Will cashier stations at retail change now?

[Brian Elfert]

In the past a walled off cashier station often meant you were in a bad neighborhood. A growing number of retailers now have plexiglass partitions to at least partially protect cashiers. Time and resources seem to the reason why the cashier isn't better protected. The retailers don't have time to have wraparound protection made and the companies that can do the fabrication work have as much business as they can handle for the most part.

Do you think we'll see stores isolating their cashiers even after this whole COVID-19 thing is gone? At some stores a remodel of the cashier station(s) will need to be done to provide full protection. Personally, I don't like to feel like I'm viewing an animal at a zoo when I check out with a cashier.

[Mel Fulks]

I see them as the same thing as "sneeze guards" at buffets. The checkers think WE are the animals and they are the zoo
keepers.

[Erik Loza]

I think cashiers as a species will disappear within our lifetimes. Pretty much all the big-retail stores are transitioning to the self-serve kiosks. Payroll is your biggest overhead in running most businesses, so what gets cut first? 10+ year big-box retail manager here, BTW.

Erik

[Stan Calow]

Loss of retail jobs over the years has been as significant as loss in manufacturing jobs.
I think cashiers as a species will disappear within our lifetimes. Pretty much all the big-retail stores are transitioning to the self-serve kiosks. Payroll is your biggest overhead in running most businesses, so what gets cut first? 10+ year big-box retail manager here, BTW.

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

I think cashiers as a species will disappear within our lifetimes. Pretty much all the big-retail stores are transitioning to the self-serve kiosks. Payroll is your biggest overhead in running most businesses, so what gets cut first? 10+ year big-box retail manager here, BTW.

Erik

Agreed Erik, as will self checkouts.

It won't be long before you put your stuff in your cart and head out the door while something like RF ID itemizes your purchases and debits your bank account.

Like manufacturing jobs that will never return (robots took them), cashiers, bank front line employees and call centers will be replaced by technology.

It's a good century to be a technologist like me, or an engineer, software developer etc. Many other occupations are heading for the cliff as well as many hobbies, such as our own.

I'm in the process of making a clock, clock parts companies have fizzled out, very little to choose from, my kids don't own a clock aside from their cell phone.............Regards, Rod.

[Edwin Santos]

It won't be long before you put your stuff in your cart and head out the door while something like RF ID itemizes your purchases and debits your bank account.



A pretty good description of an Amazon Go store. I believe they are up to 21 stores in four markets now. Once they've worked out the kinks, expect a LOT more of them.

[Jim Becker]

It won't be long before you put your stuff in your cart and head out the door while something like RF ID itemizes your purchases and debits your bank account.
'Yup...already exists with some smaller Amazon food operations as was just mentioned.

[Doug Garson]

That's one of the delimmas facing future generations. Pure capitalism means company CEOs prime mandate is to maximize profit for shareholders. Historically that has often (always?) meant cutting payroll. (Ever heard of a company hiring to cut costs?) So what happens when you take it to the extreme? When every job that can be automated is automated and every job that can be turned back to the consumer (like self checkouts) is turned back to the consumer, where do the consumers earn the money they need to purchase the goods and services the companies need to sell to maximize profit? Will the next generation of consumers be limited to the shareholders of the companies producing the goods and services?

[Edwin Santos]

That's one of the delimmas facing future generations. Pure capitalism means company CEOs prime mandate is to maximize profit for shareholders. Historically that has often (always?) meant cutting payroll. (Ever heard of a company hiring to cut costs?) So what happens when you take it to the extreme? When every job that can be automated is automated and every job that can be turned back to the consumer (like self checkouts) is turned back to the consumer, where do the consumers earn the money they need to purchase the goods and services the companies need to sell to maximize profit? Will the next generation of consumers be limited to the shareholders of the companies producing the goods and services?

They redeploy into other areas of the economy as happened with blacksmiths, gas station attendants, a good percentage of pre-ATM bank tellers, travel agents, on and on.

