‘Won’t be shopping at Walmart anymore,’ blast customers as ‘insane’ new checkout rule causes hour-long wait times

WALMART'S new limit on who can use self-checkout has pushed some customers away from the store.

The latest change at Walmart's self-checkout limited it to shoppers with 15 items or fewer.

The retailer claimed the new rule was meant to speed up checkout.

Unfortunately, customers have found the opposite.

Long lines have led many to give up on the store altogether.

After a bad interaction with a manager at self-checkout, Hannah Dutton decided she would no longer shop at Walmart.

"Walmart is bulls**t. Fifteen items or less at self-checkout, or they cancel your transaction," she wrote in a Facebook post.

There were only four registers open, and she waited in line for an hour, she said.

"Do better. I won't be shopping at Walmart anymore."

In the comments, her friends shared similar stories about self-checkout.

"It was ridiculous on Friday night. We waited in line for over 45 minutes to check out school supplies. Only had three registers open and only three self-checkout," commented Courtney Davidson.

"If I didn't need the items, I sure would have left the cart and walked out."

Another shopper said there was only one staffed lane, and 15 people were waiting ahead of her.

DOESN'T REGISTER

Along with the item limit, many customers have noticed only a handful of staffed lanes are usually open.

"What sense does it make to change the self-checkout lanes to 15 items or less but then have only two to three registers open? Make that make sense!" they (@feisty_la) wrote.

"Don't worry about how many items I have when you see these register lines!"

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.

Shoppers have also spotted their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.

This has been noted by several shoppers across social media.

"I'll say it again: If you're going to limit the number of items so that I can check out [at] the self-checkout, then open more cashiers!" cried Aimee (@aimeekutovy).

She and others begged the store to open more registers.

Walmart apologized to the shoppers but didn't mention rescinding the item limit.

Due to long lines, one shopper left behind a cart with $300 worth of groceries.

The retailer partnered with Burger King to create a new perk for Walmart+ subscribers.