Kroger apologizes as shoppers leave full carts due to ‘unacceptable’ checkout shortage and cry ‘we deserve better’

SHOPPERS at Kroger have cried out after a checkout issue caused long wait times and lines.

Some were so furious they abandoned carts full of groceries and demanded the retail giant make improvements.

Getty

Getty

The incident occurred on Sunday at a store in Charleston, West Virginia, according to a customer’s post on X .

The Kroger shopper claimed only seven employees were available for a rush of shoppers around mid-morning, leaving only self-checkout and no cashiered registers open.

It also wasn’t the first time this happened at the Charleston location, according to the customer.

“We never have enough staff to check out people,” they fumed.

“This is Unacceptable!!!!!!”

“Sunday during the church rush yall have no one working!!!!” the customer added.

“People are leaving buggies full of stuff and walking out.”

They continued that shoppers in the area “deserve better” and more assistance from Kroger when checking out.

SORRIES ISSUED

Kroger quickly replied to the furious customer, apologizing and requesting more information in a private message.

“Oh no! We’re sorry to see this!” the company wrote back.

“Please send us a DM with the exact store location so that we can get this escalated!”

With a significant move to self-checkout kiosks across the retail industry in the past several years, cashiered checkouts are starting to become more scarce.

Some chains are still committing to only cashiers, like Trader Joe’s , but other retail giants are causing controversy over policies with their self-checkouts and a lack of staffed cashier lanes.

Target and Walmart have come under particular scrutiny this year for policy updates to 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.

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

COMPETITOR CHANGES

Walmart introduced a change earlier this spring at select locations that saw the majority of self-checkout blocked off for Walmart+ members and Spark Drivers.

Around the same time, Target solidified a policy at all of its stores nationwide that it had been testing to change kiosks to “Express Self-Checkout,” with a 10-item limit .

Many shoppers who frequent both stores have been up in arms for months.

Similar to the Kroger situation, both Target and Walmart shoppers have abandoned carts full of hundreds of dollars worth of groceries in protest .

Kroger also has issues of its own aside from self-checkout.

A shopper claimed earlier this month that their location looked “post-apocalyptic” with empty shelves in several aisles.

Another cried out for Kroger to “stop this” over price surge fears on items.