Self-checkout was meant to cut wait times, but complex steps are fueling customer frustration. The share of US supermarket transactions at self-checkout has dipped from 35 to 33 percent, and analysts say shoppers are slower than trained cashiers — even if it doesn't feel that way.

A family uses a self-checkout machine at a Walmart store in Arkansas. [Reuters]
A family uses a self-checkout machine at a Walmart store in Arkansas. [Reuters]

One American shopper walked away from a supermarket self-checkout machine feeling drained. The screen had prompted her to tap the keypad more than five times: confirm the total, answer whether she wanted to donate, enter the number of bags, choose between credit and debit, then punch in her PIN. A bottle of water she was carrying had no barcode, forcing a staff member to rush over. An alert sounded when she placed an item in the wrong spot in the bagging area. Her contactless card payment failed, so she ended up swiping instead.

The Washington Post reported Thursday (local time) that self-checkout, long regarded as fast and convenient technology, may actually be piling more work onto consumers rather than easing their experience.

Angry accounts have flooded Reddit and social media. Jeff Wells, senior editor at the retail trade publication Grocery Dive, said the frustration is vocal and widespread. "People who hate self-checkout really hate it, and they express that displeasure very actively," he said.

Fans of the technology do exist, though they rarely bother to post about it. Self-checkout is particularly popular among younger shoppers accustomed to online and contactless interactions, who say they appreciate being able to verify that prices scanned correctly and that coupons were applied.

Customers use self-checkout machines at Stew Leonard's, a US grocery chain. [AP]
Customers use self-checkout machines at Stew Leonard's, a US grocery chain. [AP]

Retailers are divided. Trader Joe's has kept staffed checkout lanes as a cornerstone of its in-store experience. Meanwhile, chains that spent more than two decades treating self-checkout as the inevitable future of retail are now testing just how much automation their customers and stores actually want. Gary Hawkins, CEO of retail technology consultancy Retail Mindsteps, said the picture is far from uniform. "Some are pulling back, others are doubling down on investment — it's hard to say there's one clear direction," he said.

The numbers point to a modest retreat. A 2026 survey by the Food Marketing Institute, a major grocery industry group, found that self-checkout accounted for 33 percent of supermarket transactions last year, down from 35 percent the year before. A separate survey by payment platform Toast of 340 convenience stores, grocery stores and liquor retailers last month found that 36 percent operated self-checkout machines — a drop of 7 percentage points in a single year.

Many chains are also changing how they deploy the technology. Dollar General, the US discount retail chain, now limits self-checkout to customers buying five items or fewer and has removed the machines entirely from a significant number of stores. Target has capped transactions at 10 items or fewer since 2024. Retailers cite customer convenience and theft prevention as their reasons.

AI technology that automatically identifies products — reducing the need for manual searches or code entry — is also being tested, as are camera systems that estimate a buyer's age to streamline ID checks for alcohol purchases. Much of this, however, is aimed more at cutting theft than improving the customer experience. Kroger uses technology from AI firm Everseen to detect on video whether customers pass items through without scanning them.

Despite fears that automation would eliminate jobs, US grocery store employment reached a record high of about 2.66 million workers in 2025. That growth, however, did not come from adding cashiers. The rise of curbside pickup has created demand for workers who fill shopping carts on customers' behalf.

Understaffing is emerging as a separate problem. A 2024 Harvard University study found that self-checkout areas with too few attendants can see a rise in "uncivil behavior," including harassment. Na-Yoon Uhm, a graduate student who contributed to the research, said businesses with self-checkout tend to cut staff because of expectations that the technology will handle the load. "The remaining employees end up dealing with customers who are already frustrated, which makes interactions more likely to turn hostile," she said.

The sense of speed may also be an illusion. Christopher Andrews, a sociologist at Drew University, said customers are unlikely to scan items as efficiently as trained cashiers, meaning the process often takes longer. Shoppers feel faster, he argued, because of what he called a "funhouse effect" — time seems to pass more quickly when you are doing something rather than standing still and waiting. Andrews said the broader trend of shifting tasks once handled by employees — entering orders, printing boarding passes — onto consumers is a contributing reason why people feel "like they're doing more work and getting more tired."


mokiya@heraldcorp.com