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More Retailers Are Rolling Out Self-Serve Checkout Options—Are Cashiers Going Away Altogether?

By now, most of us are familiar with self-checkouts. You pick out your items, wait in line, scan them and bag them yourself. Now, some stores are taking it a step further—allowing you to scan and bag your groceries while you shop, skipping the line completely.

Between Walmart and Kroger, 500 more stores are planning to take this technology route in favor of cashiers. Walmart says it is expanding its “Scan & Go” technology to 100 more stores, while Kroger is rolling out their “Scan, Bag, Go” platform to 400 stores.

Of course, this can’t be welcome news for cashiers, as the more technology we use to shop, the less we need help. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, says there will be little to no change in the employment of cashiers through 2026, though they do state that self-service checkouts and increasing online sales will continue to limit the need for such careers.

But how does it all work anyway?

With “Scan, Bag, Go” at Kroger, you simply scan the barcodes on the items you’re buying with your smartphone as you shop. If you have coupons, you’ll find self-checkout kiosks when you’re done shopping, where the coupons will be added to your final total. Eventually, however, Kroger says shoppers will be able to bypass the kiosk and pay directly through the app.

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At Walmart, the process is pretty similar. Via the “Scan & Go” app, you just scan items as you shop. You’ll be able to pay with your phone when you’re done and then walk through a Mobile Express lane at the front of the store (for security purposes).

The “Scan & Go” technology is already available at all Sam’s Club locations, where you don’t bag your groceries anyway. There, you just show your receipt on your phone to the person at the door, they scan it and off you go.

About the Author

Kaitlin Gates

Kaitlin is a freelance multimedia journalist with a degree in journalism and psychology. Along with Don't Waste Your Money, she also writes for Simplemost, where she covers new product and food launches and overall general news. You can email her at kaitlingateswrites@gmail.com or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/KaitlinGatesWrites. More.

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