Self-Service

Retail complaints continue about self-checkout kiosks

Image: iStock

December 19, 2023

Retail self-checkout kiosks continue to expand, but consumers and retailers are not uniform in their views about the benefits of the technology, according to an Associated Press report carried by ksltv.com.

The report, titled, "Love it or hate it, self-checkout is here to stay. But it's going through a reckoning," is yet another report to note that the technology has experienced some public backlash of late following reports in The New York Times and The Atlantic.

Some customers complain about difficulties with the technology. Some retail employees say they have to watch both humans and machines. Some retailers say they have to contend more with theft.

Some retailers are placing restrictions on kiosks, while others are removing them completely.

John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group, who owns of Gristedes and D'Agostino's food stores in New York City, said he will not offer self-checkout because of theft.

Bernadette Christian, a worker at Giant Food in Clinton, Maryland, said she is afraid to assist shoppers who she said have become angrier since the pandemic.

Technology, such as sensors and cameras, is addressing some of the concerns, the article noted.