Another Major Retailer Moves To Limit Self Checkout To Try and Reduce Mass Theft

Target is capping self-checkout use to 10 items or fewer, claiming it’s to improve customer experience—but experts point to rampant theft as the real reason. Other major retailers are quietly making similar moves after suffering massive losses.

Key Facts:

Target now limits self-checkout to 10 items or fewer and denies the move is theft-related.
The company reported nearly $500 million in shrink-related losses in 2023.
Other retailers like Walmart, Dollar General, and Five Below are also reducing or removing self-checkout machines due to theft.
A California woman was convicted of stealing $60,000 worth of goods from Target using self-checkout.
The National Retail Federation estimated $112.1 billion in retail shrink across the U.S. in 2022.

The Rest of The Story:

Target says the new self-checkout policy has been in development for over a year and was driven by internal studies showing improved customer satisfaction.

The change limits use to shoppers with 10 items or fewer.

Though officially framed as a service upgrade, many industry watchers and consumers believe it’s a direct response to mounting theft.

“Shrink,” the term retailers use to describe inventory losses due to shoplifting, fraud, and errors, has become a growing crisis.

Target alone saw nearly half a billion dollars in shrink-related losses in 2023.

One case that grabbed national attention involved a woman who visited Target 100 times and stole over \$60,000 using self-checkout.

Commentary:

The golden era of self-checkout appears to be coming to an end—and it’s about time.

What started as a convenience has become a liability for major retailers.

When everyday citizens treat theft as a harmless jab at “greedy corporations,” it’s a sign of cultural rot.

Self-checkout made it far too easy for people to rationalize stealing.

Slip an item past the scanner, fake a payment, or simply walk out—it was all too common, and far too tolerated.

Retailers can’t continue bleeding billions just to offer customers five minutes of independence at checkout.

It turns out hiring reliable cashiers may be cheaper than trying to police an honor system that’s clearly broken.

Even if lines get a little longer, reducing theft and restoring accountability is a net win for both businesses and honest customers.

There’s a misguided sense of entitlement that big corporations can “afford” to be stolen from.

But that’s not how economics works.

Shrink drives up prices for everyone and forces stores to close locations in high-theft areas—hurting the very communities that need them most.

Retailers are simply adapting to a harsh reality.

They tried the trust-based model.

It failed.

Now, they’re doing what they must to survive.

The Bottom Line:

Target and other major chains are scaling back self-checkout—not just to improve service, but because theft has become an unsustainable problem.

While some customers are upset, the move reflects a necessary correction in how retail is managed.

Another Major Retailer Moves To Limit Self Checkout To Try and Reduce Mass Theft

Key Facts:

The Rest of The Story:

Commentary:

The Bottom Line:

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