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The Future of Shopping
Hugh Pickens writes "The WSJ reports that a new device, now in use at about half of Ahold USA's Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets in the Northeast, is making supermarket shoppers — and stores — happier. Looking like a smartphone, perched on the handle of your shopping cart, it scans grocery items as you add them to your cart. And while shoppers like it because it helps avoid an interminable wait at the cashier, retailers like it because the device encourages shoppers to buy more, probably because of targeted coupons and the control felt by consumers while using the device. Retail experts predict that before long most of these mobile shopping gadgets will be supplanted by customers' own smartphones. As more customers load their smartphones with debit, credit and loyalty card information, more stores will adopt streamlined checkout technology."
We've had these for years in the UK
I'm all for spending less time in the store, especially in a checkout line. I do not welcome stores further tracking my buying habits by requiring an app that ties my shopping list to a loyalty card and my debit card.
They already know I buy a lot of tinfoil. They still do not know I make hats out of it. Dammit, I just told them.
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There's always one freaking item that won't scan no matter what you do, and you're left with keying in a number that's a mile long, or you have to call for help. The self-checkout at Wally World moves slower than the other checkout that have live human beings.
Would these scanners be better and more reliable?
This has been used in the UK since around 1996/7. You get a random 'audit' every N visits.
I first used these in the UK in Safeway back in the late 90s. Now that they've been takenover by Morrisons I don't think they have them anymore.
Waitrose still have them though. You just swipe your credit card and it tells you which handset to pick up, and then you do your shopping. Article from 1997: http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=33232
Is this really a new thing in the US?
First section in the store is produce. "How do you weigh this?" "I don't know." Left the device on a shelf... Back to Peapod delivery for me.
-Clio
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One of the store chains in my area ran a test with them too. Unfortunately, they were discontinued. I'm not privy to the real reasons, but I suspect that there was a lot of theft. The store had to trust that you had actually scanned all the items in your cart. The other problem from my perspective was that the little kiosks that let you price produce (they gave you a barcoded sticker to scan) kept breaking.
Lets start refering to The War Against Terror by it's initials. . .
Self checkout lanes still typically have a person at the end monitoring a few lanes, and some scales you have to put everything on after you scan it.
They have to have people there because the machines are so incredibly unreliable. 'Put the item in the bag'.. 'I already put the item in the bag you moron'... 'Put the item in the bag'... takes item out of bag.. 'Return the item to the bag'... puts it back in the bag... 'Please wait for an assistant'.
Most times I could get through the checkout faster if they just had a human doing it for me.
The faster I buy my shit at the store, the faster I am home with my family enjoying our shit.
Free time. Life is about free time.
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Stores assume people will buy more, which won't happen, because people have no money and are avoiding spending as much as possible. I did my job, I cut all my expenses really hard, every time I go to a supermarket, I take a shopping list that I follow strictly. I only buy what I really need, and always buy the cheapest products that don't suck.
Funny, because here in my country the big retail tycoons are the most vocal about reducing wages and social benefits. They forget that people without money can't buy the fancy shit they sell.
Random audits at checkout. About every 10th time or so that I used the U-Scan at my local Stop & Shop, I was randomly selected to have 5 random items in my cart checked out by a clerk to make sure that I had scanned them. Takes about 30 seconds total, and not having to wait in line at checkout easily saved me at least 20 minutes at the grocery store per visit.
While I was living in Brussels, Belgium (circa 99) I was already using a similar device at the local AD Delhaize supermarket... Granted, it was probably bulkier back in those days, but the same principle applied.
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Yeah. I've heard of a similar, albeit more primitive, concept called "self-checkout lane" - that never took off, either.
I'm assuming that was sarcastic. If not, the rest of this doesn't make as much sense.
Self checkout lanes still typically have a person at the end monitoring a few lanes, and some scales you have to put everything on after you scan it.
As I understand, these still require a random audit, which isn't too hard to defeat still. For one, it's unlikely to require audits close together, so just keep an eye on things and then jump on the line that just had an audit.
Assuming the audit system is actually random, there's no way you can guarantee that two audits won't come up back-to-back either. Are you really willing to take that chance?
Alternately you can bury the thing you want to steal underneath a bunch of other stuff in the cart.
Now you're assuming they haven't been trained to pull items from random depths in the cart, as much of a pain as that might sometimes be.
Avoid a line that has the rare diligent auditor.
Self-checkout lanes where I live tend to be the cashiers that are more observant and reliable than the average cashier. I'd assume with a system like this, they'd tend to be even more so.
Lastly if you get caught just watch the process and as they go to scan a stolen item say something like "Wait, that's not supposed to be in there. I thought I put that back on the shelf."
Yeah, I'm sure he's heard that one before too. The guys manning these stations aren't likely to be that naive.
OTOH, that doesn't make this a show stopper. With higher custom satisfaction (which hopefully translates to a higher repeat sale rate) and reduced total cashier payroll this can still work to a net profit if the additional shrink isn't too severe.
People actually determined to shoplift are still more likely to just stuff the item in their jacket, where the auditor is unlikely to check anyway.
So is it random, or every N visits?
--Jim (me)
It's the same, here. I've been checked a few times. I wouldn't dream of trying to game the system, but there should be the occasional idiot who does it. Authentically random flagging above a certain percentage guarantees security. If they pick people by their appearance or whatever, forget it.
I always choose self-service when I'm not buying a lot of stuff. I hate waiting, specially in lines. I find it really strange that most people prefer the regular cashiers. For example, I've used an electronic toll device in my ever since it appeared in the 90's. Toll booths are always full of stopped cars. I just pass by and wave them. I wonder why the poor jerks prefer to waste their time waiting and have to worry about keeping cash, instead of just not even thinking about it, like me.