How do self checkouts at stores save money?

[Chris Rosenberger]

We were at a Sams Club today. They had 4 self checkouts. There were 4 employees there to help if someone had a problem. I have used self checkout at Lowe's a few time. Half the time I had a problem & needed help, so I do not use self checkouts anymore. In the 15 minutes we were in line to get checked out, I watched the self checkouts. Almost everyone had problems. The only people that did not have problems were ones that only had a few items.

So most of the time there was an employee at each self checkout helping. It seemed to take longer for people to checkout themselves than if there was a full time cashier.

To me it appears that the store is paying the same number of employees, but getting less for it. What am I missing?

[Mike Henderson]

I don't know if it saves the store money but in many instances, you can checkout faster by using the self checkout than by going to a regular checkout. Part of this is the line. For the self checkout, there is usually one line for about four stations. For the clerk checkout, there's usually one line for each checkout. And if you're like me, you always get in the line that moves the slowest.

In the stores I go to, there's only one clerk for the four self checkout stations so that certainly saves the store money. I've never seen a self checkout system with one clerk per station.

I MUCH prefer to self checkout and avoid stores without self checkout. I can almost always get through the checkout process faster with self checkout. As you can tell, the thing that's important to me is getting in, getting the shopping done, and getting out as quickly as possible.

Mike

[Vons - a while back - said they were not going to put in self checkout so that the clerks could "form a relationship with the customer". Well, if I want a relationship, I'd go to match.com. What I want in a grocery store is (1) a good selection, (2) good pricing, and (3) fast checkout. Self checkout gives me the fast checkout.

My major experience with self checkout has been with Ralphs Grocery Store and Home Depot. Both have good systems and people do not seem to have any problems. The self checkout moves very fast.]

[Mel Fulks]

Saw something in news recently about some stores declaring them a flop and pulling them out .Guess they work ,but nothing magic about them ,it's done with electronics!

[George Bokros]

I avoid the self checkouts. If they are saving money by not having clerks at the checkout then they need to give me a discount for doing the work myself. The self checkouts that really do nothing are the ones that have someone to take the money but I haven't seen those kind recently.

The self checkout is the reason I usually avoid Home Depot because the ones by me that is all they have.

[Jay Jolliffe]

One large food store near me took them out because they were loosing to much food...Not everyone is honest....

[Brian Elfert]

The local Sam' Club only had employees monitoring them when self checkout was new. No employees on more recent visits. It seems like the self checkouts are as busy as the regular checkouts at Sam's Club now. The receipts are blue I suppose so the door checkers can check a little closer.

I try to avoid stores that don't have self checkout. One local grocery store has six self checkouts. The same store had one express lane before they got self checkout. I try to avoid a different local grocery store of the same chain that has no self checkout and no express lane.

[charlie knighton]

we still have 15% unemployment down from 20+, i do not use self checkout

[Larry Frank]

I love the self checkout at a couple of the large grocery stores. I would rather bag my own groceries than watch someone slam dunk my oranges or apples into a bag. I also use the cloth bags which I bring. I do not really use them because of ecology but rather they are stronger and will not break spilling my food.

Groceries are getting real expensive and I want to have undamaged food when I get home. I will grant that there are a couple of grocery stores where they checkout people are nice and they do a good job bagging the groceries. However, these places tend to be more expensive.

I guess I would rather checkout and bag my own stuff rather that get real upset at the way my food is handled.

[Stephen Cherry]

I'd take a shot and say that it's related to loss prevention. It looks like the systems have some sort of identification for the product other than just the bar code, so it would need to match up the bar code, and some other characteristic (weight??). Plus it would reduce employee interaction with the dinero, and they will steal also.

I like the self checkout because you can unload all your coins first.

[ray hampton]

I will walk a mile if I need to so that I can talk to the cashier,
if a dishonest person remove the barcode and use a code from something much cheaply, WILL THE SELF-CHECKOUT CATCH THIS THIEF

[Stephen Cherry]

if a dishonest person remove the barcode and use a code from something much cheaply, WILL THE SELF-CHECKOUT CATCH THIS THIEF

I think that the machine weighs the product, so that the weight and barcode need to match up.

[Myk Rian]

Chris;
I think you just caught a bad day at the self checkout. Maybe computer problems. It happens.

[Paul McGaha]

I don't like self checkouts. Try my best not to use them. I hope they take them out of the stores.

PHM

[Brian Elfert]

Should we all be driving horses and buggies to keep farriers in business? Just because unemployment is high isn't a reason to keep cashiers employed. Many jobs have been eliminated over the years due to advances in technology.

I noticed that a number of new Walmart stores did not have self checkouts. The local Walmart store was remodeled and expanded last year and they installed self checkouts so apparently Walmart is still doing self checkouts.

