Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I went to Krogers today to buy some Apples (Honey Crisp, but not from Michigan) and Bananas. Both the Apples and the Bananas had UPC coded stickers on them. I use the Self Checkers all the time. Krogers still has about 10 lanes of regular check out lines and they are usually busy with customers who have full shopping carts. I usually only buy 2 or 3 things at a time, so the Self Checkers save me a lot of time.

You speak like improving worker productivity using technology is a bad thing. Not only has it been going on for forty years, but it is probably not an optional ‘labor practice” but a matter of survival. It is much less a moral issue than an economic and political one.

There is a saying that “Retail is Change”, but one thing that has not changed is that profitability comes from strict control of one's highest overhead component [labor] as a percentage of gross sales. If labor rates rise, like they do periodically when labor is in short supply or minimum wage goes up, or business volume drops like it might during a recession, a retail business may have no choice but match its labor force to the business climate and perhaps reduce the number of bodies on the floor by purchasing new equipment.

The average consumer can tell the difference between good service and poor service and they say they prefer better service, but they will not pay a higher prices to get better service. Sometimes, consumers even demonize establishments that have the audacity to control overhead and attempt to remain profitable.

Wegmans might argue with the assertion that people won't pay more for better service (but even they have a few self-checkouts)...

They are in a lot of stores up here. Some do them really well (i.e. Costco, although there are only 2 in Ontario that have them and apparently they won't be putting them in anywhere else, too much shrinkage from what I've heard) and some do them really badly, like Wal-mart or IKEA. Seriously, you want me to self scan furniture I have to assemble? Should I do your inventory too?
I've found they are not always faster. Many times there are young children at them, and they just want to "help". So everything takes twice as long and it can be faster at a regular cash. If you can find them open that is.
I've never tried to scam them (Sister Mary would track me down) and I think my accuracy in scanning is better than most cashiers.

Our local costco has self check-out. What surprised me is how much the improved it over the period of a few months; they very much tweaked it until they got it going very well. Still, lots of people seem confused when using it (or any other self check out), so sometimes a short line can take a long time... but if there is no line, it can be very quick.

I'm surprised they don't intent to put them elsewhere, they seemed to have put a lot of effort into ours.

The Costco where I shop has a couple of self checkers as does one of our local supermarkets. Our two new supermarkets do not have them. I use them when there are long lines and I have only a few items. Our newest store is very concerned with service. I've even had the store manager check out my groceries.

fitzie

HEB in Central Texas ripped them all out a couple of months ago...

You are doing their inventory. As long as you correctly scanned your new FRAMSTÅ entertainment center, the store now knows that they are down one and the order gets sent to HQ automatically.

I am a little confused by this post. Are you suggesting that because a store has chosen to install self checkout stations and presumably lay off workers, that is then all right to steal from them? And choosing to defeat the machines to get a lower price is stealing. I don't like self checkers, and don't use them. If they bothered me enough that I cared, I would choose to shop elsewhere.

I don't get the idea that is OK to violate the law if you disagree with it.

Actually, that's not true. There are plenty of studies which show consumers will pay more for better service. And for some, self checkout is better service, because it makes the experience faster. In fact, some stores in the UK are deploying "scan as you go" based upon successful beta tests.

Amy