Walmart shoppers blast new self-checkout rules

Self-checkout was supposed to be the fast lane. You just scan your stuff, tap your card, and go on your way. But now, Walmart shoppers with a full cart will have to queue at the regular checkout lane because they have too many items. 

What’s driving the change

A proposed law in New York is trying to clamp down on retail theft, and self-checkout is right in the middle of it. The plan is to limit self-checkout to 15 items max and require more staff per machine. Stores that fail to comply will face a fine. 

While the law is still in the works, Walmart has already moved ahead of it.

According to shoppers, certain locations have dropped the limit even lower to even less than 12 items.

Shoppers are really not having it

Shoppers are being redirected if they have what is considered too many items. This is a big problem, considering there aren’t enough regular checkout lanes. When you put that together with the fact that the lanes that manage to be available have limited staff, it’s clearly a long line waiting to happen.

And customers are not keeping quiet. Many took to social media to air their complaints, with one shopper saying that by turning every self-checkout into a 12-items-or-less-lane, their local Walmart has forced everyone else into regular lines that stretched through aisles. 

Another pointed out how stores almost have more lanes than staff these days. For some, leaving the items they already picked up and walking out of the store would be an understandable response to the situation.

It's not just Walmart

Target has already tested the policy. It started with a 10-item limit in hundreds of stores and then rolled it out nationwide. More stores might follow soon. 

So the next time you roll up to self-checkout with a full cart, don’t be surprised if you’re pretty much told “not today” and sent to join the queue at regular checkout.

Source: The U.S. Sun