Montana's Target Stores May Be Changing Self-Checkout Policies

The second-part of the holiday shopping season is now underway in Montana. The "Post-Christmas Shopping" season is going strong. The sales, spending those gift cards, taking back gifts that didn't fit, or weren't exactly what you wanted. When I was out shopping this holiday season one of the things that I noticed was the amount of people that seemed frustrated with the self-checkout stands. It was recently reported that Walmart was making some changes to their self-checkouts.

Montana Target Stores Could Be Changing Their Self-Checkout Policy

There is another report about another major retailer that could be making changes to their self-checkout policies. According to a CNN report, Target stores are experimenting with their self-checkout policies. In some stores they are limiting the self-checkout to 10 items or less. Anything over 10 items, customers will not be able to use the self-checkout. According to a Target spokesperson who spoke with CNN, the testing is supposed to shorten wait times, and "better understand" shoppers' preferences. It also can cut down on theft. According to the article:

One study of retailers in the United States, Britain and other European countries found that companies with self-checkout lanes and apps had a loss rate of about 4%, more than double the industry average.

I've Gotten Used To Self-Checkout Lines in Montana, When I Need Them

There are times for me that I don't mind using the self-checkout line. When I only have a few items, it is sometimes faster than using a cashier. Then there are times when I need to have a cashier because I have too many items to fit on the little space they provide after scanning. Another example of needing a cashier is when I am purchasing an adult beverage, you need to have a person check your ID.

Montana Target Stores May See A Change

Target may be on to something with this policy shift. Maybe they can find a fine line between making self-checkout a functioning system and have more employees to interact with at the same time. If this experiment does work out, look to see this in Montana's Target stores soon.