[Brian Elfert]

I think that the machine weighs the product, so that the weight and barcode need to match up.

Yes, the machine weighs the items. Customers can still steal items by simply never removing them from their cart. A human cashier would make sure everything in the cart got paid for.

Most grocery stores locally do not bag groceries so that isn't a problem for me.

[ray hampton]

some stores are taking the self-serve lanes out or hiring a clerk to man the cash register ,some people need help with the purchases unload into their car and this act will require a stock person or a bagger, if your car got a flat tire , you can ask a bagger to change it for you

[Kevin Bourque]

Our Home Depot stores have self checkout lanes. Theres one employee who monitors 4 checkout stations. That's a huge savings.

[Gary Hodgin]

Assuming the savings are significant, the stores could encourage customers to use self-check by giving them an positive incentive, such as a fifty cents or dollar off the purchase or maybe a snickers bar. Now, the only incentive is negative, avoiding longer lines at the cash register.

[Mike Henderson]

Assuming the savings are significant, the stores could encourage customers to use self-check by giving them an positive incentive, such as a fifty cents or dollar off the purchase or maybe a snickers bar. Now, the only incentive is negative, avoiding longer lines at the cash register.
What the stores say is that they use the savings to offer lower prices. Of course, all shoppers benefit from the lower prices, not just those who use the self checkout. So I suppose that's a reason for more people to use the self checkout - to lower the prices for everyone.

Mike

[Bonnie Campbell]

Can't say as I've noticed any lowering of prices using self checkout. So I'll let them check it out until there is some proven savings to myself.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....So I'll let them check it out until there is some proven savings to myself.

Kroger (ticker KR) is up over 32% in the last 6 months (plus the yearly dividend that's currently 2%). Safeway (SWY) is up over 52%, plus a 2.9% dividend. How about some of those proven savings? Forest/trees, people....forest/trees.

[John Coloccia]

Kroger (ticker KR) is up over 32% in the last 6 months (plus the yearly dividend that's currently 2%). Safeway (SWY) is up over 52%, plus a 2.9% dividend. How about some of those proven savings? Forest/trees, people....forest/trees.

Kroger's profit margin is flat, and both Kroger and Safeway's profit margins are LESS than the average grocery store. Whatever they're doing, they're not doing it right.

I'll echo what someone else said earlier. Big Y got rid of self checkout here a couple of years ago. Too much loss. Big Y is family owned and they can make intelligent decisions quickly and easily. More than that, though, is it really asking too much to have someone ring me up and put my items in a bag? Seriously, if a store can't afford to hire someone to take my money, I'd just as soon go elsewhere. There are plenty of choices.

I use self checkout, sometimes, when I have maybe one or two easy items. I'm just not going to sit there for 20 minutes scrolling through pictures of bread, vegetables and fruit on my weekly shopping trips. Most people agree. Self checkout use is down, and more and more supermarkets are canning them because they're a failed experiment. The proper way of doing this is with scan tunnel technology, such as the technology that Kroger is playing with right now (and actually that my former company developed). You put your stuff down, it goes through a tunnel, and it comes out the other side. If a store wants my money, at a bare minimum they have to have at least a machine there to do the work of ringing me up.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I noticed that a number of new Walmart stores did not have self checkouts. The local Walmart store was remodeled and expanded last year and they installed self checkouts so apparently Walmart is still doing self checkouts.Either that or the remodel plans haven't been changed yet.
Big box retailers have canned set up and remodel plans that they stick to.
The remodel plans may call for self serve checkouts to be installed, so, that's what they do.
Then a few months later, they remove them.
Makes no sense - but - making no sense is what 90% of mass retailing is all about.

I saw some pretty weird stuff go on during my years in retailing.

[David Weaver]

Our grocery store chains have ditched it, too. I actually liked it at the grocery store. I hate the self checkout at lowes, the only saving grace of it is you get fewer stupid questions about whether or not you'd like to set up a credit card. I'd like to make a Tshirt that says "I don't have your store card, and I don't want to set up a store card. Don't ask".

I'd imagine if kroger and safeway are making extra money, it has more to do with opportunistic price increases as food costs go up (as in, seeing wholesale costs go up 5 cents per pound on something, increasing your price 25 cents and blaming it on the markets). Either that, or putting an emphasis on more garbage high margin quasi food instead of fresh food.
Only about 1/5th of what's in a grocery store represents food, the rest of it is lowest input cost trash that is palatable only because of the added salt and sugar.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'd like to make a Tshirt that says "I don't have your store card, and I don't want to set up a store card. Don't ask".You save 5% on every purchase at Lowes when you use their credit card.
Home Depot will match that 5%, but, you have to use the Home Depot card.
One of the things I really love about the Lowes card is that it has a provision for a purchase order & they ask you each time if you have a PO#.
Using the PO makses keeping track of expenses/materials to what "job" they go to really nice come tax time.
You also accumulate points on the card that can be redeemed later.

