Target is backing away from its once-ambitious self-checkout strategy, quietly scaling down the use of kiosks across stores as internal concerns mount and customer patience wears thin.
In early 2024, the retailer had pledged to offer self-checkout across nearly all of its roughly 2,000 locations in the US. But that plan has steadily unravelled.
Shoppers and employees are now reporting machine removals, 10-item limits, and lanes frequently sitting idle or shut, according to a report in the DailyMail.com — all signs that the company is reevaluating its approach amid a surge in retail theft.
Despite the changes, Target maintains that it remains committed to self-checkout. A spokesperson told DailyMail.com, “Target is not removing self-checkout. We offer it in the vast majority of our stores and have no plans to change this.”
Yet on the ground, the story looks different. Some stores appear to have removed the kiosks entirely, with one shopper posting on Reddit that all self-checkouts at their local store disappeared overnight.
An accompanying photo showed roped-off areas and floor marks where the kiosks once stood. “The Target I live near completely got rid of self checkout,” the post read. “[I’m] expressing shock at how sudden and extreme this was.”
Retail analyst Neil Saunders of GlobalData pointed to inconsistent messaging and policy execution. “Target’s self-checkout policy has been through a lot of changes and has caused frustration for customers,” he told DailyMail.com.
“The problem with Target is a lot of decisions are being taken centrally without proper thought about what they mean on the ground.”
This isn’t the first time a Target store has eliminated self-checkout. In Emeryville, California, the retailer removed kiosks in 2023 in a bid to reduce shoplifting. That same year, Target cited theft as a reason for multiple store closures nationwide.
Experts say self-checkout systems, initially introduced to lower staffing costs, have instead created a host of problems, particularly around loss prevention.
“High theft means the self checkout wasn’t being used anyway,” wrote one Target employee in response to the Reddit thread.
Others noted a dramatic change in store security. “Our self checkout has been closed for months,” one commenter said. “It seems like theft from our store has gone way down because there is always armed security you have to get past at the front door.”
CEO Brian Cornell has been vocal about theft’s impact on the business, describing it as a major financial burden.
In 2023, the company estimated significant losses due to in-store theft, prompting new anti-theft measures, including locking up beauty items behind plexiglass, which some customers say has led to delays of up to 40 minutes waiting for staff assistance.
The phased retreat from self-checkout has unfolded gradually over the past year. In March 2024, Target introduced a 10-item limit per self-checkout transaction, redirecting larger baskets to staffed lanes in an effort to speed up service and reduce errors.
By April, local stores were given greater discretion over when kiosks were available, allowing them to open late, close early, or shut them mid-day without corporate approval.
These decisions have not gone unnoticed by shoppers, many of whom report longer lines and no added cashier support when kiosks are offline.
Target has also upgraded surveillance at self-checkout, deploying AI-powered cameras to monitor transactions more closely.
Viral videos have shown customers complaining about alerts being triggered when they scan too many items, accusing the system of “snitching.” The company denies that the technology limits how many items customers can scan.
Meanwhile, other retailers are following suit. Walmart, for instance, has also walked back its self-checkout programme, replacing kiosks with fully staffed checkout lanes at some locations.
It remains unclear whether Target’s pullback will be permanent. The company declined to comment further, and attempts by DailyMail.com to contact the original Reddit poster for additional details went unanswered.
For now, it appears that one of retail’s biggest experiments in automation may be hitting the brakes, driven not just by rising theft, but by a growing chorus of customers demanding a better in-store experience.
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