The failure of self-checkout technology
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Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#2To me, this seems very anglophone: although I also prefer the cashier and use self-checkout only if there's a queue, imx it always works and never has queues. (for large shopping we let them deliver, so in-store for us is always small numbers of items)
(as for "retail shrinkage": here newspaper boxes do have a slot for coins but don't have a lock on the door)
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#3I love them. How quickly people forget… waiting in line for over 10 minutes wasn’t all that uncommon back it the day.
Doesn’t really matter though. The next gen tech is coming soon. You won’t have to scan anymore and theft will be next to impossible.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#4I think they work quite well on average. Very efficient space and time-wise in densely populated cities like London.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#5I don't use a cashier if self-checkout is available.
Supermarkets where I live have 2-6 kiosks, and there is usually one employee overseeing it and helping people. Once in a while a kiosk will beep and the employee has to pick out a few random items and scan them. If they scan something you didn't pay for - you're in trouble.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#6I'm surprised to read this because my personal experience is they've gotten better now they're at critical mass. I feel like I'm able to get through them quicker than a staffed checkout.
I definitely see the issue with theft. I do suspect that this is a result of tech failures. Customers just go "fuck this, it doesn't scan so I'm not paying." It's not unreasonable, given the issues with staffing them when there are technical issues.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#7I love them. How quickly people forget… waiting in line for over 10 minutes wasn’t all that uncommon back it the day. Doesn’t really matter though. The next gen tech is coming soon. You won’t have to scan anymore and theft will be next to impossible.
I assume you mean being able to walk out the front door with the goods and have them charged to you automatically. But how does this address the current US epidemic of people stealing goods by just walking in and out because there’s no criminal charges under a certain amount in some jurisdictions? Seems like this problem will just amplified, leaving to more shuttered stores.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#8It's interesting that despite being a BBC article, the customers supposedly ditching them are nearly all US retailers, with only one very minor UK retailer mentioned. From my experience (in the UK) they tend to work well if staffed appropriately, and are easy and quick to deal with the vast majority of the time.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#9Curious. Obviously this is just just anecdote, but all the shops I use regularly (in the UK) have been increasing the number of self-checkouts and upgrading the systems. My local Waitrose has stripped out a whole load of basket tills and replaced them with a larger self-checkout area with upgraded hardware that is noticably better/more reliable.
Perhaps this is a location or shop specific effect?
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#10I love them. How quickly people forget… waiting in line for over 10 minutes wasn’t all that uncommon back it the day. Doesn’t really matter though. The next gen tech is coming soon. You won’t have to scan anymore and theft will be next to impossible.
>theft will be next to impossible
This sounds like some tech utopia t thinking. What's gonna stop someone just grabbing something and walking out? The employees?