New Hampshire Target Stores Are Decreasing the Number of Items You Can Buy in Self Check Out

The minute we get used to something, they have to go and change it.

Recently, according to abcnews.go.com, Target announced that it was reducing the number of items you could bring through the self-checkout to 10 or less. Dollar General and Walmart made similar changes as well.

There are three Target locations in Greenland, Salem, and Somersworth, New Hampshire, and this change is going to affect 2,000 locations nationwide.

During the pandemic, the self-checkouts were a great option when we were trying not to touch anyone or anything.

Shoppers got used to taking their carriage full of groceries through the self-checkout, no matter how many items they had.

The article states that there may be another reason why Target is making the change to 10 items or less.  There is something called "partial shrink", when a customer doesn't scan all of the items in their carriage.  So if they reduce the number of items allowed in the self-checkout, the number of stolen items goes way down.

If there is one thing I've learned about New Englanders during and after the pandemic, it's that we are able to adapt to anything.  We may complain about change, but in the end, we'll do it.

Do I like the change that Target and other stores are making with the self-checkout stations?  No.  I'm not a fan at all.  I would much rather have a person ring up my groceries instead of talking to no one.  I say that now, but if I'm in a hurry with three items and there is someone in front of me with a MILLION items, I might have a different opinion.

What do you think of this change?