The BBC has joined the media chorus citing the poor performance of self checkout retail kiosks.
The media outlet noted in a article that people queuing at stores to use self-checkout kiosks as a lone store worker attends to malfunctioning machines have become commonplace.
While self-checkout technology has its theoretical benefits for both consumers and businesses, it mostly has not lived up to expectations. Shoppers need employees to help clear kiosk errors or check identifications for age-restricted items while retailers still need workers to service the machines.
Christopher Andrews, associate professor and sociology chair at Drew University in the U.S. and author of "The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets and the Do-It-Yourself Economy," said retailers are finding they are not saving money but losing it. He said retailers are finding that shoppers need help with self checkout and sometimes steal products.
In response, Target is restricting how many items a person can self checkout at a time, while Walmart has removed kiosks from some stores to deter theft.
Dollar General, which invested heavily in self checkout in 2022, plans to increase the number of employees in checkout areas.
Some retailers have loss rates that are more than double the industry average, the article said.
Andrews also said some retailers will continue to keep the kiosks due to the investments already made.