5% discount, rewards, easy accounting - what's not to love about it?

[John Coloccia]

You save 5% on every purchase at Lowes when you use their credit card.
Home Depot will match that 5%, but, you have to use the Home Depot card.
One of the things I really love about the Lowes card is that it has a provision for a purchase order & they ask you each time if you have a PO#.
Using the PO makses keeping track of expenses/materials to what "job" they go to really nice come tax time.
You also accumulate points on the card that can be redeemed later.

5% discount, rewards, easy accounting - what's not to love about it?
That happens when swipe through my business card too. It ask for a PO/Reference number. I don't think it has anything specifically to do with the Lowes card.

[David Weaver]

5% discount, rewards, easy accounting - what's not to love about it?

Carrying more and more cards around, and following more bills around. Wife has a target card. I wish they would just let you get a 5% discount for using cash instead.

Home depot and lowes were great when they were in the phase that they wanted to increase market share. Once they saturated the market, in my opinion they both got greedy with prices and they're pushing on both ends pretty hard trying to drive earnings (i.e, do whatever it takes to get the cheapest tool shaped objects possible and push the limits of taste on what you ask for them).

The gimmicks to give 5% here or there just aggravate me even more because it's no longer about giving you something decent, it's about testing what your tolerance is for junk. Unfortunately, most of our local places that don't cater to professionals only have followed the trend.

[Rich Engelhardt]

The Lowes business credit card?

Lowes has two different business credit cards. One is an American Express card, which is good anywhere that takes American Express. The other is like the Home Depot business card that's only good on purchases at the respective store.
If it's just you buying materials and your not worried about the "hired help" running around with an American Express card, you might want to look into switching over to the AE business card.
Those reward points can pile up to quite a bit.

Either way, it's a nice feature I wish Home Depot would start doing. The only way I've found at Home Depot to use a PO is to use their commercial account.

[Steve Peterson]

I like the speed of the self checkouts at places like Home Depot. The traditional lanes always seem to have someone in each lane with a cart piled with stuff. And it only takes one missing bar code to stall the line while waiting for a price check.

What bugs me is when they only have one traditional lane open. If I have sheet goods or lumber, then the self checkouts don't work very well and you are stuck waiting in the one really slow lane.

Steve

[David Drickhamer]

I refuse to use self checkouts. There are enough unemployed people out there. While shopping once the checkout person told me I could have used the self checkout. When I told him my reason for not using it, he thanked me,
Why should the store make more money by putting people out if work? If the store wants me to check myself out give me a discount ( I still wouldn't use it ) or put me on the payroll.

[Gary Hodgin]

What the stores say is that they use the savings to offer lower prices. Of course, all shoppers benefit from the lower prices, not just those who use the self checkout. So I suppose that's a reason for more people to use the self checkout - to lower the prices for everyone.

Mike

The stores fail to recognize that such a situation gives rise to a "free rider" problem. Others benefit from me using the self checkout and that benefit (lower prices allegedly) is no different for me than others. Collective incentives might work at communes but probably not a Home Depot.:) Of course, they could use negative incentives and just close more of the other checkouts.:mad:
Gary

[Mike Henderson]

The stores fail to recognize that such a situation gives rise to a "free rider" problem. Others benefit from me using the self checkout and that benefit (lower prices allegedly) is no different for me than others. Collective incentives might work at communes but probably not a Home Depot.:) Of course, they could use negative incentives and just close more of the other checkouts.:mad:
Gary
There are many places where others benefit from the actions of people who choose to do certain things. Someone may choose to pick up some trash along the road when taking a walk, for example. It's just part of living in society. It'd be nice if everyone contributed but if we waited for everyone to contribute, nothing would get done.

Mike

[Scott Shepherd]

I refuse to use self checkouts. There are enough unemployed people out there. While shopping once the checkout person told me I could have used the self checkout. When I told him my reason for not using it, he thanked me,
Why should the store make more money by putting people out if work? If the store wants me to check myself out give me a discount ( I still wouldn't use it ) or put me on the payroll.

Did someone come in from China and install the self checkout machines? Did they install themselves? Did they materialize out of nowhere in a puff of smoke and suddenly they existed? Did no US truck drivers drive those crates to the stores? Did those trucks not use fuel, which employed people to take the money?

I'd venture to say that building those self checkouts and maintaining them is a job that's a lot higher on the pay totem pole than swiping groceries by a high school kid. I'll take a tech job over swiping groceries every single day. While you might not like the fact that some kid didn't get a job at the grocery store, somewhere in the US, some kid did get a higher paying job to work at that company that produced and maintains that equipment.

