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Retailers are reporting a drop in their sales of impulse items - those sodas, candies and packets of gum that are stacked up in checkout lines - since they have switched to self-checkout lanes at some stores. Customers are too busy watching the register availability to pick out additional snacks, assuming that such snacks are even available near the new machines. Statistical data was collected by a retail consulting firm, which noted that women's impulse buying dropped by 50% and men's by 27.9%. The biggest drops in sales were in individually packaged salty snacks (down 53%) and sodas and bottled waters (down 50%).
While this may be bad news for retailers, it is good news for consumers. Not only will shoppers save a few dollars when they're out shopping, but they will save thousands of calories over the course of the year - avoiding a potential weight gain of 2.5 pounds, according to the above-mentioned retail firm. The "Self Checkout Diet" may not become a best seller, but this information is certainly something worth keeping in mind the next time you're out at the store.
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8-15-2006 @6:33PM Tom Martin said... Especially they will save health not buying condoms :D
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8-15-2006 @7:48PM MJ said... Hate self checkouts!
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8-15-2006 @8:45PM anonymousangel said... In addition to saving money by buying less snacks, you can save money with everything else: Everytime you're at the self-checkout, and you see your total amount going up, you're not afraid to say- "hey, i don't need this- i'll put it back" instead of just saying, "forget it- the cashier already has it with my other stuff" -
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8-15-2006 @11:26PM Debra said... I never tried one before but after reading this and thinking about it..it sure makes sence and I'm going to give it a trial time.
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8-16-2006 @1:22AM AL said... Yes, it is time to get off of our butts and do it for ourselves. I wish every high volume store in America had self check out.It is not perfect (having to wait for an ID check for wine and beer),but it is cost effective(to the company, and hopefully trickle down to the consumer),and personally fun. Check yourself out!!
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8-16-2006 @3:52AM Sally said... I love them!
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8-16-2006 @5:55AM J. Jones said... I use self-checkout all the time -- but, why take on all of that work for yourself, except to save time? But, the process and the machines are very slow.
The stores like the reduced labor cost but the unions have opposed them. They function OK but still have a long way to go in technology improvement. If enough people used them, they would reduce our costs, because the stores could reduce their labor costs -- which is often the largest part of the price of the item we are buying.
Once you get used to them, they offer the convenience of generally shorter lines and potentially faster check-out.
But, if you have used them enough to get familiar with the operation, they can get frustrating.
If the item you scan is slightly underweight or slightly overweight, the machine may not allow a next item until a clerk overrides it. Weighing the area with the bags and checking what you place there is the way they try to prevent a dishonest shopper from scanning a cheap item, but putting a more expensive item in their bag. But to catch that, the machine looks for a fairly precise weight, and those things you buy can be a little under or over weight. The weighing sensors are very slow and always seem to delay the machine from re-setting and allowing the next item to be scanned.
An non-self checkout, a good checkout person can scan quickly, then bag all the items at once, also very quickly. At self-check-out you have to scan, then bag -- it is much slower and less efficient. Plus you have to be thinking "what shall I choose next that will fit in the bag I am filling?" So, self-checking requires a lot more work on the part of the customer and is much less efficient than non-self checkout.
If you are experienced and you know all the screens, it is frustrating waiting for the next screen to come up -- especially if you are in a hurry. The machines are very slow and require you to wait for them all the time.
Finally, if you are in a hurry, the people who are using the machines while you are waiting, will inevitable all be:
1. Talking on their cell phones or to their shopping mate, and not be paying any attention. Like they do when a clerk is checking them out. But, you can't check-out fast if you are distracted by a conversation.
2. Slow.
3. Inexperienced, and reading each screen to decide what to do next.
The systems need an experienced shopper lane where people who know how to use them can get through without waiting on all the slow people.
Also, they need to have a fast mode, so when you scan your frequent shopper card, if you are experienced with the machine, it recognizes you and skips all of the junk screens and useless information and just gives you a fast way through the process.
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8-16-2006 @8:57AM Liz said... One of the supermarkets in our area recently put in 8 self-checkouts and my husband and I love using them. It seems like most of the shoppers still don't know how to use them or don't like them, so there's almost never a line-up for them. They seem to work just fine and they really speed up the whole shopping process. If we're only going in for a couple of items, we can be in and out in about 15 minutes.
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8-16-2006 @9:01AM Albany Jane said... These self check outs can be a huge time saver. Or they can hamper your checking out by an extra 15 minutes.
I usually get stuck behind the person who's in a hurry, but doesn't know how to use the machine, gets frustrated and takes longer than if they waited in line. Or I get the person who has an overflowing shopping cart with tons of produce to weigh at the end.
It seems the alternative in places with these self-checkout machines is either long lines manned by employees with no express lanes open, or short but EXTREMELY slow self-checkout kiosks. It's more of a lose-lose situation, and I think that people are buying less impulse items because it's one more thing to scan and they just want to get out of the supermarket.
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8-16-2006 @11:00AM Finished.Law.School said... I love self check outs. There should be more of them and they should be available 24 hours a day.
Aside from when there is an idiot in front of me who does not understand how they work, it is always a much quicker way to get out of the store.
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8-16-2006 @11:59AM Dale said... So, while you are trying to save a little time you are helping put people out of work. Don't think for a minute the store will be so grateful pass the savings on to you. After they have converted the checkouts they may move on to product delivery. Just show up early and unload the truck, stock the shelves and then check yourself out. Maybe the craze will catch on and we can begin doing our own auto repairs, dental work and same day surgery. Just think of the time and money we could save...
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8-16-2006 @1:28PM Bruce Anderson said... Dale, I don't know about where you shop, but where I shop the automated checkout lanes are seldom in working order. So what you're proposing by insinuation is that we put the repairmen (sorry, repairPERSONS) out of work.
I think you're being very short-sighted, in any event. Innovation is important. The people you claim are put out of work by these abominations (I HATE the damned things) aren't fired. Didn't you know that grocery store workers are unionised? They're just moved to stores without automated checkouts (and there aren't many that have them) or given different responsibilities.
I really don't like automated checkers though. They're balky and stupid and I've had enough problems with them that unless I've just got two items and all the regular lanes are packed I'll avoid them like the plague.
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