Walmart tests 'full service' self-checkout plan at Ottawa location
Walmart Canada says self-checkouts continue to be offered in stores across Canada, including at an Ottawa location where they were advising of a test of a 'full-serve' experience, but still has not explained why that test was undertaken.
The Walmart Supercentre at Billings Bridge started the test at its self-checkouts on Saturday. The area was blocked off when CTV News Ottawa visited on Monday, with signs explaining it is a test of a 'full-serve experience.'
"During this test, our associates will be available to scan all items, including those being processed in the area known as our self-checkout," the note says. "We look forward to interacting you with on a more one-one-one basis."
It's not clear how long the test at this Walmart location was intended to last. CTV News reached out to Walmart for comment, but did not hear back on Monday.
In a reply Tuesday, a spokesperson for the retail giant said the company added additional staff to the self-checkout area over the weekend to help customers.
"In our Billings Bridge store in Ottawa, the store introduced additional associates in the self-checkout area over the weekend to assist customers. The self-checkout area was and continues to be open and available to customers and has returned to typical staffing for this location," the statement said.
When asked for clarification about the announced test of this 'full-serve' experience and whether it has now ended, Walmart replied with the same statememnt.
"In our Billings Bridge store in Ottawa, the store introduced additional associates in the self-checkout area over the weekend to assist customers, which included help with scanning. The self-checkout area was and continues to be open and available to customers and has returned to typical staffing for this location."
The spokesperson added that customers visiting the store can expect a "customer-led self-checkout experience where associates are available to help if needed."
Customers were using the self-checkout as normal Tuesday evening with one employee present in the self-checkout area.
The company did not answer a question about the nature of the test that signs said the store was undertaking.
Walmart also clarified that its Gloucester location at Blair and Ogilvie has moved all checkouts to the front of the store.
"In our Gloucester store in Ottawa, the mall entrance to the store has been closed and all checkout takes place at the front entrance. Both belted checkout lanes and self-checkout are currently available to customers," the company said.
It comes as other retailers, including grocers, have been implementing measures to combat what they claim is a rise in shoplifting, including receipt checks and gates at entrances and exits.
Earlier this year, Walmart Canada CEO Gonzala Gebara said the company has been working on "internal processes" with regard to security.
"We have been working on investing in technology. We have been very well connected with the RCC (Retail Council of Canada) and collaborating with everyone so that we can make our stores the safest place for our customers to shop and for our associates to work," he said in May during a tour of a distribution centre in Moncton, N.B.
When asked about self-checkouts, he said there was no plan to scale back on them to curb theft.
"We're really happy with the evolution that they are having and we're happy also with the fact that we're providing customers with choices. If you want to have a regular checkout, you can go there, and if you want to just attend for yourself, you can just do it."
According to Statistics Canada, police-reported cases of shoplifting rose 31 per cent in 2022 compared to the year prior, but remained lower than they were in 2019.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy and CTV News Atlantic's Derek Haggett.
Correction
An earlier version of this story said Walmart had removed self-checkouts at its Billings Bridge store. This was inaccurate. The self-checkout kiosks were still there, but were staffed by employees over the weekend as part of what signage in the store said was a "test" of a "full-service experience."
Walmart says self-checkouts remain available at all of its Canadian stores, including Billings Bridge. Customers were using self-checkouts at the Billings Bridge store Tuesday evening as normal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.