money · · Source: Fast Company
Self-checkout was supposed to cut costs. Instead, it created a problem retailers didn’t anticipate
Stores are cutting back on self-checkout lanes. According to an April survey from Toast, a point-of-sale and restaurant management platform, approximately 36% of 340 small and midsize retail operators said they used self-checkout lanes this year, down from 43% in 2025. That decrease could be attributed to merchandise losses.