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Monday, June 2, 2008
Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
“Please, wait for assistance.”
Anyone using the self-checkout systems in large retail stores knows those words are coming. And though spoken in pleasant, well-modulated tones, they are irritating.
The user is subjected to a constant stream of directives from an all-knowing computer that carefully orchestrates every action and motion, yet most of us can’t get through a checkout without failure.
“Put the item in a bag.”
You do it, and the computer still complains. Of course, the computer, being an idiot savant, is completely flummoxed when your item is a case of soft drinks or a 40-pound bag of dog food.
Eventually an assistant sees that the user has come to a standstill and magically presses a few keys permitting the process to continue without any explanation whatsoever, leaving the user in a state of exasperation.
The ostensible premise of self-checkout is that the consumer is placed in control of the process of checking out - no bored clerks, no unnecessary delays, etc. But that appears to be a convenient fiction.
In the first place, the difficulties of designing and implementing customer-friendly self-checkout systems should not be minimized. These systems must be easy-to-use, accurate and comprehensive. All merchandise must be clearly marked, and there must be consistency between shelf pricing and the prices stored in the stations.
The initial demands placed on designers and the ongoing demands placed on retailers should make retailers very cautious in using these systems. Perhaps that is the case. At one time, it seemed like self-checkout stations in larger retail establishments would become commonplace, but that has not occurred.
It does appear that the prime motivation for retailers using these systems is labor savings, while customers must absorb the inadequacies and frustrations of these systems.
That is perhaps more obvious in home improvement stores where the merchandise is far more difficult to be accommodated by computer check-out. Portable scanning devices are absolutely necessary to scan large items; however, those devices are not made available to customers.
Also, the look-up capability for non-marked items, such as bolts, or items located outside the store, such as timbers or straw, is generally inadequate or difficult to use.
Yet, these stores are reluctant to open manned registers, insisting that their self-checkout stations are adequate.
Have retailers using self-checkout systems imposed a flawed or inadequate technology on consumers? Shouldn’t customers expect checking out to be a trouble-free, smooth, even pleasant, experience?
Why should customers be forced to learn the various idiosyncrasies that the systems of different retailers present and put up with the delays solvable only by an attendant.
Are retailers saving labor costs by imposing a nuisance on their customers?
What are your experiences with self-checkout systems? Do you find them convenient? Or, do you find them frustrating?
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