BOISE, Idaho - Is the era of self-checkout ending? Albertsons has begun to take away self-checkout lanes in each of its more than 200 stores in seven states, and other grocery stores are looking into replacing the self-checkout registers, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Kroger might change its self-checkout lanes into one customer line for multiple, staffed express lanes as it redesigns its stores. Whole Foods Market doesn??t have self-checkout, using metro-style express lanes instead.

"Our customers are our highest priority, and we want to provide them with an excellent experience from the time they park their car to when they leave," said Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox. Albertsons will put regular staffed lanes in place of its current self-checkout lanes.

In June, Kroger took away self-checkout lanes in a high-traffic Houston location. "This isn??t a test," said spokesman Gary Huddleston. "We are looking at each and every store as we remodel to determine which checkout works best."

"Customer service and the personal touch is a prevailing theme today," said Bob Young, managing director of the Weitzman Group.

While Home Depot is not looking to replace their self-checkout lanes, the home-improvement company has placed 30,000 First Phones in stores to let workers check out customers anywhere in the store.