'Literally my worst nightmare,' shoppers tell Target and 'beg' for self-checkout change - as it 'ain

July 22, 2024

TARGET customers have begged the retailer to change its self-checkout area amid frantic shopping for the holiday season.

Several fans took to social media to request that more lanes and kiosks be opened for a more efficient experience as they grab last-minute Christmas gifts.

Some claimed that their local Target stores either had the self-checkout area blocked off or only a few kiosks open to a flood of shoppers waiting in line.

"Not a single self checkout at target is open this literally my worst nightmare lol," one person fumed in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

Another pleaded that more be opened to get through crowds.

"I am BEGGING Target to get more self-checkout in all stores," they wrote.

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As The U.S. Sun previously reported, it's no secret that Target has been experimenting with different anti-theft measures and checkout experiences on a seemingly store-by-store basis.

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A shopper pointed out in a viral video earlier this month that their Target store took drastic steps to mitigate shoplifting troubles.

In the clip, a sign was posted outside detailing an age limit for entrance of 18 years and above without an accompanying adult.

The self-checkout section at the store could also be seen completely blocked off — only cashiered lanes open.

In October, a Target spokesperson also confirmed to The U.S. Sun that it would be implementing a new self-checkout rule at select stores to improve efficiency.

Shoppers at the stores would be limited to a 10-item maximum, otherwise they'd have to see a cashier.

"At select locations, we are testing self-checkout lanes of 10 items or fewer in order to reduce wait times and better understand guest preferences," the Target spokesperson wrote in an email.

Even so, the retail giant already faced backlash from some shoppers online in December about the change, claiming there aren't enough cashiered lanes open if turned away from self-checkout for too many items.

'REASONABLE NUMBER'

"Seriously Target you can't kick me out of the '10 items or less' self-checkout unless you open a reasonable number of staffed registers," a frustrated customer said on X.

"Tonight I was denied a 2-minute checkout of 19 small items and had to wait in 1 of 4 staffed lines (out of 14) to receive a 15-minute checkout."

Others claimed to have had similar experiences.

"Dear Target, if you are going to make self-checkout lanes 10 items or less, you need to have more than 2 regular registers open," another customer wrote.

"So many abandoned carts and items left around because people don’t have time to stand in line for 20 mins to get 12 items…SC should be 20 items."

Target COO John Mulligan said the rule was part of an effort to improve its front-of-store experience.

Mulligan explained that the company wants "consistently great service through the in-store checkout experience, along with drive-up and in-store pickup" in a statement.

"And because our guests tell us they enjoy interacting with our team since we’ve refocused on the front-end experience, we’ve seen more than a 6 percentage point increase in the usage of full-service lanes across the chain."

Target has been going through significant changes this fall since it announced the closure of at least nine stores at the end of September.

'Literally my worst nightmare,' shoppers tell Target and 'beg' for self-checkout change - as it 'ain

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'REASONABLE NUMBER'

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