A self-checkout rollback?

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Let's face it, many grocery store shoppers hate self-checkout, and stores might be starting to respond.

CNN is reporting that some national retailers might be starting to rethink the proliferation of self-checkout machines.

Food industry analyst Phil Lempert agrees that stores are starting to rollback self-checkout, because of the negative experience for many customers.

"I think we are going to see the demise of self-checkouts very soon," Lempert said.

The reasons self-checkout stations boomed during the pandemic is twofold: COVID-19 necessitated less human contact and sparked a labor shortage that made cashiers hard to find. But now, those same retailers are considering a turnaround, because some shoppers are undercharging themselves at the register -- either by mistake or on purpose. Lempert says some stores are trying to fight that with security guards, or by prosecuting people for shoplifting.

"They were brought back to the security room and threatened they were going to be arrested for not scanning a tube of toothpaste," he said.

A woman in Alabama won a $2 million lawsuit against Walmart for being falsely accused of shoplifting. Law firms across the country are touting their expertise in helping people beat a shoplifting charge.

Even if shoppers are not pinched for stealing, Lembert says self-checkout is an idea that doesn't scan.

"It's a horrible experience; you're bound to make mistakes, it's bound to go down," he said.

Self-checkout machines have been around for decades, but Lembert thinks new technology like Amazon's "smart carts" will make them obsolete.