Target Rolls 10 item "Express Self Checkout" Nationwide

[ClownLoach]

Someone posted the actual policy. This policy will not fully apply to "two door" Target formats if they have self checkouts on the grocery side. So that will mean most of the (former) Target Greatland units and all of the Super Target units will not have "express self checkout" on the grocery side at all, only on the electronics side. Also they are supposed to be keeping grocery side self checkout open at all hours.

Also the policy is stating one regular cashier PER BANK OF SELF CHECKOUTS OPEN. There is some serious confusion about this, some Target Stores think the policy is one regular cashier PER SELF CHECKOUT MACHINE OPEN. Or 2 cashiers during "peak times" - not sure what that means.

https://www.thebreakroom.org/threads/ne ... ost-677867

"IGS" in this means "island guest services." So they cannot have customer service be the only available checkout.

This policy is definitely better than the literal front end trainwreck I have observed at Wal Marts over the past five days. I am in shock at what Wal Mart is doing.

Both super locations I've visited are fully closed SCO on the grocery side, and one installed all the new express signage on the grocery side. Exact opposite of the alleged direction here.

I wonder why they'd be doing the opposite of what the directions say. It seems pretty clear.

Lack of discipline. It's going to cost the CEO his job eventually in my opinion. It is a cultural disconnect that has developed at Target under his leadership. They used to be all about uniformity and consistency of execution. I understood when they began to cater the stores to the local communities, but they have become too undisciplined and that has also allowed for incompetent managers to enter the company as they have relaxed hiring standards. They had removed the Bachelors Degree requirements (a good thing) to be able to recruit experienced managers, but it seems that instead they decided to just hire people with no retail experience to save money and it's backfiring. If you can't figure out which side of the store is supposed to always be open, there's a problem. One of these stores is the #1 "Super" in the chain.

And I totally agree that Walmart has suddenly declined into complete chaos in the formats with the mostly self checkout front end (recent remodels). It's like they are working off some bizarre spreadsheet from a cubicle dweller in Bentonville that has the manager input transaction and staffing information then it spits out directions as if they were generated by a "magic 8 ball." Close lane 1, 4, 7-10, staff checkstand 11, open 2 and 5 self checkout... Some kind of insanely random direction that they are all following to a "T" as if their life depends on it.

I suspect that in a few months we are going to see the truth come out, and that is that self checkout is causing much more shrink than expected and they can prove it because of technology used on these areas and customers. Target has not spoken one word about the stores that are using more RFID surveillance than any distribution center warehouse, but we know that with less Macy's was able to find out incredible amounts of information about their employees and they were able to identify a significant amount of unexpected shrink including an alleged internal thief who had six decades with the company. I am beyond sure they know exactly what is being stolen, how much per hour, per transaction, etc. and are able to absolutely prove it is self checkout error or blatant intentional theft. I do prefer the self checkout option primarily because it means no lines and no waiting in most cases, but I also understand that there are way too many people who are abusing the system.

[storewanderer]

Both super locations I've visited are fully closed SCO on the grocery side, and one installed all the new express signage on the grocery side. Exact opposite of the alleged direction here.

I wonder why they'd be doing the opposite of what the directions say. It seems pretty clear.

Lack of discipline. It's going to cost the CEO his job eventually in my opinion. It is a cultural disconnect that has developed at Target under his leadership. They used to be all about uniformity and consistency of execution. I understood when they began to cater the stores to the local communities, but they have become too undisciplined and that has also allowed for incompetent managers to enter the company as they have relaxed hiring standards. They had removed the Bachelors Degree requirements (a good thing) to be able to recruit experienced managers, but it seems that instead they decided to just hire people with no retail experience to save money and it's backfiring. If you can't figure out which side of the store is supposed to always be open, there's a problem. One of these stores is the #1 "Super" in the chain.

And I totally agree that Walmart has suddenly declined into complete chaos in the formats with the mostly self checkout front end (recent remodels). It's like they are working off some bizarre spreadsheet from a cubicle dweller in Bentonville that has the manager input transaction and staffing information then it spits out directions as if they were generated by a "magic 8 ball." Close lane 1, 4, 7-10, staff checkstand 11, open 2 and 5 self checkout... Some kind of insanely random direction that they are all following to a "T" as if their life depends on it.

