Walmart, the world's largest big-box retailer, has long plagued with theft, but it appears to be growing worse.
Walmart has found that customers stealing at self-checkout stations are a major source of the theft spike. Thus, Walmart has discontinued self-checkouts in some stores, including Ontario, Canada.
Walmart said a few years back that it would add self-checkout counters worldwide.
The notion was that self-checkout would eliminate lane lineups and reduce staffing. However, the self-checkout zones are now being converted into regular checkout lanes with employees.
Walmart shoplifting has escalated in recent years. The corporation earned $559 billion in 2021, yet it claimed to have lost $5 billion due to theft.
Walmart is stopping self-checkout counters worldwide and adding security to address this issue.
Walmart shoppers are divided on the self-checkout ban. Some are sad that self-checkout is no longer available because it is faster and more convenient.
Some prefer associate-managed checkouts. These customers believe it's not their "job" to run their things and prefer full-service stations with human checkout.
Walmart announced a checkout system revamp in 2020. Without checkout lines, the system would be self-checkout with staff assistance.
Though this idea may not be implemented in some regions and Walmart will return to the regular checkout lines employed for decades.