to traditional checkout lanes in Walmart’s Shrewsbury, Missouri, location is an effort to improve customer service and meet the specific needs of shoppers in the area. While this change is localized to one store for now, Walmart continues to explore and test various checkout options based on customer feedback and business requirements.
Walmart isn’t the only retailer to test new self-checkout strategies. In March, Target implemented an Express Self-Checkout system to increase checkout speed for customers with fewer items after a successful trial last year where it limited self-checkout to 10 items or fewer in 200 stores. Additionally, Dollar General recently announced plans to remove all self-checkout kiosks in over 300 stores. For all remaining stores with self-checkout available, shoppers will now be limited to five items max.
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