The optimistic view is that as opportunities close down, others open up. I think a growing part of our economy will be based on tech, health care, financial services, entertainment.
Retail and manufacturing will still be around, but perhaps not as prevalent as they were at one time.

This is a reason to make sure your kids and grandkids are looking forward and thinking strategically when choosing a profession and/or field of study. This is why I hate it when some tell young people "just do what you love". Enjoying what you do is important but it's only one factor in a much more complicated calculus.

[Bill Dufour]

In California about one year ago they said paper and plastic bags at the grocery store had to be charged to the customer. Or customers brought in their own bags for reuse. Recently the virus is making them say they will not have their workers touch you bags so either opay for new bags each time or you have to bag your own purchases.
A major food store today said we can not even use our own bags but we can roll cart outside and use our bags there.
Bill D

[Doug Garson]

In California about one year ago they said paper and plastic bags at the grocery store had to be charged to the customer. Or customers brought in their own bags for reuse. Recently the virus is making them say they will not have their workers touch you bags so either opay for new bags each time or you have to bag your own purchases.
A major food store today said we can not even use our own bags but we can roll cart outside and use our bags there.
Bill D
Makes sense to me, they try to reduce the use of single use bags for environmental reasons and now during a pandemic they rescind the rule for health and safety reasons.

[Mike Henderson]

That's one of the dilemmas facing future generations. Pure capitalism means company CEOs prime mandate is to maximize profit for shareholders. Historically that has often (always?) meant cutting payroll. (Ever heard of a company hiring to cut costs?) So what happens when you take it to the extreme? When every job that can be automated is automated and every job that can be turned back to the consumer (like self checkouts) is turned back to the consumer, where do the consumers earn the money they need to purchase the goods and services the companies need to sell to maximize profit? Will the next generation of consumers be limited to the shareholders of the companies producing the goods and services?

This is something that has concerned me for a long time. When globalization first reared its head my concern was that pay for certain jobs (that could be outsourced) would sink to some common value. In other words, things would be outsourced until the cost was equal or greater than what it would cost in the US.

Now, we're faced with a splitting of our workforce. Those who get advanced education in certain fields will do well financially. Those who don't get a university degree in desirable fields will not do as well and we'll face a two tier population, with the lower tier struggling from paycheck to paycheck.

Sure, some people who don't get a degree will do well - probably by starting a company and hiring others who don't have a degree. But that's a minority.

And yet, everyone can't go to university and get a technical degree - and if they did, there wouldn't be enough jobs for all of them.

The middle class jobs are just not there any more and are not coming back. For people without a degree, it's mostly low pay service jobs.

Mike

[Curt Harms]

Agreed Erik, as will self checkouts.

It won't be long before you put your stuff in your cart and head out the door while something like RF ID itemizes your purchases and debits your bank account.

Like manufacturing jobs that will never return (robots took them), cashiers, bank front line employees and call centers will be replaced by technology.

It's a good century to be a technologist like me, or an engineer, software developer etc. Many other occupations are heading for the cliff as well as many hobbies, such as our own.

I'm in the process of making a clock, clock parts companies have fizzled out, very little to choose from, my kids don't own a clock aside from their cell phone.............Regards, Rod.

I think there'll be a need for a few people in banks at least. Routine transactions can certainly be automated but many people feel better about talking to a flesh-and-blood being about non-routine matters. Will this change with generations? Possibly. What do I do if there's no menu choice for what I need or want to do?

[Rod Sheridan]

I agree Mike with everything except the idea that we will become a nation of well paid professionals and poorly paid service workers.

I believe that's the trajectory if we let businesses determine everything however we won't have a society worth living in if that happens.

I think we're heading towards a guaranteed minimum income of some form or description.

Obviously if you have a university education or exceptional qualifications you will earn good money, however I believe that those who make my life possible ( store clerks, service jobs etc) also need a reasonable quality of life.

