Walmart Customer Shows No More Self-Checkout as Guards Patrol

New technology-enabled innovations are constantly entering the shopping world, from delivery apps to grocery subscriptions. But are the days of self-checkouts over? TikTok creator @its.fredddy recently set the internet on fire after posting a video of himself taking an empty checkout at a busy Walmart.

The video had been viewed 3.6 million times and received about 200,000 likes as of Friday.

The text overlaid on the video says, “It’s true… there are no more self-checkouts at Walmart.” The camera shows a completely empty self-checkout bay in an unspecified location of the retail store, with a red light on above the register and a security guard walking near the area. The situation is reflected.

One commenter said, “I only use the self-checkout register because I have social anxiety.” “Please open it again.”

Another viewer said, “The place I went to only catered to people using the Walmart app or you’d be told to go to the checkout.”

Another commenter said, “I have to wait in line for 30 minutes to buy one item.”

“My Walmart only allowed me to use self-checkout if I had some kind of Plus membership,” one person wrote.

@its.Freddie ♬ Tron 1982 – New Retro Wave – Synthwave Nation

Some Walmart customers reported seeing the opposite.

“No, because when I went to the store today, literally none of the lines were open, only the self-checkout lines were open, and the managers were just standing there with walkie-talkies watching the line!!” One viewer commented.

Another viewer wrote, “My Walmart literally removed the cash registers and put in self-checkouts.”

One viewer asked if @its.freddy’s stores had more cashiers to make up for the lack of self-checkout lanes. “There are only two that are open, but it’s still not the same as the self-checkout price, I think it was around 8/10,” the creator replied.

Some viewers, like this viewer, speculated that the self-checkout was closed to prevent theft. They can either close the self-checkout registers and actually make a profit, or they can keep the self-checkout registers open, take on even more debt, and close the store. ”

This is definitely a concern for retailers with self-checkout lanes. According to USA Today.

Business Insider reported earlier this month. In fact, many Walmart stores have implemented restrictions, such as reserving self-checkout for app users. A Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider that local store managers ” [the] You have the discretion to experiment and find out what works best for your customers and employees, and you may be experimenting with different checkout options.

The outlet also reported last year Self-checkout lanes are creating a phenomenon known as “partial shrinkage,” where customers pay for part or most of their purchases rather than the full amount, he said.Last fall, Walmart said: There were no plans to “widespread” remove self-checkout lanes. Even as retailers begin to rethink their checkout strategies in their stores.

This isn’t the first story about Walmart’s checkout lanes that has made headlines this week. One user claimed that his local Walmart is “charging people to work there” by only allowing Walmart+ subscribers to use self-checkout.

The Daily Dot reached out to @its.fredddy via TikTok and via email via Walmart.

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