Target's self-checkout is getting an accessibility update
Target's self-checkout improvements come as some retailers are removing self-service kiosks altogether.
Greta CrossTarget is rolling out new self-checkout features, geared toward customers who are blind or have low vision.
Target announced on Sept. 26 that it has added new, accessible technology to self-checkout kiosks in more than 200 stores. The retailers will continue to add this tech to all of its nearly 2,000 stores nationwide, through early 2026.
According to a Target news release, the accessible technology includes:
- Braille and high-contrast buttons
- Headphone jack with adjustable volume controls
- Physical navigation buttons and a dedicated information key
- Custom tactical controller
- Single audio stream during scanning and payment
The updates and installations will mostly happen when stores are closed, having no impact on guests, Target Senior Communications Manager Loni Monroe told USA TODAY. In a rare instance an update takes place during store hours, downtime is completed quickly, in one session.
Target launched its Express Self-Checkout in March 2024 and, according to a March news release, the self-service experience has improved transaction times by about 8%.
Self-checkout improvements come as other retailers eliminate them
Despite online rumors, Target hasn't cut back on its self-checkout stations, but other retailers have.
In 2024, Dollar General and Five Below began converting self-checkout kiosks to associate-assisted ones, in which employees finish transactions after shoppers scan their items.
This cutback has largely been due to concerns over shoplifting. A 2023 LendingTree survey of 2,000 customers found that 15% of self-checkout users purposely stole an item, and 44% plan to do it again.
In a 2022 report conducted by ECR Retail Loss, 66% of 93 surveyed retailers said they felt self-checkouts were becoming more of a problem in their businesses.
While the roles of self-checkouts may be changing, the self-service stations are likely not going away anytime soon.
This story has been updated to add clarifying information.
Contributing: Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].