West Des Moines, Iowa — The Hy-Vee supermarket chain is removing self-checkout stations from some stores.
A spokesperson for Hy-Vee says they have started removing the self-checkouts from some stores, but they do not have a final number. The spokesperson says they “want to provide a better customer experience in several of our stores by bringing back the face-to-face interaction with our employees that we had pre-COVID.”
A clerk in a central Iowa store told Radio Iowa the self-checkouts were being removed over concerns about theft. The Hy-Vee spokesperson would not confirm that, saying there have been national stories about retailers doing this, however, she says their main focus is to provide the best service possible.