[paul cottingham]

I refuse to use self checkouts. There are enough unemployed people out there. While shopping once the checkout person told me I could have used the self checkout. When I told him my reason for not using it, he thanked me,
Why should the store make more money by putting people out if work? If the store wants me to check myself out give me a discount ( I still wouldn't use it ) or put me on the payroll.
I agree completely. If I'm helping their bottom line, give me a discount.

[Brian Elfert]

They are testing technology using RFID tags where your entire cart is automatically scanned using RFID tags on each product. No need to even unload the cart. I have no idea how they deal with produce or how they stop folks who remove the tags.

[Joe Angrisani]

......If I'm helping their bottom line....

I love it when people say "them", "they", "their". That's not how it is, folks. These are public corporations that exist to make money. "We"-"us" own them. If not directly, then you probably still do through money you have saved in mutual funds. All those evil stores and oil companies you hate....they is you.

[John Coloccia]

I love it when people say "them", "they", "their". That's not how it is, folks. These are public corporations that exist to make money. "We"-"us" own them. If not directly, then you probably still do through money you have saved in mutual funds. All those evil stores and oil companies you hate....they is you.

Why are you being so condescending, Joe? I think we all understand the way our investments works. Also, they're not "public corporations". Some are, and some aren't. Many are privately owned, like the Big Y I mentioned. Wegmans is family owned. Publix is privately owned. In fact, quite a few markets are privately owned, and it may actually be that most markets are privately owned. But anyhow, that's neither here nor there. Just because I might happen to own Ford stock doesn't mean I jump for joy when the F150 I'm looking at buying becomes more expensive.

I don't know where you're getting this "evil" stores thing. You're tilting at windmills. I think we're just having a conversation about self checkout lanes and you're trying to turn it into a defense of capitalism. The fact is that usage rates show that the vast majority of people don't like and/or don't use the self checkouts, and there's ample evidence that it's at best questionable if they actually reduce costs at all. In the supermarket setting, they appear to increase costs for quite a few establishments.

[David Weaver]

Our very large grocery chain here (Giant Eagle) is also private.

[Brian Elfert]

The self checkouts at one local grocery store are so busy they put in two more for a total of six. There are usually people waiting every time I am there. They finally after several years put up a sign limiting use to 15 items or less. People were trying to check out whole carts of groceries which doesn't work so well.

I almost always stop for groceries on my way home around 4:30 PM so I am there during the busiest time. Maybe they don't get as much use during the day. I don't know.

[Eric McCune]

I refuse to use self checkouts. There are enough unemployed people out there. What about ATMs, online purchases, airport kiosks, automated toll booths? Do you fly with carry-on luggage? Do you buy furniture created with power tools? Do you shop at Walmart or Home Depot? All of these things have eliminated millions of jobs. I try to focus on buying quality products created by skilled workers. Low skilled jobs are always at risk due to technology or the race to the bottom on wages. Just a reality in a corporate driven world.

[paul cottingham]

What about ATMs, online purchases, airport kiosks, automated toll booths? Do you fly with carry-on luggage? Do you buy furniture created with power tools? Do you shop at Walmart or Home Depot? All of these things have eliminated millions of jobs. I try to focus on buying quality products created by skilled workers. Low skilled jobs are always at risk due to technology or the race to the bottom on wages. Just a reality in a corporate driven world.
In fact, I have never set foot in Walmart, don't online shop for anything I can buy locally, and try very hard not to buy furniture. And I'm poor. So automated checkouts bug me.

[Stephen Cherry]

In fact, I have never set foot in Walmart, don't online shop for anything I can buy locally, and try very hard not to buy furniture. And I'm poor. So automated checkouts bug me.

The boutique stores near me have Don Pepino pizza sauce for 1.99 a can; Walmart has it for 1.22. Many other things similarly priced. Plus, they have just installed the self checkouts!

Another advantage for the stores is that the self checkout stations do not require health insurance, which, in case anybody has not noticed, is very expensive. They don't call in sick, or steal. And they won't sue for a repetitive motion injury.

[Brian Elfert]

How many cashiers today get health insurance? Certainly not the hypothetical high school kid mentioned by some.

[Mike Henderson]

The fact is that usage rates show that the vast majority of people don't like and/or don't use the self checkouts, and there's ample evidence that it's at best questionable if they actually reduce costs at all. In the supermarket setting, they appear to increase costs for quite a few establishments.
I don't think that's true around here. The self checkouts at Ralph's and Home Depot are always busy and people seem to appreciate how quickly you can get through the checkout using them. In fact, Ralph's uses that in their advertising, touting the fast checkout.

