Supermarket chain voted best in the US is quietly removing self-checkouts – but experts question claim it’s to improve customer service
A supermarket chain is the latest to roll back on self-checkouts amid a backlash against the controversial technology.
Hy-Vee, with around 300 stores primarily in the Midwest and South, has fully replaced self-checkouts with staffed lanes in some locations. Others have created express lanes, imposing a 12-item limit on the kiosks.
Bosses say they ‘want to provide a better customer experience in several of our stores by bringing back the face-to-face interaction with our employees’.
In reality, the retailer – like its rivals – is ditching self-checkout kiosks because they are especially vulnerable to theft.
‘Most of the rollback of self-checkouts is due to retailer concerns over theft,’ retail expert Neil Saunders of Global Data told DailyMail.com.
Hy-Vee was recently named the nation’s favorite grocery store
Theft rates at self-checkouts are reasonably high both because of deliberate actions and accidental mistakes,’ Saunders explained.
‘Forcing more customers to use manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money. This doesn’t mean that self-checkouts will be abandoned completely, but there will be a lot more restrictions around their use.’
The employee-owned chain, founded in Iowa in 1930, was recently crowned the nation’s favorite grocery store.
‘We want to provide a better customer experience in several of our stores by bringing back the face-to-face interaction with our employees that we had pre-Covid,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Retailers like Target and Walmart have already been removing self checkouts across the country for several months so we are not the first to do this.’
The company has not yet provided a list of all the stores that are affected by the change.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Hy-Vee in Urbanville had no self checkouts as of Sunday.
Despite the company’s insistence the change is about customer service experts have argued that it is more likely to reduce theft.
‘They’re rethinking their business strategy. Sometimes self-checkout aisles can lead to more inventory shrinkage, typically theft or just misplacing of items,’ Iowa State University professor Peter Ralston told KCCI.
The supermarket chain began introducing self-checkouts at some of its locations back in 2019 and then ramped up the rollout in 2020 during the pandemic.
Hy-Vee has been gradually moving away from self-checkouts since 2023 when it ended its Scan & Go cashierless checkout app after just two years.
Self-checkouts were introduced as a way to cut lines, boost efficiency in store and reduce staffing numbers – and boomed in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the backlash against self-checkouts is growing – with shoppers and store staff alike turning on them.
Customers feel like they are being made to work for free, while store bosses blame them for a jump in theft.
The ten best supermarkets were named by customers in a recent USA Today poll
Hy-Vee claims it is removing its self-checkouts to boost customer experience in stores
Walmart – America’s biggest retailer – began removing the machines from some of its stores earlier this year.
So far, it has removed them completely from at least six stores this year.
Target has done so for least one shop – even after committing to them in all its 2,000 stores as recently as March. Target also has a limit – of ten items – to make the lines move faster.
Dollar General has also begun removing self-checkouts from their stores due to high levels of shoplifting.
Kroger also added traditional checkout lanes at a store in Texas where it had previously been offering only self-checkout machines.
Meanwhile, Costco started placing additional staff in self-checkout areas to supervise shoppers and ensure all items wee being scanned correctly.
