Dollar General, a go-to destination for budget-conscious shoppers seeking convenience, is making a major change to their checkout operations. In an effort to tackle theft and streamline checkout processes, the discount retailer is bidding farewell to self-checkout kiosks in select stores, much to the dismay of some patrons. Find all the details below.
Dollar General makes changes to self-checkout
Dollar General shoppers who prefer to get in and out of the store with minimal interactions may be upset to hear that the store is doing away with self-checkout kiosks in order to avoid theft in some stores, according to the New York Post.
The decision, disclosed by CEO Todd Vasos during an earnings call, comes as Dollar General grapples with rising incidents of theft. Out of the retailer's network of over 14,000 stores with self-checkout options, approximately 300 locations deemed most vulnerable to theft will bid adieu to self-service kiosks.
"Year-over-year shrink headwinds continued to build during the year, increasing more than 100 basis points for both the fourth quarter and full year," CFO Kelly Dilts reported, shedding light on the financial toll inflicted by theft-related losses.
Additionally, Dollar General plans to convert a portion of self-service kiosks into assisted checkout alternatives in roughly 9,000 stores, aiming to expedite transactions while minimizing the risk of theft. Self-checkout lanes will also be reserved exclusively for shoppers with five items or fewer, in a move reminiscent of similar measures adopted by retail giants like Target and Walmart.
These changes have sparked a wave of discontent among some Dollar General regulars accustomed to the efficiency of self-service checkout.
"The Dollar General took out the self-checkout lane and I had to interact and talk to a person like some sort of lunatic!" one person joked on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
"My local dollar general is new and nice but today all 6 self-checkout stations were shut down with 1 employee ignoring the store to ring people out super slow. people who run things aren’t smarter than you example 83773827373," wrote another frustrated shopper.
Although these changes aim to streamline checkout processes, some are complaining that the opposite is happening. "The local dollar general shut down self checkout because of shrink. Now the process there takes 15 to 20 min to checkout, with 4 people in line," one X post reads.
With more and more stores shifting away from self-checkout, we might have to warm up to this new norm. What do you think? Are you indifferent? Welcoming of the change? Or just as frustrated as the disgruntled posters? Let us know in the comments.
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