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The failure of self-checkout technology

bbc.com

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Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#121

Post by ky0ung »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #108
devilbunny wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that's great, but it's a bit impractical for groceries. Even the relatively small cost of an NFC tag is going to be a real problem given how thin most groceries' margins are (and how cheap small amounts of food can be, even now). But groceries are one of the best examples of where this would be a big time-saver. I will say that I really do prefer self-check in convenience stores, where a big purchase is thre…

When I started looking at RFID tech in 2004, the disposable tags cost maybe $.50-$1 but general consensus was the costs would follow a Moore’s law like trajectory, halving every 2-3 years until they were on even the cheapest items. And yet here we are 20 years later and I don’t see RFID checkout systems very often at all. Are the tags still really expensive? Or is it the extra cost of attaching them to packaging?

RFID tags are ~10c (Impinj) and are getting cheaper each year. they're widely used in apparel stores. think it'd be tough to justify attaching them to low value items in a grocery store. self checkout prob more effective using computer vision

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#123

Post by ky0ung »

eappleby wrote: post #112
add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #99

It would be a nightmare to lose self checkout at Target. It would be a blessing to lose it at CVS. It can be done very well or very poorly.

Not at my CVS. They have one checkout clerk, and if there are more than 3 people standing in line, it can take 10+ minutes to checkout. With self-checkout, I'm in and out in 30 seconds. Presumably, they'd add more checkout clerks if they remove the self-checkout, but I wouldn't count on it

agreed. i've found CVS self-checkout to be the best of all retail stores i go to

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#124

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

LeafItAlone wrote: post #118
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is me. At a Walmart this weekend the machine booped instead of beeped, and I didn't get that meant it didn't scan, I routinely forget to scan whatever is on the bottom of the cart. Usually cases of water but a few times it was the box of 32 hamburgers. I never had a cashier catch it - and they're invariably surprised when I come back into pay.

A Walmart I visited recently had a camera at ankle level specially to show the bottom of your cart for the cashier to see. Another store (I forget which) had a full cart camera and prompted me to check my cart for remaining items because I had unused reusable bags in it.

> A Walmart I visited recently had a camera at ankle level specially to show the bottom of your cart for the cashier to see.

I've seen that, now that you mention it. It must have been on a trip. None nearby have it.

> Another store (I forget which) had a full cart camera and prompted me to check my cart for remaining items because I had unused reusable bags in it.

That's a new one. I'm not sure if getting flagged would be more annoying than having to go back.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#125

Post by add-sub-mul-div »

eappleby wrote: post #112
add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #99

It would be a nightmare to lose self checkout at Target. It would be a blessing to lose it at CVS. It can be done very well or very poorly.

Not at my CVS. They have one checkout clerk, and if there are more than 3 people standing in line, it can take 10+ minutes to checkout. With self-checkout, I'm in and out in 30 seconds. Presumably, they'd add more checkout clerks if they remove the self-checkout, but I wouldn't count on it

Right, they'd have to add more clerks to compensate. I prefer self checkout, but their implementation is horrible.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#126

Post by manmal »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #108
devilbunny wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that's great, but it's a bit impractical for groceries. Even the relatively small cost of an NFC tag is going to be a real problem given how thin most groceries' margins are (and how cheap small amounts of food can be, even now). But groceries are one of the best examples of where this would be a big time-saver. I will say that I really do prefer self-check in convenience stores, where a big purchase is thre…

When I started looking at RFID tech in 2004, the disposable tags cost maybe $.50-$1 but general consensus was the costs would follow a Moore’s law like trajectory, halving every 2-3 years until they were on even the cheapest items. And yet here we are 20 years later and I don’t see RFID checkout systems very often at all. Are the tags still really expensive? Or is it the extra cost of attaching them to packaging?

Are you suggesting to put trillions of copper, silicon, and aluminum parts on disposable items like bananas, so people have a slightly better shopping experience?

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#127

Post by a1o »

hackan wrote: post #92

I love self-checkout, honestly. Machines need to improve, but still. There's a store here where u simply DROP all items in the self-checkout basket, and it automatically computes everything! I suspect it uses NFC or similar, but it works, and its wonderful, simply drop everything in! And wait, there's more: did I say drop everything in? I meant, the bag you are using to hold everything? just put it in that basket, in…

It's Uniqlo and it works because clothes have no metal or body of water or something else that could interfere with the RFID.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#128

Post by happytoexplain »

Havoc wrote: post #105

>The biggest problem is theft. That sounds like a societal failure more than a shopping tech failure. I personally like them...as long as they aren't the kind that weigh the items. Those always end up needing staff override because the stupid thing is too sensitive

It is, but we don't get to declare a solution a success just because the thing that killed it was environmental. It must work in the target environment, and it seems that, unfortunately, US society has failed the theft test in most places. I live in a somewhat diverse but mostly upper-middle-class suburban area, and even here theft shot up with the machines. They couldn't sustain it.

The weight thing is often enabled because of theft.

It might not be the solution designer's "fault" if they couldn't figure out a workable way to account for the problem, but it does make the solution a "failure".

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#129

Post by claytongulick »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #108
devilbunny wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that's great, but it's a bit impractical for groceries. Even the relatively small cost of an NFC tag is going to be a real problem given how thin most groceries' margins are (and how cheap small amounts of food can be, even now). But groceries are one of the best examples of where this would be a big time-saver. I will say that I really do prefer self-check in convenience stores, where a big purchase is thre…

When I started looking at RFID tech in 2004, the disposable tags cost maybe $.50-$1 but general consensus was the costs would follow a Moore’s law like trajectory, halving every 2-3 years until they were on even the cheapest items. And yet here we are 20 years later and I don’t see RFID checkout systems very often at all. Are the tags still really expensive? Or is it the extra cost of attaching them to packaging?

When I was messing with RFID for a fulfillment line to improve handling returns, the biggest challenge was orientation.

The cost for an RFID tag is minimal if you can guarantee the proper orientation. If you can't, they get very expensive (relatively speaking).

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#130

Post by djbusby »

matthewdgreen wrote: post #108
devilbunny wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that's great, but it's a bit impractical for groceries. Even the relatively small cost of an NFC tag is going to be a real problem given how thin most groceries' margins are (and how cheap small amounts of food can be, even now). But groceries are one of the best examples of where this would be a big time-saver. I will say that I really do prefer self-check in convenience stores, where a big purchase is thre…

When I started looking at RFID tech in 2004, the disposable tags cost maybe $.50-$1 but general consensus was the costs would follow a Moore’s law like trajectory, halving every 2-3 years until they were on even the cheapest items. And yet here we are 20 years later and I don’t see RFID checkout systems very often at all. Are the tags still really expensive? Or is it the extra cost of attaching them to packaging?

Metrc charged $0.40 for single use RFID for cannabis plants starting in 2014.
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