'It Sucks, And I Hate It': It Seems America Has A Big Self-Checkout Problem

It was supposed to streamline our shopping, but it's plagued by theft, user error and a logjam effect.

In 1986, a company named CheckRobot invented self-checkouts. They claimed to reduce long lines, human interaction, make checkout lanes faster and reduce labor costs. These self-checkouts reduced cashier costs by 60%, and grocery stores saved a lot of money.

But in 1987, Donald F. Dufek, then the group vice president for The Kroger Co., told The Oklahoman: “In reality, it takes the consumer longer to do her own checkout, but the individual perceives it is faster, because she’s doing it herself.”

A 2021 poll showed that 67% of customers have experienced failures when using a self-checkout; however, another poll revealed 85% of customers “strongly believe that they are typically faster” — but they’re not.

Self-checkouts have become ubiquitous at most major grocery store chains, but also at CVS, Target, Walmart and the ilk.

But the truth is, both customers and cashiers dislike them. There are tech difficulties, it takes people longer to check out, people might miss scanning an item or items ring up incorrectly. Basically, self-checkout has become “a failed experiment,” according to The Atlantic.