‘We’re sorry,’ admits Walmart as shopper says ‘self-checkout is no longer faster’ after ’30-deep long lines’

WALMART issued an apology after one customer revealed that they waited in a self-checkout line that was 30 people deep.

The megachain's checkout process has earned the ire of several customers who have routinely complained about the everchanging process.

"Last week when I went to Walmart there was a line 30 deep for the self-checkouts," one man seethed in a post on X.

"I went to the other end of the registers where a normal checkout was and there was one person in front of me with 4 items. I only had 5. Self-checkouts are no longer faster."

Walmart's customer service account swiftly responded to the outburst.

"We want our customers to experience a fast and easy checkout process. Do you mind sending us a DM, so we can gather more details about the store location," they wrote.

It is unknown if the user responded to the message.

This is not the first time customers have expressed their frustration with the store.

One shopper revealed that they abandoned their $50 cart after seeing the line.

“I went to a Walmart one day and had $45.00 or $50.00 dollars worth of groceries in the cart,” a Facebook user named John vented.

"Get to the check-out lanes and there was NOT a live person working ANY of these.”

“Left my cart AND the groceries in lane #2 and went to another store,” he said.

"I WILL NOT use self-checkouts!!!!"

Walmart has recently announced that they would be scaling back on the amount of available machines.

The company began removing them from some stores last year.

At other stores, they are limiting the usage of self-checkout.

Latest self-checkout changes

Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.

Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.

Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.

While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.

One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.

However, that test run has been phased out.

At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.

Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.

As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.

Some places have set aside machines for Walmart+ members only.

The move caused outrage for some shoppers who want to use the lanes without paying a $98 annual fee.

Others have bashed the company’s decision to limit some self-checkouts to customers with 15 items or fewer.

That followed a similar move by Target.

Dollar General is removing self-checkout lanes at thousands of stores.

A new “sensory” change at Walmart has some vowing to shop there for life.