Few things are as demoralizing as standing in a long line, especially one that seems to be moving nowhere. Even worse is when you’re doing so with a cart full of groceries, some of them frozen goods that are now thawing right before your eyes. Walmart shoppers know this experience all too well, as one of the frequent complaints customers make is that the lines are way too long because the checkout speed is so darn slow.
“I stop at Walmart to grab lunch because the prices can’t be beat on many things. I just want one or two items for my lunch and I get to the checkout and it’s a massive line no matter if you want self checkout or human checkout,” complained a customer on Reddit, saying this continued issue “makes me just put my items down, walk out, and go somewhere else.” As a result, some shoppers have switched to ordering pick-up, while others are taking advantage of the Walmart+ Mobile Scan & Go feature to bypass the checkout lines. You can also try visiting the store on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, which are known as the best days to shop at Walmart if you want full shelves and fewer crowds.
What is causing the long checkout lines at Walmart?
In 2020, Walmart went all-in on self-checkouts, introducing a concept specifically designed to reduce long lines and waiting times. The idea was to have a large, open checkout space with over 30 registers where shoppers could scan their groceries and be assisted by Walmart employees. But by 2023, it became clear that the self-checkout experiment failed. Theft rose sharply, as the lack of cashiers made it much easier for people to steal. And so, Walmart began steadily removing (or limiting) the option of self-checkout.
The change to limit these lanes worked for the retailer — according to The Sun, theft-related arrests have dropped by 50% at one Walmart store that opted to entirely nix the self-checkout. But, from the customers’ perspective, this shift has resulted in much longer checkout lines, despite Walmart’s claims that the return to one-on-one service would provide shoppers with an improved experience. “Ugh I loathe regular checkouts. Employees scan and move way too slow,” complained one person on Facebook. “Self checkouts made everyone get out quicker, with less wait time,” echoed another user.
Long lines could definitely turn away shoppers, pushing them towards stores like Aldi where the checkout speed is much faster. But, as one Walmart employee pointed out on Reddit, “Walmart lost 1.2 million in the store theft last year at my store, due to mostly self checkout stealing. So loosing a few sales due to long lines really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”
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