I think there're two kinds of people: those who like the self checkouts and the Luddites who reject all new technology as the work of the devil.:)

Mike

[Steve Meliza]

I enjoy self checkouts when I have a few items that are easy to scan. If I have sheet goods, bolts/nuts, produce, or a cart full of items I wait in line for a human to help me. But what makes my day is only having an item or two to purchase and being able to breeze through checkout on my own.

All of you that avoid self checkout because it eliminates minimum wage jobs need to pick up and move to Oregon. Here it is illegal to pump your own gas because, according to the Governor, allowing us to pump our own gas would result in the loss of jobs. You'd love it here.

[paul cottingham]

Oh, I hate pumping gas, too. :D

[Jim Rimmer]

I like the self check outs and use them every chance I get. However, it's amazing how the retailers have "trained" the public. Forty years ago when you went into a grocery store you loaded your cart with goods, rolled it up to a cashier and they took it from your cart, rang it up, someone bagged and carried it to your car. First they put in the conveyors and trained customers to take the stuff out of the cart and put it on the conveyor. The the baggers disappeared and the cashier would have to stop checking people out and bag the stuff so the customer started helping with the bagging and there was no one to help carry to out to your car. Now they have us checking it out, too. Pretty good job of eliminating jobs and saving money. All they had to do was train us to do things they used to pay people to do for us.

[Larry Browning]

I remember years ago when even fast food restaurants cleared and cleaned the tables. When they started providing trash cans by the door with signs that read "Put Trash Here" or something similar, my father said they would never get people trained to do that.

[David Weaver]

I think labor laws have wiped out a lot of the stuff like young gas station attendants, table wipers and grocery store baggers.

[Brian Elfert]

I like the self check outs and use them every chance I get. However, it's amazing how the retailers have "trained" the public. Forty years ago when you went into a grocery store you loaded your cart with goods, rolled it up to a cashier and they took it from your cart, rang it up, someone bagged and carried it to your car. First they put in the conveyors and trained customers to take the stuff out of the cart and put it on the conveyor. The the baggers disappeared and the cashier would have to stop checking people out and bag the stuff so the customer started helping with the bagging and there was no one to help carry to out to your car. Now they have us checking it out, too. Pretty good job of eliminating jobs and saving money. All they had to do was train us to do things they used to pay people to do for us.

Forty years ago I was just a baby. I don't remember cashiers actually unloading carts, but I didn't start buying my own groceries until 1990 or so. Grocery items used to not have bar codes and it took even more cashiers to check people out.

I am happy that stores are saving money with fewer employees even if the prices don't go down. The extra profit they get from fewer employees means prices don't have to go up for them to make more money. I've also heard that self checkouts don't really save money as they are expensive to buy and require expensive repair calls.

[John Coloccia]

I like the self check outs and use them every chance I get. However, it's amazing how the retailers have "trained" the public. Forty years ago when you went into a grocery store you loaded your cart with goods, rolled it up to a cashier and they took it from your cart, rang it up, someone bagged and carried it to your car. First they put in the conveyors and trained customers to take the stuff out of the cart and put it on the conveyor. The the baggers disappeared and the cashier would have to stop checking people out and bag the stuff so the customer started helping with the bagging and there was no one to help carry to out to your car. Now they have us checking it out, too. Pretty good job of eliminating jobs and saving money. All they had to do was train us to do things they used to pay people to do for us.

The small market up the street from my house does all of that. No conveyor. You pull up the cart, they ring up and bag, and if you want they will help you to your car. They have a small army of youngsters in the evenings, and you never have a line that is more than one deep because as soon as a line fills up one of the kids runs over and practically begs to ring you up.

They are a little more expensive than the supermarket. Notice I said a LITTLE. This isn't a foo-foo, boutique market. You won't buy a 20 pack of paper towels there, but the food is excellent, everything is FRESH, much of it is locally grown when they can get it, the meat is far better than I can get at a supermarket...etc etc etc. I go there often for things I need on the way home. Maybe a piece of meat for dinner....some snacks....bread....beer...etc. I go to the supermarkets for toilet paper, frozen items, and other things I can get a bit cheaper.

Point is, though, that you CAN have a market like that, and you can do it without making everyone who shops there go broke. Ditto for Trader Joes. I don't have one that's convenient anymore...nearest if 30 minutes away....but I used to shop there all the time when I had one close.

[Anthony Diodati]

I like self check outs because I can bag the things the way I want to.
A lot of times they make me mad the way they bag things.

[Mike Henderson]

I think labor laws have wiped out a lot of the stuff like young gas station attendants, table wipers and grocery store baggers.
Just interested - what labor laws would wipe out those kinds of jobs? Minimum wage? Or some other laws?

