Trader Joe's will not be adding self-checkouts to its stores anytime soon. On the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast episode on August 14, 2023, Bryan Palbaum, the company's chairman and CEO, addressed the rumors that the grocery chain was planning to on making such a change.
Jon Basalone, the president of stores and vice CEO of the company also addressed the rumors, adding that they were "false as false can be." Unsure as to where the rumor came about or how it started spreading, the company wants to make it clear that it has no intention of replacing its human checkout experience.
"Because we believe in people and we’re not trying to get rid of our crew members for efficiency sake or whatever the, I don’t know what the reasons are people put self-checkout in," the vice CEO said. He also added that self-checkouts in general are confusing. "I was in a store, and I couldn’t get the thing to scan … and then the person came over and was trying to explain to me. I’m like, I do this for a living, and I can’t get this thing to work!"
The company's chairman shared that he doesn't believe self-checkouts are fun. "I have fun bagging groceries and working at the register. Self-checkout is work. I don’t want that."
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"We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, but we’re going to grow," the president said, noting that new customers and products keep things exciting. "That’s where the excitement comes from. You know, it’s not crazy new ideas like the robot in the aisle that answers questions and helps to clean up spills. It’s simpler than that and actually more exciting than that because of that reason."
