What is slightly amusing though, no Mennonite owned/operated store in our area has self check-outs. Good's Store, Dutchway, Hornings, etc.
Just a random observation...
Good's tech division (my POS vendor) offers self-checkout systems. My store doesn't have the space for self checkout lanes, but I probably wouldn't do it anyway.
That’s quite interesting that they sell it… but don’t use it themselves.
Their stores are all hardware stores which probably don't lend themselves to self-checkouts as well. They write their POS for just about any retail business, so if they offer self-checkouts it is because their customers have requested it.
Their system is probably one of the best although I don't have experience with any others. It started as an internal system for their own stores but they recognized the demand and offered it to the public. They have expanded exponentially and my belief and experience is that their support for their products is second to none.
Ephrata's, Good's Store and Dutchway have self check out. Also Mennonite owned Martin's Country Market has self checkout as well.
Really? Not up our way, for sure.
And Martin's having one, never saw that coming. I should get in there and check out my old stomping grounds.
Both Goods and Dutchway, Ephrata Locations are new stores and I guess they wanted to keep up with the times. Martin's has had them for about two years. I believe it would take some major revamping to put self checkouts in the older stores.
Martin's seemed to always be "old school", at least back in the day when I worked there. I remember when they made the decision to stay open on a Saturday evening... half the front end quit. Everyone kept saying it was only a matter of time before they open on Sundays, which I think never happened.
And Martin's having one, never saw that coming. I should get in there and check out my old stomping grounds.
Both Goods and Dutchway, Ephrata Locations are new stores and I guess they wanted to keep up with the times. Martin's has had them for about two years. I believe it would take some major revamping to put self checkouts in the older stores.
Martin's seemed to always be "old school", at least back in the day when I worked there. I remember when they made the decision to stay open on a Saturday evening... half the front end quit. Everyone kept saying it was only a matter of time before they open on Sundays, which I think never happened.
At this point with the current owners, I highly doubt they would open on Sundays. About a year ago they changed their dress code and allowed women to wear slacks. Prior to that only skirts were allowed. I did notice that all the women's slacks are black and usually their smocks do well in covering well below the waist.
Both Goods and Dutchway, Ephrata Locations are new stores and I guess they wanted to keep up with the times. Martin's has had them for about two years. I believe it would take some major revamping to put self checkouts in the older stores.
Martin's seemed to always be "old school", at least back in the day when I worked there. I remember when they made the decision to stay open on a Saturday evening... half the front end quit. Everyone kept saying it was only a matter of time before they open on Sundays, which I think never happened.
At this point with the current owners, I highly doubt they would open on Sundays. About a year ago they changed their dress code and allowed women to wear slacks. Prior to that only skirts were allowed. I did notice that all the women's slacks are black and usually their smocks do well in covering well below the waist.
Dutchway did the same thing a few years ago.
Back in my days at Martin's, they dictated that the ladies had to wear certain shades of hosiery. I remember that being a big deal at the time.
I was bothered by self checkouts at first. Now I have grown to really like them. It is much easier and faster. The checker is much more pleasant and often quite good looking. I get to bag the way I want. If I am not into talking, I can get in and out quite fast. In Lowes, I learned to take a picture of a price if there is not UPC code on the item.
I also enjoy phone apps to some fast food places. I don't eat out often, but when I do, I can order ahead and get what I want.
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Regardless of customer opinion, Aldi is far from alone in its latest decision. In 2023, Walmart began removing self-checkout from a handful of locations spread across New Mexico, Missouri, and Ohio. In June 2025, a Walmart in Shrewsbury, Missouri, axed all of its self-checkout lanes at once, hoping to reduce the huge volume of police calls from the store regarding shoplifting. Reports and arrests associated with that location have since gone down.
Likewise, Dollar General cut self-checkout from 12,000 of its stores in 2024. Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said that self-checkout will only remain in locations that are "higher-volume and low-shrink," or don't have significant issues with loss of inventory (via Business Insider). That same year, Safeway pulled self-checkout from multiple stores in California with the goal of reducing theft. Regional warehouse chain WinCo also removed the feature from stores in Portland, Oregon, and Billings, Montana, in 2025.
While the concept still has tons of defenders, it's clear why many grocery shoppers and employees think the self-checkout experiment failed and it's time to move on. In addition to profit loss and constant user errors, some assert that automated kiosks take jobs away from cashiers, and many customers dislike the impersonal nature of checking out on their own. In fact, Trader Joe's probably won't offer self-checkout anytime soon since the company prioritizes warm interactions between shoppers and staff. It remains to be seen if yet more popular grocers will start having seller's regret in regard to express lanes.
Josh wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 1:17 pm
In Germany being a checkout clerk is considered a respectable occupation and the cashiers are very fast and efficient, even though Germany tends to use cash far more than here. And that also provides valuable jobs - and not just for fancy programmers sitting on their laptops sitting self checkout software that barely works, or overpaid salesmen who sell these systems.
In Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, self checkouts are increasingly common in the larger chain groceries. Very helpful for visitors whose language proficiency is limited.
R7ehr wrote: ↑Fri Oct 03, 2025 12:27 pm
Aldi is removing self checkouts.
It remains to be seen if yet more popular grocers will start having seller's regret in regard to express lanes.
What is the concern about express lanes?
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