I suspect that in a few months we are going to see the truth come out, and that is that self checkout is causing much more shrink than expected and they can prove it because of technology used on these areas and customers. Target has not spoken one word about the stores that are using more RFID surveillance than any distribution center warehouse, but we know that with less Macy's was able to find out incredible amounts of information about their employees and they were able to identify a significant amount of unexpected shrink including an alleged internal thief who had six decades with the company. I am beyond sure they know exactly what is being stolen, how much per hour, per transaction, etc. and are able to absolutely prove it is self checkout error or blatant intentional theft. I do prefer the self checkout option primarily because it means no lines and no waiting in most cases, but I also understand that there are way too many people who are abusing the system.

I actually see no problem with the Target policy as written for Super/Greatland stores. At item limit on the non-food side but no item limit on the grocery side is logical to me. I think I'd item limit both but realistically on groceries it doesn't take much to get to 10 items. I mean if I buy a bunch of bananas they sell by the each does that automatically go to 5 items then if I scan another 5 items the machine locks me up for exceeding 10 items? This sort of thing may be why they will not program an item limit into grocery side regsiters (okay-the Supers sell banana by weight but they have various other produce like citrus etc. by the each). I see a problem for "the rest of" the stores where it is "up to store management" when or if they open the self checkouts. As far as I'm concerned the self checkouts should be open at all times. If it is a 10 item limit okay, that is fine, it should still be open.

In my opinion the first way to cut the abuse is to implement an item limit and cut the clutter 100% around self checkout. There should not be ANY merchandise for sale inside the self checkouts. I went to Raleys tonight and they just installed candy racks over the bagging area. I almost cut my hand on the bottom of a new shelf as I was pulling the bag off the rack. Unreal. Anyway, back on topic. Make it so there is a VERY clear view of an employee monitoring as well as multiple cameras.

I expect Target will figure out how to get this right. They figured out how to staff checkouts before. Their front ends were not a disaster prior to implementing self checkout. They do not have the giant complicated carts of groceries going through that Wal Mart has. Their POS system is arguably faster than the Wal Mart system.

Another thing is they probably have to turn the weight sensors back on at Target and Wal Mart.

Wal Mart is another case. Wal Mart has not historically been good with front ends. Long lines, slow cashiers, and poorly designed front ends have been an issue for some time. Lack of "back up" cashiers has always been an issue. They eliminated the "customer service manager" position some time ago which was the position that was supposed to watch lines, get change, handle breaks, deal with price overrides, etc. and on a busy weekend there would be 3-4 of them on duty. That position wasn't overly effective at speeding up the lines but in theory it was very important; they don't have that position anymore. They have a different Lead position and far fewer of them with more limited job duties. So when Wal Mart installed all these self checkouts 30+ in some stores it completely addressed their checkout line issue overnight. All they had to do was open up all those machines and they were completely line free.

The big problem I have with Wal Mart is these stores in my area that are closing self checkouts close the small self checkouts and keep a few of the large ones with belts open- so they still have people ringing cartloads up in self checkout. And now that only 4 self checkouts TOTAL are open those cartloads make it so customers with small transactions have to wait forever. My purchases and visits to Wal Mart are about to drop like a rock with this. I am not waiting in a line for more than about 2 minutes to check out. I have already abandoned purchases and walked out twice just this weekend and again tonight. I am very disgusted.

I did go to one store and this should not be a store with theft issues based on its location that had store made signs that said 20 item limit at self checkout. They also had store made signs that had a number of the lanes marked for Wal Mart + members only, and Spark Drivers only. However there was nothing on the software that stopped any customer from using those lanes. So that store on Saturday afternoon I was able to get through self checkout with no wait time. However the customers with carts were lined up 5+ deep waiting for 3 open cashiers. The cashiers are VERY slow. Maybe as slow as the customers were on self checkout.

The other thing I am seeing is most of these Wal Marts seem to have gotten a directive to close self checkouts entirely down on the non food side of the store. Then they don't open any registers down there either. They seem to be punishing the customers who are making purchases from the non-food area and forcing them to go check out with grocery customers (who have more slow cartfulls).

