Self-Checkout Pros, Cons, and Costs in 2026

Self-checkout lets customers scan, bag, and pay for items without a cashier. Retailers use it to serve customers on quick trips and in checkout areas where shoppers can move through the store without assistance.

Self-checkout is already a familiar retail experience for many shoppers. A recent national survey found that 63% of Gen Z grocery shoppers and 45% of millennial ones prefer self-checkout. Speed was the top reason shoppers cited for choosing it over a staffed checkout.

The guide explains how self-checkout works and what to consider before adding it to your store.

What is self-checkout?

Self-checkout is a system that lets customers scan items, bag purchases, and pay with limited cashier assistance. It’s also called self-service checkout, assisted checkout, or SCO. 

A self-checkout lane has a scanner and a touchscreen. Payments are processed through a card reader embedded in the point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the bagging area includes a scale. Store employees can step in when an item needs approval or a transaction needs help.

Self-checkout is common in stores where shoppers have smaller baskets and products are easy to scan, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Data from Capital One shows that in 2026, nearly 40% of all grocery store registers were self-checkout terminals.

A short history of self-checkout machines

Modern self-checkout dates back to 1986, when the first machines were introduced at Kroger stores in Atlanta, according to Harvard Kennedy School’s SHIFT Project. 

Early systems were much larger than today’s self-checkout lanes. Patent records describe a setup that included a laser scanner, conveyor belts, scales, and optical sensors. 

How does self-checkout work?

Self-checkout guides customers through scanning, bagging, and payment with on-screen prompts. Store employees stay nearby to help customers when needed. 

The process happens in six steps:

1. Start the checkout. The customer begins the transaction on the touchscreen.
2. Scan packaged items. The customer scans each barcode.
3. Look up items without barcodes. For produce, bakery items, or other loose products, the customer weighs the item and selects it on the screen. Some stores also use price lookup (PLU) codes.
4. Bag the items. The customer places scanned products in the bagging area. Systems use a scale to compare the item’s weight with its expected weight.
5. Get help when needed. Staff can approve restricted items, fix scanning issues, remove accidental entries, and help with payment problems.
6. Pay and complete the purchase. The customer applies any coupons, chooses a payment method, and finishes the transaction.

Some self-checkout systems also use cameras or computer vision to review missed scans, bagging issues, and other potential checkout problems.

What is included in a self-checkout system?

A self-checkout system includes the POS hardware and software that customers use to complete a purchase. The setup varies by retailer, but most systems include a few main parts:

• Touchscreen. Guides the customer through scanning, item lookup, coupons, payment, and receipt options.
• Barcode scanner. For reading product barcodes on packaged items.
• Scale: For weighing produce and checking whether bagged items match the scanned products.
• Bagging area. For customers to pack their items.
• Payment terminal. To accept card, mobile wallet, and sometimes cash payments.
• Receipt printer. To provide a receipt after payment.
• Employee controls. To enable staff to approve restricted items, clear errors, and help when transactions stall.

Although Shopify POS doesn’t currently offer a full standalone self-checkout kiosk, it has a buyer-facing checkout experience with features like:

• Customer-facing displays that let customers review purchases during checkout
• Mobile POS for staff-assisted line busting on the sales floor
• Shop Pay so customers can scan a QR code and complete payment on the Shop website

Types of self-checkout technology

Self-checkout now includes multiple types of in-store checkout systems. 

Grand View Research valued the global self-checkout systems market at $5.6 billion in 2025 and estimates it will reach $6.3 billion in 2026. 

These are the latest technologies available:

Standard shelf-checkout kiosks 

Standard kiosks are the most common type of self-checkout. Customers scan barcodes, look up loose items, bag products, and pay at a fixed checkout station. 

Supermarkets and hypermarkets held the largest application share in 2025, according to Grand View Research, but convenience stores are expected to grow the fastest.

Automated checkout

Automated checkouts are stations that require only minimal manual scanning. For example, Mashgin’s automated checkout uses computer vision and machine learning to identify items placed on a checkout tray. Customers can tally their items without scanning each barcode. 

Automated checkout works in settings where speed is important, and the product sets are easy to manage, such as convenience stores, corporate cafeterias, stadiums, hospitals, and airports. 

Autonomous checkout 

Autonomous checkout removes the checkout lane entirely. Customers walk into the store, pick up their items, and leave. AI technology and radio-frequency identification (RFID) track what shoppers take and charge them after they exit. 

Amazon’s Just Walk Out is one example, although Amazon removed it from US Amazon Fresh grocery stores in favor of Dash Carts, shopping carts that track, tally, and process item fees. Currently, Amazon offers Just Walk Out at stores connected to its fulfillment centers as well as several third-party retail outlets.

Advantages of self-checkout

Self-checkout gives retailers another way to manage the front end of the store. Its main advantages include:

• Convenience
• Reduced costs
• Staff efficiency
• Consumer privacy

Convenience

Self-checkout makes it easy to complete a purchase without waiting for a staffed lane. In a 2026 survey of global shoppers, 73% of shoppers said self-checkout improves the overall shopping experience.

Reduced costs

Self-checkout can reduce staffing pressure at the front of the store, with the marketing research firm FMI reporting that a single self-checkout lane can replace 0.5 to 0.7 staffed positions in 2026. The same report found that multilane self-checkout areas supervised by a single attendant can achieve labor productivity ratios of four to six checkout positions per staff member.

The cost benefit comes from using fewer staff at the register during routine transactions and then moving employees to other store tasks when checkout is under control.

