Retail’s self-checkout era is hitting a wall. Target, Costco , and Walmart are all scaling back or restricting self-service lanes as retailers grapple with rising theft, frustrated shoppers, and growing questions about whether the technology actually made stores more efficient in the first place.

According to Black Enterprise , the latest wave of changes comes after years of aggressive expansion of self-checkout kiosks across the retail industry. What was once pitched as a faster, more convenient shopping experience is now being reconsidered inside corporate boardrooms. Retail executives have reportedly identified three major problems driving the shift: inventory loss, customer dissatisfaction, and operational headaches caused by malfunctioning systems and longer wait times.

For companies like Walmart, the rollback is already happening in real time.…