Walmart forced to shut down self-checkout lanes for good

A Walmart in Missouri has seen a sharp drop in police calls and arrests after it made a bold move: ripping out every self-checkout machine. The Shrewsbury supercenter removed the kiosks last year after logging a staggering 509 police calls.

Since then, the numbers have plunged — with only 183 calls so far this year and arrests cut nearly in half. 'That's a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,' Shrewsbury police chief Lisa Vargas said on Tuesday. Walmart has been looking for other ways to crack down on shoplifting at self-checkouts such as using handheld scanners in select stores to verify a receipts authenticity.

Bosses have also been locking up items that are frequently stolen behind plexiglass screens. Besides Shrewsbury, select Walmart stores in Ohio and New Mexico eliminated self-checkouts to lessen the chance of shoplifting. 'We believe the changes will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,' a Walmart spokesperson told CX Dive .

Walmart is in the middle of a massive revamp at 650 stores this year. While they're working on store redesign, select locations are also rolling out adjustments to self-checkouts to stop crooks stealing customers' card details. Commonly seen is red tape covering part of the card reader prevent card skimmers from stealing financial information.

Card skimming has become a frequent problem in Walmart stores nationwide, with one incident going unnoticed for 18 days . During those days, a card-skimming device disguised as a pin pad at one of the retailer's registers in Connecticut .

The problem has escalated to a point where Washington state's legislature proposed a bill to regulate the use of self-checkouts . Besides registers, Walmart has begun testing other methods aiming to decrease its crime rate without diminishing its current progress.

Some of these tools include opening locked display cases with phones and hidden barcodes in Great Value-branded products . Walmart is not the only retailer to continue axing self-checkout.

Dollar General also performed a massive self-checkout removal in 12,000 stores , hoping for a decrease in shoplifters. The takeaway worked in Dollar General's favor, and the chain reported an 8 percent boost in income during its first quarter . Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, is removing all machines and rolling out AI -powered 'Scan & Go' technology to reduce checkout wait times.

Costco, one of Sam's Club's biggest rivals, began rolling out the same technology but is not planning on axing self-checkout from all locations. DailyMail.com has reached out to Walmart and the Shrewsbury Police Department for comment about the self-checkout U-turn.