[Brian Lutz]

The issue with the bigger self checkouts at Walmart (at least at the store I shop at), most of the time the belts on the
"big" self checkouts are either turned off or not functioning, which means you pretty much have to just scan stuff out of your cart the same way you would in the self checkout pods. I can understand not wanting them to run constantly, but it seems like a manual control of some sort (like the knee button that the Winco checkouts have on the bagging side) would work here. With how standardized Walmart makes these things I can't imagine they'd ever do something like that though.

[storewanderer]

The issue with the bigger self checkouts at Walmart (at least at the store I shop at), most of the time the belts on the
"big" self checkouts are either turned off or not functioning, which means you pretty much have to just scan stuff out of your cart the same way you would in the self checkout pods. I can understand not wanting them to run constantly, but it seems like a manual control of some sort (like the knee button that the Winco checkouts have on the bagging side) would work here. With how standardized Walmart makes these things I can't imagine they'd ever do something like that though.

I'm not sure I've ever expected that belt to move. I know I've put stuff down on it before, but can't recall ever seeing it move. Almost every time, my items would be so few that they would be within length to easily reach/scan after I put them down. I don't see many customers unload their cart onto the belt then scan the items. If that is what the customers are supposed to do, the Wal Mart employees need to communicate that to the customers, or perhaps even help them with doing that.

I think the idea before was the customer waiting could unload onto the belt as the customer using the machine finished the paying process/finished unloading their items. But I never see customers do that.

[babs]

Was the at the Wilsonville, OR Target. Two staffed checkstands open, at least 15 people in line for self-checkout. Where is this increased staffing they promised? Come on Target, just add more than 4 self-checkout stands. 8-12 self checkout stands should be the minimum plus staffed registers.

[ClownLoach]

Went to the Fullerton Greatland on a Saturday evening, a lower volume unit in a pretty good area (this is the Malvern location, not Harbor which is literally the regional LP office for good reason). Both banks of self checkout fully open, and they had 5 staffed checkouts. The execution error there was I didn't see any of the express self checkout signs installed nor were the attendants directing larger baskets to a regular line.

[storewanderer]

Went to the Fullerton Greatland on a Saturday evening, a lower volume unit in a pretty good area (this is the Malvern location, not Harbor which is literally the regional LP office for good reason). Both banks of self checkout fully open, and they had 5 staffed checkouts. The execution error there was I didn't see any of the express self checkout signs installed nor were the attendants directing larger baskets to a regular line.

They're fully open and not marked 10 items or less in Reno (Greatland) the past week too...

Did Target do something here saying they were going to limit self checkouts to cause Wal Mart to "copy the idea" and completely screw up its front end operations while Target actually isn't limiting self checkout at all in its largest highest volume stores.....?

[storewanderer]

Reno Target has the self checkouts by customer service marked with these 10 items or less signs.

Then the self checkouts over at the grocery side they have 4 of them marked with 10 items or less signs and the others have no item limit. There is also no freestanding signage at entry to either self checkout area with any kind of item limit. Also the snack bar self checkout is still there and still works...

Basically nothing has changed with self checkout at all at Reno Target.

[storewanderer]

Sparks Target- no signs about 10 items or less anywhere at their self checkout. All self checkouts open. Two regular registers (of just 6) open.

What is funny is how Target's move to "limit self checkout" (which is a joke since various locations of Target haven't changed anything) seems to have gotten Dollar General to move toward disabling self checkout entirely and has gotten Wal Mart to basically break the front end in some of its stores by making weird self checkout decisions like only opening 4 lanes total of 24+ self checkouts, etc.

[ClownLoach]

Sparks Target- no signs about 10 items or less anywhere at their self checkout. All self checkouts open. Two regular registers (of just 6) open.

What is funny is how Target's move to "limit self checkout" (which is a joke since various locations of Target haven't changed anything) seems to have gotten Dollar General to move toward disabling self checkout entirely and has gotten Wal Mart to basically break the front end in some of its stores by making weird self checkout decisions like only opening 4 lanes total of 24+ self checkouts, etc.

I think it has both sparked overreaction from Walmart, and has also further demonstrated how poor execution has become at Target due to a total lack of organizational accountability. There appear to be no incentives to following orders at Target which is why you see widening gaps between their best and worst stores, and company initiatives completely ignored. Target was the model of consistency and has done a complete 180. I'm surprised at this point that the stores even open and close on time.