Target says it’s ‘collecting feedback’ after ‘some changes’ to checkout – shoppers say they’re forced into ‘long lines’

A TARGET shopper has called out the retail chain for its absurdly long lines, comparing them to a holiday rush.

Target clarified the long lines were due to recent checkout changes and it was collecting feedback to improve.

Getty

Getty

Many Target customers have vented online about the disappearance of self-checkout machines from their local Targets, forcing them to wait in long lines for a cashier.

One shopper publicly criticized the retailer in an X post from Thursday.

“Nothing like telling us we can’t use self-checkout then making us stand in long lines,” she fumed.

The Target X account responded to her post within 15 minutes, apologizing for the customer’s experience.

“We apologize for any frustration with your recent Target Run. That is not the experience we want for our guests,” wrote the retailer, requesting she DM the store with her email, date of visit, and store location.

The shopper retorted that it wasn’t the first time she had experienced poor service at Target, claiming she had seen it at two different stores.

“I understand why you don’t want the bigger purchases at self-checkout but then you’ve got to have cashiers,” she said.

“It looked like the night before Christmas in there this evening.”

Target thanked the shopper for her additional feedback and said the retailer had “made some changes surrounding our checkout experience.”

“We’re collecting feedback from our guests to see what’s working and what needs to be done to improve,” responded the store.

SELF-CHECKOUT STRUGGLES

Around the same time that Target implemented its 10 items or less limit for self-checkout transactions, the retailer opened more staffed lanes for shoppers with larger carts and those needing help.

Many customers, however, have reported that self-checkout at their local Targets is no longer open.

In a Reddit post from February, a Target shopper said their local store had closed most of its self-checkout lanes because “cashiers need more work to do.”

They were confused, however, because four self-checkout registers and only three traditional lanes were open.

What is Target Circle 360?

In April, Target launched its first-ever paid membership program, Target Circle 360.

For $99 a year, members get access to the following perks:

• Unlimited, free same-day delivery on orders over $35
• An extra 30 days to return your items
• Free two-day shipping on 100,000s of items
• 5% off in-store and online
• Automatic deals and exclusive partner perks

Another user chimed in that other Target locations experienced the same issue.

They claimed the stores were understaffed, with insufficient employees to run the registers and monitor self-checkout.

A Redditor, claiming to be a front-end lead for Target, explained it came down to a “self-checkout vs belted lane utilization metric,” and self-checkout usage needed to be under 50%.

Although Target has shuttered many of its self-checkout lanes, shoppers are calling for the store to open more cashiered lanes to compensate for the long lines caused by understaffing.

“Damn Target ya really dropped the ball on taking away self-checkout,” fumed one shopper .

They claimed a Target run that typically took around five to seven minutes now took 20 to 30.

“Line now wraps around the store before reaching checkout with only three cashiers. Make this make sense.”

Self-checkout at other retailers has caused similar strife among shoppers.

Walmart followed Target’s limited self-checkout policy and customers threatened to “spend more” at Aldi.

Plus, Kroger had to issue an apology for its “beyond ridiculous” self-checkout policy.