Retail
Getting in the fast lane with self-check out
How do we get into the fast lane of self-checkout? Retailers need to modernize technology and operating models and stop treating self-checkout as a replacement for human workers.
November 14, 2025 by Griffin Unanue — Student, University of Southern California
In an era where cars can drive themselves and AI can complete homework assignments, it's bewildering that scanning a few apples can bring an entire checkout lane to a halt. American retailers cannot make up their minds on self-checkout kiosks in their stores.
The retail industry has reached a crossroads, caught between the promise of check-out automation and the frustration of poor execution.
Instead of modernizing and improving automated checkout, many stores either double down on outdated kiosks or abandon the effort altogether. Whether it's over reliance on aging technology or completely jettisoning projects altogether, the industry has flip-flopped on automation in recent years.
Frustration in the checkout lane, whether manned or automated, can drive customers to the comparatively automated online shopping experience, underscoring the significance of the opportunity of automation.
Research has shown that the self-checkout approach has immense potential to take over manned check-out lanes and transform the industry; however, a lack of proper execution has impeded this opportunity.
Long check-out queues are synonymous with retail, and data shows that customers are increasingly preferring self-checkout options every year — so why walk away from the technology now? Instead of killing this opportunity, companies need to reinvest and continue their automation plans with proper execution.
Self-checkout, as a whole, is not inherently a failure. It is just poorly executed. Since 2013, Walmart, like many major retailers, has been investing heavily in increasing the presence of self-checkout kiosks across its stores, but a series of setbacks has sparked a rollback in the number of kiosks per store, with some stores completely removing them.
In Ohio and Missouri, for example, shrinkage — the loss of products through theft and other discrepancies — has forced Walmart to remove all self-checkout kiosks from checkout lanes in those stores. Theft and shrinkage have discouraged retailers from buying into automation, making it seem, at face value, that the automated trend was short-lived and failing. However, this is more a result of aging infrastructure and a lack of execution rather than a rejection of the automation trend itself.
Research has shown that the global self-checkout systems market is projected to reach $3,926.1 million in 2025, with demand for the technology expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.4% from 2025 to 2035, showing self-checkout is growing and the opportunity is still there to jump ahead of this shift.
Furthermore, some 77% of customers chose self-checkout over manned lanes for speed, and 63% of Gen Z shoppers and 45% of millennial shoppers prefer self-checkout, showing younger generations are supporting this trend.3 Additionally, new developments in AI and self-checkout networks provide an opening for retailers to jump on this trend without the risks of shrinkage, theft, and system/user errors.
But how do we get into the fast lane of self-checkout? Retailers need to modernize their technology and operating models, and stop treating self-checkout as a replacement for human workers. Rather, through a combination of technology, security, and customer service, self-checkout can expedite and enhance the shopper's experience.
First, retailers must upgrade their systems to incorporate new AI-powered vision systems and scanners that can automatically recognize and charge items to customers with extreme precision. These systems, as seen in Amazon grab-and-go focused stores, enhance security and efficiency as well as monitor customer behavior and response in real time.
Second, following Walmart, retailers must move on from antiquated linear bar codes, created in the 1960s, and toward modern 2D bar codes that give kiosks more information and intelligence on specific products, their price, size, weight, and expiration dates.
Finally, retail stores must modernize their staffing approaches to self-checkout lines, maintaining a human presence while moving away from practices of traditional manned lanes. Stores that continue to use outdated practices will get the same slow and inefficient lines as before.
Instead, retailers should shift their workers toward more support-based checkout concierges rather than manning each lane, focusing on user experience and assisting in theft prevention. If these stores are able to upgrade the product labels, upgrade the technology, and upgrade the jobs properly, shrinkage, congestion, and the overall shopping experience will improve, along with the profits.
Now is the time to stop viewing self-checkout as a failed experiment. New technologies and developments in AI have pushed the path of self-checkout towards success, and all the signs are pointing towards this becoming the future of the industry. The goal here isn't to simply eliminate cashiers; it is to improve the customer experience, expedite checkout, and enhance the overall retail experience. Instead of abandoning self-checkout altogether, now is the time to reinvest, reconfigure, and get out of the slow lane.
About Griffin Unanue
My name is Griffin Unanue, and I am from Pasadena, California. I am a current junior at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism, studying communications and political science, and I am currently working in USC's auxiliary services.
