IN IT TOGETHER Kroger shoppers side with Walmart customers as they threaten to boycott store after being ‘forced onto self-checkout’
Shawdesh desk:
KROGER shoppers have seemingly sided with Walmart customers in frustrations and boycotts over self-checkout protocols.
The retail giant recently implemented anti-theft security measures around kiosks with cameras that track body movement to prevent theft.
Kroger Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip explained to investors on a September earnings call that shrinkage, a term used for profit loss due to lost, stolen, or misplaced inventory, has increased.
Shrinkage increased “primarily due to rising theft and organized retail crime,” according to the CFO.
Millerchip continued that its 2,750 stores in 35 states would see changes to mitigate theft-related losses.
“We are implementing initiatives to mitigate the financial impact, including increased security and new technology solutions,” he noted.
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The added security and overall move to self-checkout instead of cashier-operated lanes seems to have deterred some Kroger customers online.
A fuming shopper took to X, formerly Twitter, to call out the retailer for supposedly taking similar actions to Walmart, citing The U.S. Sun’s previous report on customers threatening to boycott the company.
“Kroger does it too!” they exclaimed, siding with the frustrated Walmart shoppers.
Several had taken to X to call out Walmart for its supposed reliance on self-checkout lanes and its subsequent anti-theft procedures of stopping shoppers to check their receipts.
Someone specifically claimed they’d refuse to shop at Walmart any longer due to negative checkout experiences.
“Yea I think I’m done shopping at @Walmart for groceries. I got a basket full of stuff only to get to the front and there are no cashiers. So I was forced to self checkout,” the angry customer wrote.
“THEN I get to the door and you question my integrity by asking to see my receipt.”
They claimed at the end of their post that “@kroger would never!” but it seems Kroger may already be ramping up self-checkout security and its dominance over cashiered checkouts.
Kroger was slammed the other day by another boycott claim from a customer online after they claimed employees at a store accused them of stealing a two-dollar box of crackers.
“I am officially boycotting @kroger. Self checkout accused me of stealing a $2 box of crackers,” the fuming shopper said.
“After they pulled the security video and checked my bags and receipt, they were satisfied.”
They added: “But then they tried to overcharge me for pineapple. I’m done!”
A representative from Kroger responded to the post, apologizing for the accusations and assuring the customer that their experience was not what they intended for shoppers.
“We are sorry to hear that you were accused of stealing at the store,” Kroger said.
“This is not the experience that we would like our customers to have!!”
Kroger then asked the customer for the address of the specific store location where the accusations occurred and urged the shopper to contact them with more information.
With the anti-theft measures Kroger has taken with Everseen Visual AI, it is unclear how many more similar customer stops might happen due to its behavioral tracking technology.
The tech is placed above each self-service checkout kiosk in over 1,900 of Kroger’s locations.
Everseen Visual AI instantaneously provides the footage to analyze and look for odd customer behavior patterns.
If an item is mis-scanned or neglected from scanning, the shopper is alerted to fix the issue.
Employees are notified if the customer doesn’t attempt to fix the issue.
Chris McCarrick, Kroger’s senior manager of asset protection solutions, claimed shoppers solve their own problems without intervention most often when the technology is in place.
“Over 75% of the time, customers are able to resolve scanning errors themselves, with no intervention from our associates,” he said.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Kroger and Walmart for further comment on their self-checkout processes and customer boycotting claims.
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