My assumption has always been that the elimination of those jobs were simply to cut labor costs. If you can get the job done with less people, you'll make more money.

Mike

[Joe Angrisani]

A) Why are you being so condescending, Joe?.....
B) I think we all understand the way our investments works......
C) Also, they're not "public corporations". Some are, and some aren't. Many are privately owned, like the Big Y I mentioned. Wegmans is family owned. Publix is privately owned. In fact, quite a few markets are privately owned, and it may actually be that most markets are privately owned.....
D) I don't know where you're getting this "evil" stores thing. You're tilting at windmills. I think we're just having a conversation about self checkout lanes and you're trying to turn it into a defense of capitalism.....

Sorry John. I wasn't avoiding you. Just missed your response. I'll try to respond in order.

A) First of all, I wasn't trying to be condescending. My apologies if inflections are lost and it seems that way. T'was supposed to come across as dry humor.

B) But I FIRMLY believe we do NOT, as a society, understand our investments. It's arguably THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in our lives, especially in this age of providing for ourselves in retirement, and it slips by the wayside for most. People throw money into this mutual fund or that index fund, and have little to no idea what they are doing. Most will admit they don't like the subject and would rather "leave it up to someone else". Five hours a week following your favorite team or Fanasty Football card is fine (studly, no less), but five hours a week improving one's future is somehow a waste of time in our society. Makes me cringe.

C) Even the private corporations work like the public ones: Profit for shareholders. So the self-checkouts don't go in unless they make sense fiscally.

D) And the evil stores thing is taken from reading the comments from David D., Gary and Paul. And on other threads in the past. No tilting here, Cervantes. Just making reference to others' comments.

[Gary Hodgin]

I didn't mean to suggest that these stores are evil. My point was that if the stores want to encourage more people to use self-checkout (allegedly to reduce costs) they could provide a positive incentive, such as a discount that only applies to those using self-checkout. An overall reduction in prices due to lower labor costs benefits all customers but doesn't encourage customers to use self-checkout at least in terms of price differentials.

Some people may use self-checkout for other reasons but it seems a lot don't like it. I use it when cashier checkout lines are long relative to self-checkout, but if no one is in either line, I'll choose the cashier every time.

[Brian Elfert]

I've noticed that younger generations seem to have no issues using self checkouts while older generations have a devil of a time with them. Young generations have used computers their entire lives so they are used to dealing with computers.

I'm not convinced self checkouts really lower costs. Most grocery stores have four to six self checkouts manned by one cashier. These same grocery stores often had only one express lane open before self checkout. The cost to repair the new registers probably exceeds $100 an hour when they break. I think that self check attracts shoppers who like the ease of checkout. I will choose a grocery store with a self checkout over one without them.

[Chris Padilla]

Lowes, Home Depot, and Safeway (my local grocery) all have self-checkout and all of them work very well and I use them in most cases. Further, each bank of 4 has 1 employee most of the time. Often, there isn't anyone around. I like 'em! Just make sure your items have a bar code on them!!

[paul cottingham]

Evil stores? Did I say that and missed it? Was I asleep?

[Chris Padilla]

Oh, I hate pumping gas, too. :D

Oregon is your state! New Jersey was like that...not sure it that is still true.

[Joe Angrisani]

Evil stores? Did I say that and missed it? Was I asleep?

I (apparentlly mistakenly) took it from your "never been in a Walmart, never shop online" comment. The comment doesn't read as if you're a fan of the big stores, but I must have taken it incorrectly. Sorry.

Apologies to Gary, too. I clearly jumped the gun in reading into people's comments. But past threads repeatedly harp on the Walmarts and Home Depots and such, dispite the fact they exist because society has moved en masse to them. Guess I thought it was going down that road.

[paul cottingham]

I'm not a big fan of them at all. But that is my choice, and my choice not to shop there. To each his own, and if I have ever sounded like I am criticizing anyone who does, my apologies. I do shop at Home Depot. And I don't like it.

[John C Lawson]

I used to work for a grocery store chain, and the double-check is indeed the weight, which why self-checkout stations insist you bag the item. The issue with self-check is indeed shrinkage, because the scale can't tell if you are ringing "gold-fruit" at "lead-fruit" prices, for instance.
I will not use self-checkout except in the direst of circumstances. I feel like they are stealing my labor. The chain I shop in the most always has baggers, which makes it very quick, since I also refuse to bag my own groceries. The chains here will generally open more checkstands if there are more than three people on line at any register.

[Brian Elfert]

For some reason the Minneapolis grocery market has traditionally not done bagging at grocery stores. The luxury grocery stores do bag groceries, but the two mainstream grocery chains here do not bag your groceries. People who live in other states are shocked that they have to bag their own groceries.

