Walmart cuts self-checkout in South Philadelphia, citing customer feedback — Self-checkout
Walmart is removing self-checkout machines at some stores, including a recent change in South Philadelphia, as it brings back traditional cashier lanes. A company spokesperson said the changes are guided by feedback from associates and customers, local shopping patterns, and the needs of each community.
South Philadelphia Walmart
The spokesperson said the goal is to improve the checkout experience and let associates provide more personalized customer service. For shoppers, the immediate change is simple: some stores are moving away from kiosks and back to staffed lanes.
The shift comes as Walmart continues its experiment with automation while also trimming back the part of it that has drawn the most scrutiny. Experts say self-checkout kiosks are vulnerable to theft, and Matt Schulz of LendingTree said, "Largely unattended self-checkouts provide a potential opportunity for folks to help themselves."
LendingTree survey findings
A December 2025 LendingTree survey found that 69% of people who use self-checkouts believe they make it easier to steal. The same survey found that 27% of self-checkout users have purposefully taken an item without scanning, while 36% said they had accidentally left with an unscanned item.
Among those who accidentally took something, 61% said they kept it. That mix of intentional and unintentional errors helps explain why some retailers are reworking checkout layouts instead of expanding kiosks further.
Retailers and lawmakers
Walmart is not moving alone. Dollar General removed self-checkouts from 12,000 stores nationwide in 2024, and last year Sam’s Club said it would remove self-checkout machines in favor of AI-powered scan and go technology. Costco has begun rolling out a similar technology.
Neil Saunders said, "Forcing more customers to use manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money." Bryan Gildenberg said, "Walmart regularly reviews stores based on theft and customer experience and takes self checkout out of their highest theft stores," and added, "I would not read much more into it than that."
Legislators in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington have been looking to enact laws affecting self-checkout stations. The proposals would require a balance between self-checkout stations and employee-operated stations, a certain number of employees per self-checkout, and limits on the items that can be brought through self-checkout.
Earlier this year, New York City joined the push for limits. For shoppers in places where stores are changing course, the practical effect is already visible at the register: fewer kiosks, more staffed lanes, and a checkout process that now depends more on the store’s own customer flow and theft concerns.