Staff efficiency

A staffed checkout lane usually needs one employee per register. With self-checkout, one employee can oversee several stations and step in when customers need help. 

Stores still need staff for oversight and loss prevention. But self-checkout can give retailers more flexibility during busy periods. 

Consumer privacy

Self-checkout boosts shopper privacy. While a 2025 University of Illinois study shows that overall self-checkout purchases hover at 19%, sensitive purchases spike dramatically: shoppers bought 42% of condoms and 43% of pregnancy tests at self-checkout lanes. Offering both staffed checkout and self-checkout gives customers more choice at the register.

Disadvantages of self-checkout

Here are some of the disadvantages associated with self-checkout:

• Greater theft risk
• Reduced customer interaction
• High initial investment
• Risk of malfunction
• Accessibility

Greater theft risk

Self-checkout can increase the likelihood of missed scans, product lookup errors, and unpaid items. 

A 2026 University of Leicester study of 39 retailers found that store losses rose 22%, on average, in the first year after self-checkout was introduced. The same study found missed scans occurred in 1% to 4.8% of self-checkout transactions.

Reduced customer interaction

Self-checkout reduces routine conversations between customers and store employees. That can be fine for quick purchases, but it may weaken the service experience for shoppers who need help.

Research from Drexel University found that customers using regular checkout were more likely to remain loyal to a grocery store than customers using self-checkout. The effect was stronger when shoppers purchased more than 15 items, as self-checkout required more effort from customers.

High initial investment

Self-checkout requires upfront spending on hardware, software, and installation. Point-of-sale system company Korona POS estimates that a self-checkout machine can cost between $3,000 and $40,000 per unit.

That cost can be harder for smaller retailers to justify. Stores also need to factor in payment processing and repairs before deciding whether self-checkout makes financial sense. 

Risk of malfunction

Self-checkout can slow down when a scanner misreads an item, a scale flags the bagging area, or a customer selects the wrong product code. The University of Leicester study found that product lookup errors accounted for 0.18% to 0.2%.

When the system pauses, an employee has to step in. That means self-checkout still depends on staff being nearby during busy periods or when customers are buying loose produce, restricted items, or products that are difficult to scan.

Accessibility

Self-checkout machines may not be accessible to shoppers with disabilities. The touchscreen system relies on sight, limiting access for anyone with visual impairments. Wheelchair users have reported that the machine’s payment systems and screens are often out of reach.

The US Access Board discusses these main areas retailers should evaluate when implementing self-service transaction machines: 

• Clear floor space
• Reach range
• Operable parts
• Privacy
• Speech outlet
• Braille
• Display screens 

Target considered accessibility when rolling out its 2025 self-checkout. The updated machines included braille, high-contrast icons, a headphone jack, physical navigation buttons, and a tactile controller for shoppers who are blind or have low vision.

How much does self-checkout cost?

Estimates vary, ranging from $3,000 to $40,000 per machine, according to Korona POS. 

Costs include both the initial technology purchases and ongoing maintenance. The hardware is the biggest investment. Grand View Research reports that the systems segment had the largest share of the self-checkout market in 2025, with 60.7% of revenue.

Operational costs depend on use. Compare costs for self-checkout machines against your needs, such as:

• Transaction volume. How many customers check out during peak hours.
• Staffing needs. How many employees you need at the front of the store.
• Loss prevention.. How the store will reduce missed scans, errors, and theft.
• Store layout. Whether the checkout area has room for kiosks, bagging space, and staff.

A high-volume grocery store may need more checkout capacity. But a smaller shop may be better served by a standard POS setup, such as Shopify POS, with a card reader, scanner, receipt printer, and cash drawer.

How retailers are changing self-checkout

The trend is hybrid checkout. Here is how major retailers are using self-checkouts:

• Target. Moved most self-checkout lanes to an express model for 10 items or fewer. The company said the change reduced total transaction times across self-checkout and staffed lanes by nearly 8%.
• Dollar General. Removed self-checkout from 12,000 stores as part of its efforts to reduce shrinkage. The retailer kept self-checkout in a limited number of higher-volume, lower-shrink stores.
• Amazon. Removed Just Walk Out technology from US Amazon Fresh stores and shifted those locations toward Dash Carts. Amazon said shoppers liked skipping the line, but also wanted to see nearby deals, view receipts, and track savings while shopping.

Many customers are open to self-checkout as long as it can handle large baskets. The same national survey that found speed is the top reason for choosing self-checkout also determined that 60% of shoppers who don’t use it often would if it were easier to check out with more than 15 items.

Should your store offer self-checkout?

Self-checkout is worth considering when it solves a checkout problem. Before adding it, review these factors:

• Store type. Self-checkout is easier to justify in grocery, convenience, or pharmacy, where customers buy familiar items and need less help.
• Basket size. Smaller baskets are easier for customers to scan and bag without assistance, which is why major retailers limit the number of items customers can scan and bag at self-checkout.
• Staffing. If checkout lines get long when the store is understaffed, self-checkout can help one employee oversee several transactions at once. 
• Shrink. Stores with high theft and hard-to-scan products need better oversight before adding self-checkout. 
• Store layout. The checkout area needs space for machines, bagging, customer lines, and employees. 

Also consider what customers expect from your store. The data above show that shoppers prefer self-checkout for speed and privacy, but a staffed checkout may work better for service-led purchases. For example, electric bike and scooter company Weebot used Shopify POS to cut in-store payment processing time by 50%, and gave associates more time for customer service and accessory upsells.