I've never seen the two mainstream grocery chains here open more lanes when it is busy either. Target is taking away a lot of the grocery business because they both bag groceries and open more lanes as needed, plus the prices are less.

[Paul McGaha]

As far as I can tell, from the people I've talked to about it, the best grocery store in our area is Wegman's. I don't think I've seen any self check cash registers in their stores. One more thing to like about them to me. Maybe I'm just old school but I think it's the stores job to do that work.

PHM

[Curt Harms]

Lowes, Home Depot, and Safeway (my local grocery) all have self-checkout and all of them work very well and I use them in most cases. Further, each bank of 4 has 1 employee most of the time. Often, there isn't anyone around. I like 'em! Just make sure your items have a bar code on them!!

I wonder if the self checkout lines are as much for customer convenience as store cost savings. Our local grocery store has 6 self checkout stations and one cashier. Pretty clearly anytime anyone is using a station that cashier is supposed to be at their post to 'monitor' the customer(s). They do have a reasonable means to deal with produce or items without bar codes, cascading menus of pictures. I only use the self checkout for 1 or 2 items. I hate standing behind someone with a full cart when all I'm buying is a jug of milk and express lines don't see all that 'express'.

[Joe Angrisani]

Kroger's profit margin is flat, and both Kroger and Safeway's profit margins are LESS than the average grocery store. Whatever they're doing, they're not doing it right.....

Kroger reported yesterday. Earnings are up 22% over the year-ago quarter. Profits are up 10% over the year-ago quarter. Full year 2012 profits are up 16% over 2011.

Not bad for being "flat" and "less than the average grocery store" that's "not doing it right".

:D

Something's working right.....

[John Coloccia]

Kroger reported yesterday. Earnings are up 22% over the year-ago quarter. Profits are up 10% over the year-ago quarter. Full year 2012 profits are up 16% over 2011.

Not bad for being "flat" and "less than the average grocery store" that's "not doing it right".

:D

Something's working right.....

But I think that means their profit margin has gone down even more. Without reading the report I don't know what their expenditures where. Ideally if earnings go up 22%, you'd like to see profits go up at least 22%, so something fell on the floor somewhere, though it may from investments in equipment, contracts, new stores. I don't really follow Kroger so I don't know.

[Ole Anderson]

OK, how many of you still go in a bank to get cash?

I generally prefer the self checkout at HD or the grocery store when I have a limited number of items. When the cart is full I go to the full service line, unless it is backed up and the self check station with the conveyor belt is available. I try to avoid Lowe's as they have no self check and seem to want a lot more info at checkout than do the HD clerks. Now if I have a cart of lumber, I always go to the pro checkout area.


Kroger reported yesterday. Earnings are up 22% over the year-ago quarter. Profits are up 10% over the year-ago quarter. Full year 2012 profits are up 16% over 2011.


Odd, I thought earnings and profit were the same thing. You "earn" profit on sales. Maybe they meant sales were up 22%. If that is the case, their profit margin went down some.

[Larry Browning]

OK, how many of you still go in a bank to get cash?

I do. I hate drive throughs. I never use them. I think that most times it is faster to go in, whether at McDonald's or the bank.

[John Coloccia]

OK, how many of you still go in a bank to get cash?

I generally prefer the self checkout at HD or the grocery store when I have a limited number of items. When the cart is full I go to the full service line, unless it is backed up and the self check station with the conveyor belt is available. I try to avoid Lowe's as they have no self check and seem to want a lot more info at checkout than do the HD clerks. Now if I have a cart of lumber, I always go to the pro checkout area.



Odd, I thought earnings and profit were the same thing. You "earn" profit on sales. Maybe they meant sales were up 22%. If that is the case, their profit margin went down some.

I assumed he meant sales. I read through the report. Here's what happened:


Sales increase 7.1%
Profits (or rather, net earnings per dilluted share) increased 16% in 2012, however Kroger also did a buy back of stock in 2012. I'm not sure what the effect was. Their outstanding shares also came down significantly in 2011...not sure why. I don't invest in Kroger so I really don't have the energy to dig any further into it, but it's not as simple as profits are up. Nothing against Kroger, but it requires more digging to actually figure out how efficiently they're running. It's sort of off on a tangent, anyway.

I'll have you know that I used the self checkout at HD today. The guy had to ring up most of my stuff, and he just rang up the entire thing while he was there. :)

[Jeff Nicol]

Yes, the machine weighs the items. Customers can still steal items by simply never removing them from their cart. A human cashier would make sure everything in the cart got paid for.

