Grocery store self-checkout got me thinking about something

Three years ago I walked into the Piggly Wiggly on Elm Street and there was just one self-checkout lane with a sign that said staffed only. Last month I counted ten machines at the same store and nobody even asked if I needed help bagging. Is it just me or did we kind of speed through this whole transition without talking about what we lost?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixm2920d ago

I saw a report a few months ago that said grocery store self-checkout theft went up like 30% too. Real people can spot a suspicious bag job way better than a camera can. Might be one of those things where we traded good customer service for a little more convenience.

nancy_wood20d ago

murray.robert said "the machine never judges me for buying a whole cheesecake at 9pm" and honestly that's a fair point, but here's what I keep wondering about. Has anyone actually tracked if the time we save at self checkout gets eaten up by waiting for a machine to start up or fix a "unexpected item in bagging area" glitch? My local store has one attendant for ten machines and I stood there for four minutes yesterday waiting for her to come clear a weight error.

murray.robert20d ago

Are folks really stealing more or are stores just watching closer now? I honestly think self checkout gets a bad rap. At my local Kroger they had four cashiers on a Tuesday night and two of them were just standing around. Meanwhile I can scan my 12 items and be out the door in 90 seconds without having to make small talk. I get that people miss the human interaction but convenience wins for me every time. Plus the machine never judges me for buying a whole cheesecake at 9pm.