For better or worse, despite efforts to bring cashiers back into stores, it appears that self checkout lanes are here to stay.
Recently, Kroger has faced some backlash for their lack of open registers, and in two of the instances the corporation apologized for the inconvenience and promised to work with the customer to make things better.
But will things actually change or will the customers just receive a coupon for their inconvenience?
On Friday, a man named Michael Keefe wrote to Kroger on X complaining about his local store’s self checkout lanes.
“@kroger self checkout stinks. If you this is the future I’m headed to Publix,” he wrote.
The company responded, saying they would share his concerns with their Internal Teams “for review.”
“Start with if a store is open, there should always be 1 line open with a human cashier,” Keefe added.
Several days later another complaint popped up online.
This time a Kroger customer called out their local supermarket for what they called a “no cashier available after 7pm-ish” rule that has been going on “for over a year.”
Rather than stand in line and wait to use the self checkout, the customer said they abandoned their cart full of $200 worth of groceries and left the store.
“It’s ridiculous that customers are expected to ring up and bag our own groceries.”
Once again, Kroger responded to the frustrated customer, but this time they asked for the customer’s rewards ID that was used to check out.
Oops. If only Kroger had read their unhappy customer’s original tweet! The customer never paid for their items because they were upset there wasn’t a “single cashier” available.
Do you like self checkout lanes or do you prefer to go to a cashier?
Let us know your thoughts!
Self-checkout lanes have become a staple in many grocery stores across the U.S., despite ongoing debates about their convenience and impact on the customer experience. Recently, Kroger, one of the largest grocery chains in the country, has faced backlash over the lack of open registers and reliance on self-checkout.
A customer named Michael Keefe took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his frustrations about Kroger’s checkout system. “Self-checkout stinks. If this is the future, I’m headed to Publix,” he wrote, echoing the sentiments of many shoppers who prefer human cashiers. Kroger quickly responded, promising to share his concerns with their Internal Teams for review, but Keefe followed up with a suggestion that many customers would likely agree with: “If a store is open, there should always be 1 line open with a human cashier.”
Kroger’s response, while polite, left customers wondering if real change was on the horizon or if the company would simply offer a coupon for the inconvenience. This situation wasn’t an isolated incident, either. Just days later, another frustrated Kroger shopper criticized their local store for not having a cashier available after 7 p.m. According to the customer, the store had been operating under this “no cashier available” rule for over a year. In frustration, they left their cart, filled with $200 worth of groceries, and walked out.
Kroger responded to the second complaint as well, but the company misread the customer’s message, asking for their rewards ID, despite the fact that the shopper hadn’t actually purchased anything because they were so upset about the lack of human cashiers.
These instances highlight a growing tension between grocery chains and their customers over self-checkout lanes. While some appreciate the convenience and speed, others feel abandoned by the shift toward automation, especially when there are no cashiers available during peak hours.
Self-checkout might save companies money on labor, but it’s clear that not all customers are on board. The lack of human interaction and the frustration of dealing with malfunctioning machines or unexpected errors has left many feeling that their shopping experience has worsened.
Do you prefer self-checkout or the traditional cashier experience? Let us know your thoughts!
