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The failure of self-checkout technology

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Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#391

Post by chasd00 »

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

Then it's not just my local store! CVS cashiers are unbearably slow, self-checkout there means i don't dread going there or at least can avoid the awkward conversation of asking to pay for sundries at the pharmacy checkout. A local 711, granted it's one of those concept stores with lots of bells and whistles, also has self checkout. They're pretty fast at the regular cashier line but self-checkout at 711 makes grabbing a soda/coke and paying for it while getting gas even faster.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#392

Post by bee_rider »

HPsquared wrote: post #317
DanielHB wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient. Especially if you could do things like scan the same product multiple times if you were buying multiple copies of it. The supermarkets in Sweden work like this, the only thing some of they do is random checks. In some chains you do need t…

The big supermarkets in the UK have a "scan as you shop" system. There is a portable scanner you take along with the trolley and scan each item as you put it in the trolley (directly into a bag - avoiding the bagging step). You then just go to the self-checkout and pay for what you scanned. They do spot checks at the checkout, especially for "new" customers. It's tied to your identity (need to scan a store card to un…

We have that in some chains in the US. Stop and Shop, for example. It is much better.

I think it is not as popular in some areas of the US because some parts of the country have very low trust.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#393

Post by prewett »

bombcar wrote: post #313
Freak_NL wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is cost savings for the supermarket. That's it. Some customer prefer them, but usually that is the effect of deliberately understaffing the remaining cash registers, or the customer being completely unable or unwilling to interact with strangers. Supermarkets are now grudgingly admitting that self checkout systems cause a significant increase in loss due to theft, but that it is still cheaper than hiring ac…

I wonder how much theft would be mitigated if you implemented a quasi-random “free item” feature - tune it so there’s a chance the last item you scanned rings up free. Tune it to be a 2-5% discount at most, similar to coupons. Make the customer feel they won something.

That sounds like how Star Market does things: everything is overpriced by a dollar compared to normal grocery stores (which unfortunately are a thirty minute drive from me), but they have rotating “sales” that are $1.00 off. I absolutely hate the store, because they aren’t fooling me, just overcharging me and then claiming I “saved” money.

I think this is how all Alberstons-owned stores work, because I’ve seen it an Randall’s and other places, but until now could avoid shopping there. I always wondered why Walmart said “everyday low prices”, because isn’t that normal? Well, apparently not.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#394

Post by nopurpose »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #388
CM30 wrote: post #248

It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that. In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient. Especially if you could do things like scan the same product multiple time…

I have used multiple self-checkout stations in the United States that weigh items. If you add two cans instead of one into your bag, the computer terminal will inquire about it. And security: You only need a single person standing there to scary away 95% of shoplifters. I watched a YouTube video from the channel "Not Just Bikes" about grocery shopping in Amsterdam, Netherlands showed a supermarket where you carry the…

Scan as you shop minimises shoplifting by requiring random spot checks. When you about to checkout, person comes and re-scans few items in your bags, if all were scanned you are good to go.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#395

Post by elitan »

TrackerFF wrote: post #387

You'd think the article was written by a rep from the cashiers union. I have no bad experiences with self-checkout. None. Going to a staffed-only checkout feels like going back 20 years in time. They take up more space, they can move slower, suddenly customers will kill the speed because they need to look for their coupons, pay with change, or whatever.

same

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#396

Post by compiler-guy »

TrackerFF wrote: post #387

You'd think the article was written by a rep from the cashiers union. I have no bad experiences with self-checkout. None. Going to a staffed-only checkout feels like going back 20 years in time. They take up more space, they can move slower, suddenly customers will kill the speed because they need to look for their coupons, pay with change, or whatever.

And because I personally have never seen the problem, it couldn’t possibly exist!

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#397

Post by [deleted] »

TrackerFF wrote: post #387

You'd think the article was written by a rep from the cashiers union. I have no bad experiences with self-checkout. None. Going to a staffed-only checkout feels like going back 20 years in time. They take up more space, they can move slower, suddenly customers will kill the speed because they need to look for their coupons, pay with change, or whatever.

[deleted]

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#398

Post by bee_rider »

alpaca128 wrote: post #260
CM30 wrote: post #248

It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that. In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient. Especially if you could do things like scan the same product multiple time…

> In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient How would it be more efficient than a traditional checkout? There's no way the average person can match the speed of a cashier who does that every day, and at least the supermarkets I've visited don't have enough self checkout machines to…

> There's no way the average person can match the speed of a cashier who does that every day

Lots of people have at some point worked as cashiers, it isn’t some completely rare skill. Average person, sure they’ll be worse, but go up like one standard deviation in scanning skill and you can probably win. The cashier has also been there all day and can’t leave, so they aren’t in as much of a rush.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#399

Post by Goz3rr »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #388
CM30 wrote: post #248

It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that. In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient. Especially if you could do things like scan the same product multiple time…

I have used multiple self-checkout stations in the United States that weigh items. If you add two cans instead of one into your bag, the computer terminal will inquire about it. And security: You only need a single person standing there to scary away 95% of shoplifters. I watched a YouTube video from the channel "Not Just Bikes" about grocery shopping in Amsterdam, Netherlands showed a supermarket where you carry the…

You can get randomly selected upon checkout where they will sample a few items from your bag, and if it finds a discrepancy they will rescan every item you have.

These hand held scanners have been a thing for over 10 years, way before the current iteration of self checkout stations. They continue to exist side by side with self checkout stations at supermarkets mainly.

It also should be noted that I have not seen a single self checkout station in the Netherlands that puts restrictions on how you scan your items. It doesn't care about weight and in what order you scan and put items into your bag or if you just keep holding the items, and I never have any issues with this system breaking or complaining about anything.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#400

Post by tylerhou »

_heimdall wrote: post #366
aceki wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RFID tags are already used for inventory management for some items/retailers. A system like this can just piggyback on the existing tags.

It would need to expand to every product though, right? From produce to packs of gum, they would all need tags that can be reliably scanned by the bag/cart.

I’ve seen it at stores where each item is relatively more expensive (e.g. a Uniqlo).
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