More stores are cutting back on self-checkout lanes

Some stores are pulling back on self-checkout. In an April survey from Toast, about 36% of 340 small and midsize retail operators said they used self-checkout lanes this year. That is down from 43% in 2025. The story comes from Fast Company, which says the lanes created a problem retailers did not expect.

What the survey found

Toast makes payment and management software for stores and restaurants. It surveyed 340 small and midsize retailers. Fewer of them now run self-checkout than a year ago, a drop of seven percentage points. The story's feed text suggests the drop could be linked to merchandise loss, but the full explanation was not available to us.

Who it affects

Shop owners are the most direct audience. Self-checkout was sold as a way to cut costs. If the lanes bring problems of their own, the savings may be smaller than promised. Shoppers may notice it too, since fewer lanes could mean more staffed registers.

What is not known yet

• Which specific problem the article says retailers did not anticipate.
• Whether the drop is the same for large chains, which the survey did not cover.
• How much stores are spending or losing because of self-checkout.
• Whether the trend will continue into next year.

What to do

Owners weighing self-checkout should count the full cost, not just the savings on staff hours. That means looking at what the lanes might cost the business in other ways before installing them or keeping them.