ST. LOUIS – Dollar General is in the process of removing some self-checkouts at select locations.
According to a transcript of the store’s quarterly earnings meeting in March, there is a plan to remove self-checkouts from more than 300 locations by the first half of the year, which are allegedly the stores with the highest shrink rates.
In an additional 9,000 stores, the self-checkouts will be converted to assisted checkouts, either partially or altogether. Dollar General says the decision is to direct traffic to checkout with a staff member.
“We believe there is truly no substitute for an employee presence at the front end of the store to greet customers and provide excellent customer service, even at checkout,” Todd Vasos, chief executive officer with Dollar General, stated in the meeting.
The store says they’ve implemented a register that can easily switch for either self-checkout or assisted-checkout based on volume levels at certain times. Along with these changes, Dollar General began implementing a limit of five items or less for the self-checkouts that remain.
The decisions come at a time when major stores are receiving backlash for changing the way customers can use self-checkout or removing it entirely. These changes have been seen across Walmart, Target, and Schnucks.
“Collectively, we believe these steps are in line with where the customer wants us to be, which includes increasing personal engagement with them at the store,” Vasos said. “Additionally, we believe these actions have the potential to have a material and positive impact on shrink as we move into the back half of the year and into 2025.”
FOX 2 reached out to Dollar General to inquire about how many stores in Missouri will be impacted, but there has not been a response as of Thursday afternoon.