Self-checkout is limited to Spark and Walmart+ users at some Walmart stores

• Some Walmart shoppers may need to log into the app before using self-checkout.
• Self-service lanes at some locations are reserved for Spark drivers or Walmart+ members.
• As retailers rethink the role of technology, Target also introduced limits on self-checkout.

To use self-checkout the next time you go to Walmart, you may need an app on your phone. The lane could be a lane reserved for the retailer’s Spark delivery driver or his Walmart+ subscriber.

Drivers who use the company’s Spark delivery platform told Business Insider that in-store kiosks are limited and photos showing blocked lanes have been circulating on social media in recent weeks. There is.

At these stores, shoppers use the full-service lanes unless they are using the Scan and Go feature in the Walmart app to make a purchase for themselves or the Spark app to make a purchase for someone else. need to do it.

Walmart spokesperson Joe Pennington told BI that the move was not an order from corporate headquarters, noting that store managers have the discretion to experiment and find what works best for customers and employees. .

“Based on several factors, including customer and employee feedback, shopping patterns and business needs, some stores are temporarily testing different cashier staffing options,” he said. Ta.

Pennington said the lane restrictions, like limiting the number of items in Express lanes to 10 or fewer, are not intended to increase sign-ups for the $98-a-year Walmart Plus membership.

Spark Drivers in California told BI that spark driver-only lanes appeared in stores in the state at the end of February.

Drivers say the cash registers are closed when not in use and require extra steps compared to regular self-checkouts.

“Currently, all shopping orders are taken to the register and are waiting for help from the service desk staff,” the driver said.

“They come in, open the register, and we scan the QR code,” he added, referring to the code that employees shopping Spark orders must present before they can call in their orders. did.

“If you don’t see the cart check in the app, you’re good to go,” the driver added.

Some Target stores recently introduced similar changes to self-checkout, including limiting the number of items to 10 or fewer items and reducing lane hours.

Retailers have been rethinking their approach to self-checkout over the past year, as weak sales and persistent shoplifting have weighed on profits.

A recent study found that self-checkout contributes to a phenomenon known as “partial shrinkage,” where customers mistakenly scan all items in a transaction properly and fail to pay. did.

Requiring shoppers to log into their accounts before using self-checkout could help stem some of these losses.

Do you work at Walmart or Spark and have a story idea you’d like to share? Contact these reporters at dreuter@businessinsider.com and abitter@businessinsider.com.