Sadly, Self-Checkouts Aren’t Going Anywhere
Is anyone else already tired of self-checkouts as much as I am?
It's a great idea in theory, but it doesn't need to be all the store offers and it is driving me crazy. They're great if you're only getting a couple of things, but at a grocery store this shouldn't be happening. Walmart needs to take a playbook from United Supermarkets.
Some people are fast at self-checkout, but if you get stuck behind slower folks you could be there forever. That's why I love going to United or Market Street since they offer both options.
I don't understand why so many stores are getting rid of all manned checkouts. A recent survey of customers nationwide finds that 67 percent of the people who've used self-checkout have had problems with them. It's even given rise to a new term: self-checkout rage.
I've definitely felt this rage, but we still see the rise of more and more places adding only self-checkout areas.
A really annoying part is finding that the self-checkouts are not even delivering the savings they originally projected. They're just costing the companies more because traditional cashiers are cheaper than the armies of IT workers required to keep all the self-checkout machines in working order.
Not only that, but you have to think about theft. As a customer, I'm so worried about thinking I scanned something, not noticing if it didn't scan and then getting in trouble. Then, if you have fruit or other things you have to type in or find, it's just annoying. There could be different sizes of avocados and other things; I never know which one to choose.
Apparently, there's a new technology coming out where machines don't have to require customers to scan items. According to a study, this allows customers, even with many items, to check out in as little as 10 seconds. It also says the machine has a 99.9-percent accuracy. I'll believe it when I see it. Suffice to say, it doesn't look like self-checkout machines are going anywhere anytime soon.
We actually might see it here in Lubbock because Circle K, which have opened all over the city, have already planned to install 7,000 of the new machines in stores over the next couple years.
For now, I'll keep shopping at stores with manned checkout aisles.