Winco Foods Removes Self-Checkouts in Oregon, WA Next?
Winco Foods, which has stores in WA, OR and its state of origin, Idaho, has apparently begun to remove self-checkout stands from some of its stores in Oregon.
Online social media posts indicate some are gone.
According to Reddit users online, at least one Portland, OR area Winco has removed them, but that is not a surprise, due to the city's rampant theft problem. Consumers reported on the threads having to wait as long as 40 minutes in regular checkouts to get their groceries processed.
Other retail chains are pulling them out as well. KTLA-TV in Los Angeles reports Walmart, Target, and other retailers in that city have quietly pulled the self-checkouts due to crime.
Some chains have in certain WA cities as well. While most larger retailers have not given up on the technology, it appears growing numbers of stores, especially in high-crime areas, are closing their stands. It's because theft loss from people not swiping all of their items is just getting too high.
There has not been, to our knowledge, any formal release from Winco about closing self-checkouts in certain cities, but it's rather obvious the ones that have. It was not that long ago, ironically, maybe 8-10 years, that consumers were complaining about Winco installing the self-checkout stands, most of them griping about the new technology being hard to use.
According to Supermarket News, some if not many consumers were unhappy. Now, ten years later, they're griping about self-checkout closing and having to wait in long lines. If there's any blame to go around, it's those who choose a five-finger discount and ruin it for the rest of us.
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