Kroger Store Ditches Cashiers for Self-Checkout Only—Will More Follow?

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For many shoppers, self-checkout is a no-brainer. It gets you in and out of the store quickly and with little fuss—and with multiple kiosks, the self-checkout line is often the most convenient option. Still, some of us prefer to check out with a cashier who can carefully scan our items , and maybe even let us know about any deals or sales we missed. If you’re in the latter camp, you’ll want to be aware that Kroger just eliminated cashiers at one store, leaving the location with self-checkout lanes only. Read on to find out whether shoppers can expect more Kroger locations to follow suit.

RELATED: Walmart Worker Issues Warning to Shoppers About Self-Checkout .

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A Kroger store in Franklin, Tennessee, is piloting a self-checkout-only store.

“These allow our customers to scan and bag their own items,” Lauren Bell , corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Nashville division, told WKRN. “It’s a fast, friendly experience.”

Kroger didn’t eliminate any employee positions during the conversion, which was made on Friday, July 21, WKRN reported. Some employees did have title changes, but Bell confirmed they’re still available to help customers while checking out and bagging.

Bell explained that the Franklin Kroger, located in the Cool Springs Market shopping center, was selected for this trial due to the rate of customers who opt for self-checkout.

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Shoppers in Tennessee aren’t the only Kroger patrons to experience stores without cashiers. In 2021, Kroger announced that a store in Dallas, Texas, would be the first to test the self-checkout-only format.

“Kroger is always looking for new ways to reinvent the checkout experience for its customers,” Kroger spokeswoman April Martin told the Cincinnati Business Courier in Feb. 2021.

At the time, the outlet explained that Kroger often tests new technology at a single store before expanding, but the grocery chain hadn’t confirmed whether the self-checkout-only concept would be expanded to other stores.

This week, Kroger told WSMV that another store in Hillsboro Village in Nashville will convert to this format later in 2023, but it remains unclear where else shoppers may see this concept. However, Kroger did tell WKRN that self-checkout-only isn’t expected to expand to all store locations.

Best Life reached out to Kroger for comment, and will update the story upon hearing back.

RELATED: Ex-Kroger Worker Warns About “Scammers” Preying on Shoppers .

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Unlike the stores in Tennessee and Texas, however, as of Aug. 2022, these stores still had lanes with cashiers. As Kroger spokesperson Jenifer Moore told WCPO, “These stores will continue to have traditional checkout lanes with cashiers and courtesy clerks to assist customers and will also keep their existing self-checkout lanes.”

WCPO noted that stores in Dayton and Troy, Ohio also have these lanes, in addition to a handful of stores in Kentucky. In December, a Kroger in Sandusky, Ohio , also added belted self-checkout lanes.

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On Reddit, shoppers discussed the recent shift at the Franklin, Tennessee, store, with some speculating why the change was really made.

“Any time you go in that particular store, they would have at most ONE register open,” a Redditor wrote. “Of course people are going to use self checkout more.”

Others shared their opinion on the self-checkout format in general, noting that they’re not overly enthusiastic about it.

“Okay, I know I’m weird but if I have more than two bags of groceries worth of stuff in my cart, I prefer an actual cashier ring up my stuff,” they wrote. “I do not want self-checkout only stores.”

Another added that there are often technical difficulties.

“Self checkouts are almost never self checkouts,” the Redditor wrote. “They’re glitchy … the scales in them often cause disruptions in the process, [and] if you buy alcohol, OTC meds, etc, you need someone to help you. If you have more than 10 items the chances of a machine glitching out and you needing an override or ID check, etc go up to like 100%. They’re annoying.”

Others saw no issue at all with Kroger’s decision. “I’m OK with this, I’ll always use self check out anyways as a preference,” one comment reads.

Kroger Is Getting Rid of Its Beloved Weekly Ad Insert, Starting Next Month

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We’re all hunting for the best prices at the grocery store —especially these days. Maybe you’ve swapped out name-brand products for generic ones, or perhaps you’re no longer tossing impulse buys into your cart. But seasoned Kroger shoppers know which items are the best buys before they even get to the store, as deals and sales are spelled out in the store’s familiar weekly ad insert. Customers have relied on receiving these ads at home for years, but this will no longer be the case for many shoppers next month, as Kroger just announced it’s no longer mailing out weekly ads or including them in newspapers in certain markets. Read on to find out more about Kroger’s move to digital only.

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Some of us hold steadfast to print media, maintaining our daily newspaper subscriptions. There’s something comforting about holding the paper in your hand while sipping your morning coffee—and it’s also a convenient way to learn about different sales you don’t want to miss.

Kroger has long sent out its ads in local newspapers or directly to your home, but customers in certain parts of Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi, and Oregon will no longer find these inserts in the mail after May.

Different news outlets report that Kroger is getting rid of paper ads and switching over to digital. Some shoppers in Michigan were informed of the change in the weekly ad for April 19 through 25, which announced, “Your weekly ad is going digital ,” the Detroit Free Press reported.

“Beginning May 28, we’ll no longer deliver printed weekly ads to your home,” the ad sent out in Michigan reads.

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For those who still want the print ad, you can pick up a copy in-store or call Kroger’s hotline at 800-576-4377 to arrange for an ad to be sent to you directly, the Detroit Free Press reported. But in the latest ad, Kroger directs customers to go digital by scanning a quick response (QR) code.

You can access the weekly ad on Kroger’s website or through the app, and once you create an account, you can download “exclusive digital coupons and much more,” the most recent print ad states.

“ Kroger is joining many retailers in shifting the way our weekly ads are distributed,” a company spokesperson told Best Life . “Printed copies will still be available in our stores for customers to peruse. Customers can also view our ads in the Kroger mobile app or at Kroger.com when they are planning their weekly grocery trips.”

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The Detroit Free Press noted that some delivery areas in Michigan haven’t received a print ad in quite a while, but customers who just learned of the change aren’t happy about it.

“I like looking through the circular and planning my weekly shopping from it,” Sharon Broshear of Brownstown, Michigan, told the newspaper. “I go through it and mark what’s on sale and decide whether it’s a good price.”

In addition, Kroger shoppers expressed concerns about access for seniors, who may not be comfortable going online or navigating the store’s app. Others said the digital approach could be tricky for people without access to the internet or smartphones.

“While I don’t mind because I can view the ad online, I do think that it would affect those customers who aren’t comfortable accessing the information online (elderly, those without internet, etc.),” Jolyn Felten , administrator and owner of the Bargains to Bounty Facebook page, told the Detroit Free Press . “I know paper ads are available in the store, but it isn’t the same.”

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In a statement to the Detroit Free Press , Kroger said that it’s discontinuing ad deliveries in some areas while the company “continues to create a simple, convenient grocery shopping experience.” But like many other retailers, Kroger is also going digital to cut costs.

“Kroger has been conducting research for over two years to better understand the changing media consumption habits of our customers, the contribution to sales provided by the printed weekly circular and negative impact to our distribution costs driven by increasing labor and fuel costs,” the company told The Columbus Dispatch about its decision to discontinue print ads.

As Sylvain Perrier , CEO and president of e-commerce solutions company Mercatus, told Grocery Dive, Kroger’s move isn’t all that surprising.

“I think it’s known in the industry, typically, direct cost to producing a flyer normally represents 50 percent of the total marketing budget,” Perrier said in an interview with the outlet. “So that’s printing cost, development and distribution with a very difficult to near impossible way to measure the return on the investment.”