Kroger converts Tennessee store to self-checkout
Kroger has removed its traditional checkout lanes in favor of self-checkouts at one of its stores in the greater Nashville area of Tennessee, with another set to follow suit. According to Kroger spokesperson Lauren Bell, the Mallory Lane location in Franklin was chosen due to its already high rate of self-checkout customers.
The grocer is making the move as a way to meet customer expectations and not in an effort to cut costs, Bell told a local Nashville news outlet. Four wider checkout lanes with conveyor belts have been added to the store for customers with larger purchases.
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"No jobs have been eliminated due to this conversion,” said Bell. “Some titles have changed but we will continue to have staff at the front of the store.”
It’s been confirmed that a Kroger location in Nashville’s Hillsboro Village neighborhood will also be converted to self-checkout only later this year, though there are no current plans in the works for additional stores to be converted.
Meanwhile, Kroger recently expanded its tech-enabled delivery capabilities in neighboring Kentucky, when it officially opened its latest spoke delivery facility in the town of Independence. The new facility is located about 40 miles south of Kroger’s Monroe, Ohio, fulfillment center, and will service customers throughout Northern Kentucky and nearby Cincinnati.
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In March, Kroger opened a customer fulfillment center in Aurora, Colo., to seamlessly deliver groceries and home essentials for customers across the region. The approximately 300,000-square-foot facility, located at 6125 North Jackson Gap Way in Aurora, provides delivery to customers up to 90 minutes away.
This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer.