BILLINGS — The employee-owned grocery store, WinCo Foods, has eradicated all of its self-checkout lanes at its Billings store, opting for a more traditional shopping experience.
Watch below for the video for this story:
If you visit WinCo in Billings now, you'll find an open space filled with merchandise, filling a hole that was once filled with about 10 self-checkout kiosks.
"It saves money from a retailer perspective, but usually consumers, by nature, don't love it," said Dominick Miserandino, a retail journalist, researcher, and CEO of RetailWire.
Miserandino says one of the reasons that self-checkout isn't as popular as traditional checkouts is because humans prefer face-to-face interaction.
"When you're talking about self-checkout, it is an impersonal thing, which worked during COVID when we wanted to keep social distancing. But, after a while, we got to the point where we wanted to see each other's happy faces again," Miserandino said Wednesday over a virtual interview.
On Wednesday, MTN asked Billings residents what they thought of the change at WinCo.
"The only time I use them is at Walmart when I have one, maybe two items," shopper Dennis Peterson said in the WinCo parking lot.
Added customer Tony Jenson, who was shopping at the nearby Target, "I'd rather see them there, than not have them available. I'll use them sometimes."
Lending Tree found in November 2023 that 15% of surveyed consumers admitted to stealing when using the machines, 69% of consumers said the convenience and easiness of self-checkout contributes to stealing, and 21% of consumers said they feel like they're performing "free labor" when using self-checkout.
Both Peterson and Jenson said that self-checkout machines can be difficult for the user, especially when trying to scan produce.
According to Engage3, customers using self-checkout are 15-20% more likely to notice errors when checking out compared to traditional check lanes.
"I prefer to talk to another person on the other side," Jenson said.
"I think it's taking away work from people who really could use it," Peterson said.
WinCo isn't the only store to follow the national trend. Dollar General, Target, and Five Below have also removed self-checkouts.
However, the expensive machines are not going away. A set of four machines can cost up to $100,000 to install.
Some stores are opting to add more staff near self-checkout areas, check receipts at the door, and limit the number of items allowed prevent theft.
"To me, the studies can tell us one story. But, a study is a retrospective look at what's happening, and what occurs further down," Miserandino said.
