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Walmart confirmed that it will eliminate traditional self-checkout lanes in some of its stores and remodel more than 650 locations during 2026, in a change that directly affects its customers across the country.
The first store to implement the measure was the South Philadelphia location, where the self-checkout lanes were replaced by human cashiers.
A company spokesperson said the decision responds to local shopping patterns and feedback from employees and customers. The measure is not uniform: at the same time, Walmart is expanding an artificial intelligence-based scanning tool to modernize self-checkout in half of its stores.
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What changes is Walmart implementing in its stores?
The elimination of traditional self-checkout in South Philadelphia is not an isolated case. Walmart had already limited self-checkout in other locations —only for Walmart+ members or during certain hours—as part of a broader review of its checkout model.
The remodels announced for 2026 include 32 stores in Pennsylvania, four of them in the Philadelphia region. The changes include:
What the remodels include
- New layouts and updated technology.
- In-store navigation app.
- Free pharmacy delivery for Walmart+ members.
- Express orders are ready in less than an hour.
How does this affect Walmart shoppers?
The impact varies by store. Where traditional self-checkout is removed, service returns to human cashiers. Where the AI tool is deployed, the system identifies fresh products without needing to scan barcodes.
Checkout Experience Vice President Christyn Keef confirmed that technology is already in 30% of stores and will expand to 50% in the near term. Chains like Target, Dollar General, and Five Below have also cut back on self-checkout in recent years, in a trend that is taking hold across U.S. retail.