Most grocery stores locally do not bag groceries so that isn't a problem for me.
All of the stores have lots and lots of overhead cameras and some of them have cameras that point at the level of the cart and they are very small and will not be seen by customers unless you are a thief and looking. So I truly don't think there is all that much that gets by in the self checkouts, unless someone is allowing friends and family to get away with things. I do not think that they weigh all the items, just fresh produce becaise not every item in a can, bag, box etc. weigh exactly the same from one to another. So if it has a barcode it is just scanned and does not have to touch anything for the scanner to read the code.

I used one one time at a Walmart because Ihad just a couple of things and the other lanes were backed up with tons of others and I was in a hurry to get to hunting camp! My wife loves them for most of the reasons mentioned above that are positive, but not for me because I like to flirt with the cute cashiers!

Just an option,

Jeff

[Gary Hodgin]

Apparently, earnings and profits are related but not the same in some circumstances. Both are revenue less costs but the costs may be different depending on the corporation. Profits take account all the business's expenses whereas earning take into account a narrower set of expenses, according to wiseGeek.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-earnings-and-profit.htm

[Brian Elfert]

All of the stores have lots and lots of overhead cameras and some of them have cameras that point at the level of the cart and they are very small and will not be seen by customers unless you are a thief and looking. So I truly don't think there is all that much that gets by in the self checkouts, unless someone is allowing friends and family to get away with things. I do not think that they weigh all the items, just fresh produce becaise not every item in a can, bag, box etc. weigh exactly the same from one to another. So if it has a barcode it is just scanned and does not have to touch anything for the scanner to read the code.


For the most part, cameras only record the fact that someone didn't scan all their items. They don't make sure all the items in cart get scanned like a human. Certainly a thief can steal something even with a human cashier, but they can't just leave stuff in the cart and walk out of the store. The regular cash registers at one local chain have signs imploring the cashiers to make sure carts are completely empty. I think the register even has a prompt before the sale can be completed to double check the cart.

Most of the self checkouts I use weigh the items, but Costco and one other small local chain use some sort of tunnel to verify items through video I guess. I've had plenty of issues with the self checkouts complaining I didn't bag something because the register didn't detect the right weight. Less issues recently so they probably have made more changes to the software.

[paul cottingham]

OK, how many of you still go in a bank to get cash?


i will withdraw money from an atm but wont do any other banking at them. I've had to many problems with them.

[Michael Dromey]

we still have 15% unemployment down from 20+, i do not use self checkout

I agree Charlie. I avoid them for the simple fact these cause job losses when in use.

Mike

[Chuck Wintle]

They are testing technology using RFID tags where your entire cart is automatically scanned using RFID tags on each product. No need to even unload the cart. I have no idea how they deal with produce or how they stop folks who remove the tags.

I have heard walmart is experimenting with this idea but have not seen any of the new carts. pretty soon every thing will have an RFID tag, even people.

[Chuck Wintle]

I've noticed that younger generations seem to have no issues using self checkouts while older generations have a devil of a time with them. Young generations have used computers their entire lives so they are used to dealing with computers.

I'm not convinced self checkouts really lower costs. Most grocery stores have four to six self checkouts manned by one cashier. These same grocery stores often had only one express lane open before self checkout. The cost to repair the new registers probably exceeds $100 an hour when they break. I think that self check attracts shoppers who like the ease of checkout. I will choose a grocery store with a self checkout over one without them.
in an ideal world the self-checkout will lower costs for the store and improve the bottom line for the store. Getting rid of employees is a way to do this easily. Eventually the buying public will become trained to do the work of checking out except that he/she is donating the labor. Probably in the past when grocery stores were owned and managed by families they actually cared about the customer and the employee. Today's MBA is trained to see only dollars and cents.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....Eventually the buying public will become trained to do the work of checking out except that he/she is donating the labor.....

We've been doing it for years at restaurants. Do you self-checkout haters avoid restaurants because the customer is paying for some of the labor while the business owner skirts along with half-priced wages? How loud would you bitch if you had to give the supermarket checker a 50 cent "tip" so that the store owner could reduce his out-of-pocket labor cost.

[Brian Elfert]

in an ideal world the self-checkout will lower costs for the store and improve the bottom line for the store. Getting rid of employees is a way to do this easily. Eventually the buying public will become trained to do the work of checking out except that he/she is donating the labor. Probably in the past when grocery stores were owned and managed by families they actually cared about the customer and the employee. Today's MBA is trained to see only dollars and cents.

For me, self checkouts are all about convenience. I can get out of the store faster than waiting in line for a human cashier.

Technology has eliminated millions and millions of jobs over the years. My employer used to have hundreds of people doing a job that maybe two dozen people with computers do today. We also have 30 highly paid employees taking care of those computers. Those 30 jobs didn't exist back when we had the hundreds of employees doing the work before computers.