Target is Now Making Big Changes To Checkouts in Minnesota
Minnesota's own Target is rolling out some big changes to its checkouts, starting this weekend.
While self-checkouts may seem to be a relatively new phenomenon at department and grocery stores here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and across the country, they actually aren't all that new. In fact, CNN says the very first self-checkout debuted at a Kroger grocery store in Atlanta way back in 1986.
Since then, of course, self-checkouts have become more and more common. That same CNN story said that in 2020, '29 percent of transactions at food retailers were processed through self-checkouts.' And that figure was an increase from 23 percent reported in 2019, according to data from food industry association FMI, CNN said.
And now, Minnesota-based Target is set to roll out another feature of self-checkouts: Something it calls Express Self-Checkouts. A release from Target detailed just what the new express self-checkouts will entail at their stores:
- Express Self-Checkouts with limits of 10 items or fewer will be available at most of Target's nearly 2,000 stores nationwide.
- Target will also open more traditional lanes staffed by team members across all our stores for guests who have more in their Target carts, need a helping hand, or just enjoy connecting with our team to help them get on their way sooner.
- Target said store leaders will have the flexibility to open more lanes staffed by team members and set self-checkout hours that are right for their store. While the hours of operation may vary based on store needs, Express Self-Checkout will be available during the busiest shopping times.
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In the release, Target also noted that it first tried its new Express Self Checkouts during a pilot program at 200 different stores in 2023 and that the new limits helped speed up the checkout process and resulted in less frustration.
Self-checkout was twice as fast at our pilot stores. By having the option to pick self-checkout for a quick trip, or a traditional, staffed lane when their cart is full, guests who were surveyed told us the overall checkout experience was better, too.
Target noted that these changes are set to be fully implemented beginning on March 17, 2024. Target's red and white colors and familiar bullseye are some of the most identifiable corporate logos around. Keep scrolling to see how many other companies you can identify by their logos!
