‘Get some help,’ Target shopper fumes after huge checkout line wraps around store before retailer issues response
A TARGET shopper has pleaded with the giant retailer to employ more staff to tackle lengthy queues clogging up stores.
It comes as California hopes to make it mandatory for stores to have an employee for every two self-checkout machines.
A Target shopper complained today on X, formerly Twitter, about lengthy queues at his local branch.
He shared two photos of people standing in a line which stretched right across the Westbury outlet in New York.
"Target, get some help [at] Westbury," he pleaded.
Many shoppers were waiting to pay for carts laden with items.
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There were also families lined up past the clothing, books, and toiletry sections, alongside their bored-looking kids.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Target requesting a comment on the lengthy queues and how it intends to help shoppers.
The mega-retailer has already responded directly to the customer's complaint on X.
"Thanks for reaching out to us with your feedback about the long lines in the store," it said via its Ask Target X account.
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It went on to request further information on the location and zip code of the branch.
"We will send your feedback over to the store's leadership team. Hope to hear from you soon," Target's response added.
LIMITS
It's not clear whether the man's long wait was due to Target introducing a ten-item limit at self-checkout registers nationwide in March.
This new policy has proved controversial in some stores, with shoppers complaining on social media about long delays.
In one instance, a customer abandoned their cart and walked out of the store.
"True story: the other day, I went to Target to buy some things and found myself waiting in a line I estimated to be 30 minutes or more," they wrote on X.
"Just a long line of customers, including self-checkout. I left my cart and exited the store."
Latest self-checkout changes in the U.S.
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.
"Target is your goal that people just use pre-order and don't shop in your stores anymore?" another shopper queried.
"Because you used to have an impeccable shopping experience and now that self-checkout is 10 items or less and you only ever have one to two cashiers.
"I don't want to shop there."
"Thanks for sharing your most recent experience with us. It's disappointing to hear there weren't enough cashiers during your checkout," AskTarget replied.
"Dear Target, if you’re going to have only two employees working registers, please do some demolition to get rid of the 20 other vacant registers and install self-checkout registers," suggested yet another another customer on X.
BILL FOR MORE STAFF
In California, the shift towards installing more self-checkouts in shops has caused concern about staff safety.
"As self-checkout has become more commonplace, lone workers have become easy targets for theft and violence," warned Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, a Los Angeles Democrat.
"The proliferation of self-checkout has caused [an] increase in theft and violence."
She's been working with grocery and retail store workers, and criminal justice advocates to create a safer environment for shop employees.
This bill does not ban self-checkout.
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
SB 1446 – the Retail Theft Prevention and Safety Act - is currently being considered by lawmakers to help "California begin to curb these issues."
The new bill would require California grocery stores to station one employee for every two self-checkout machines.
It would also limit customers to buying 15 items at self-checkout aisles.
However, large warehouse retailers that require a membership would be exempt.
The bill got a step closer to being enshrined in law yesterday, reported the Courthouse News Service.
It passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, and will next be examined by the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.
Smallwood-Cuevas told fellow lawmakers that $10 billion in revenue is being lost in revenue because of shoplifting at self-checkouts.
“This bill does not ban self-checkout,” she added.
There are nearly eight million Americans working in retail, according to Bloomberg.
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The website reported last September that US retail workers are quitting in droves due to "low pay, erratic schedules and monotonous tasks."
For example, to deter theft, they have to "run up and down the aisles to unlock items as basic as toothpaste."