Target is the latest retailer to tweak its self-checkout lane after going all-in during the “contactless” pandemic.
Beginning Sunday, the red-dot retailer is limiting shoppers to 10 items or fewer at the self-checkout registers.
Target promises to open more traditional cashiers with employees staffing the registers.
Also see: Dollar Tree closing nearly 1,000 stores
The news comes as retailers across the United States deal with inventory theft, called “shrink” in industry parlance, at self-checkout registers.
Walmart earlier this week said it’s shifting some self-checkout stations to certain members only, specifically delivery drivers and Walmart+ subscribers.
Dollar General, which is reeling from shrink, is eliminating almost all of its self-checkout stations across its stores.
Related: Walmart, Target push for new shoplifting crackdown in California
The retailer is removing self-checkout stations at more than 300 locations with the highest shrink rates, and converting others at 9,000 stores to employee-assisted stations. In the remaining stores with self-checkout, shoppers will be limited to five items or fewer.
“We are moving with a sense of urgency,” Chief Executive Officer Todd Vasos said on an call with analysts Thursday. The company said it will remove as many as 1,000 items from Dollar General stores to simplify operations.
Also see: The Body Shop shuts down entire US operation
Dollar General said gross margins fell during the fourth-quarter from a year ago due to higher shrink, increased markdowns and more sales in consumables that generally generate less profit.
Home Depot committed to big city stores
Home Depot is sticking with major US cities including Oakland, Detroit and Philadelphia as rampant retail theft has driven rivals out, Chief Executive Officer Ted Decker said.
The home-improvement retailer, which has been investing heavily in technology to prevent organized retail crime, saw a notable increase in theft beginning…
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