‘Unexpected item’: how self-checkouts failed to live up to their promise

The kiosks promised to make life easier for shoppers and stores. Instead, they've done the opposite

When the first self-checkout kiosks were rolled out in American stores more than three decades ago, they were presented as technology that could help stores cut costs, save customers time, and even prevent theft.

Businesses still fret over these issues, and against a tight labor market, more companies are making self-checkouts the norm. This week Walmart revealed that thefts from its stores are at a historical high, which many staff and customers link to self-checkouts. But not only have the machines failed to live up to their promises; they've made things harder for just about everyone, including the workers who they were supposed to replace.