Target shopper and TikToker Arianna Cabada (@arianna_cabada_) isn’t happy with an operational change her store made recently.
In a viral clip that’s garnered 294,000 views, Cabada says her store has officially removed self-checkout kiosks. As a result, it’s decimated the possibility of a pleasant shopping experience for customers. Especially those, like her, who want to pop in for a quick purchase.
“It’s official…Target decided to remove self checkout. Now I got to wait 15 minutes to buy my box of tampons,” Cabada writes in a text overlay of her TikTok.
She pans her camera lens to highlight just how long the line of customers is. It appears to extend the width of the entire store. Toward the end of the clip, she records herself holding a box of tampons while looking into the camera from two angles.
@arianna_cabada_ we can’t have anything nice #sf #target #bayarea #bruh ♬ original sound – †
Viewers weigh in
One person remarked that their Target location removed self-checkout as well. Furthermore, they added that it’s not as if stores are covering the self-service kiosk removal.
“Haven’t been back to mine since. Refuse to go somewhere that purposefully does this then has 2 cashiers max,” they wrote. “Others near me haven’t yet so I drive the extra to go there.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “I used to work at target. And I don’t get why they won’t schedule more people for cashier. Bc I had to cover registers all the time when it wasn’t my job to. They had plenty of workers for it too.”
From another customer’s viewpoint, they will immediately leave a Target store without a self-service option. “If i see self checkout if closed, I leave the store lol,” they said. “Even if I have stuff in hand. I put it away then leave. I ain’t waiting to check out my two things.”
Pickup and home delivery?
One viewer issued a remark that could be indicative of a shift in retail business models. “I’ve been doing pickup the last 4 years,” they wrote. Cabada replied that she needed “to get in on this.”
Similarly, another major U.S. retailer, Walmart, seems to be adopting a kindred approach. Throngs of Walmart customers have been complaining about the retailer putting self-checkout behind a “paywall.” i.e., shutting down self-service kiosks in select retail locations. This means if patrons want to ring themselves up, they’ll need Walmart+.
Moreover, folks have discussed Walmart and Target’s hiring of “pickers” also known as fulfillment center workers. In this role, employees are solely dedicated to getting items ready for pickup orders.
More Walmart+ and Circle 360?
Like Walmart’s “plus” membership, Target also offers a “boosted” membership service. Known as Circle 360, users receive free same-day delivery on orders over $35, which includes other Shipt network retailers. Additionally, two-day shipping on Target online orders is also free. Another added benefit of being a Circle 360 member is that each item you purchase has an automatic extended return policy: an extra 30 days.
Circle 360 costs $10.99 per month, or $99 for the entire year if you purchase it ahead of time. One writer for Business Insider stated that they tried the service out. Ultimately, they said that while they thought some could benefit from it, it was a “waste” for them.
Will the continued removal of self-checkout stations, coupled with deserted register lanes, boost membership sales?
The Daily Dot has reached out to Target via email and Cabada via TikTok comment for further information.
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