I think this, along with climate changes are the two issues that will change society greatly in the coming decades.

Presume you're enjoying the weather? I'm excited because it's forecasted to reach 11C on Friday, last night I was out BBQ'ing in very light snow flakes..........Hurry up spring!......Regards, Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes Curt, of course there will be some people at the bank to help with non routine tasks.

I suspect however that they will only be in the big locations and communicate with you electronically while you sit in the local branch..Rod.

[Brian Elfert]

I suspect however that they will only be in the big locations and communicate with you electronically while you sit in the local branch..Rod.

Credit unions are already doing this. My credit union has a number of branches with only electronic tellers. They have a machine with a video screen where you talk to the teller who is in a cubicle at HQ. I don't like it that much because the the machine can't deal with coins and has no $10 bills. I have also been to another credit union that also is doing this.

The strange thing is these branches each have two or three employees to answer questions, set up accounts, take loan applications, and so on. They are not that busy so why not have one of them be a live teller instead? The only good thing about the machines is they are open longer hours than the branch itself. The machines are outside the area of the branch that is closed off after hours.

[Brian Elfert]

I think we'll see human cashiers at some stores until either those that can't/won't use self checkout die off, or everything has an RFID tag and scanning items is no longer necessary.

I wish places like Walmart would quit forcing nearly anyone, even with large cart loads, to use self checkout. There is usually at least one human cashier working, but the line(s) can be long so people with large cart loads use the self checkouts which take a lot longer than a human to check out a cart load. The self checkout stations just aren't optimized for lots of items.

[Stan Calow]

I wish places like Walmart would quit forcing nearly anyone, even with large cart loads, to use self checkout. There is usually at least one human cashier working, but the line(s) can be long so people with large cart loads use the self checkouts which take a lot longer than a human to check out a cart load. The self checkout stations just aren't optimized for lots of items.

Yes! Its especially irritating at Lowes & Home Depot when you have something large or bulky, and the machine is scolding you for not putting something in the bagging area, or not taking it out fast enough. Someone said that pretty soon, they are going to make the customers unload the trucks too.

[Darcy Warner]

I hate self check outs. Absolutely hate them.

[Mike Henderson]

I hate self check outs. Absolutely hate them.

I love self checkouts because I hate waiting in lane for a checkout with an agent. I can shop and be home before some people get checked out.

Mike

[Darcy Warner]

I love self checkouts because I hate waiting in lane for a checkout with an agent. I can shop and be home before some people get checked out.

Mike

Reminds me of the time there were only self check outs open at the grocery store, I had groceries to feed 5 people and the babysitter for the self checkouts got pissy because I was using one and couldn't keep all the bags on the stand. Couple hundred bucks in groceries got left right there and I won't go back. Switched to a small grocery in the next little town over, they bag and take them to the truck and load them for me.

Screw self checkouts for 99% of my in store purchases.

[Jim Becker]

I love self checkouts because I hate waiting in lane for a checkout with an agent. I can shop and be home before some people get checked out.



Same here. I don't mind them at all. But I do agree that it's a sad situation for many folks who would normally be doing that work and getting paid for it.

[Brian Elfert]

Yes! Its especially irritating at Lowes & Home Depot when you have something large or bulky, and the machine is scolding you for not putting something in the bagging area, or not taking it out fast enough. Someone said that pretty soon, they are going to make the customers unload the trucks too.

Most Home Depot stores have new registers that no longer have scales.

Do you really think anyone would shop at a store that made customers unload trucks? I love self checkout because I hate waiting in line for a regular cashier. It doesn't bother me in the least to have to scan my own items.

[glenn bradley]

Commenting on the two tier population statements - I certainly plan to speak with my votes and target leaders who understand (as well as those that don't understand) we need a healthy middle class.

[Stan Calow]

Do you really think anyone would shop at a store that made customers unload trucks?

It was a joke. But yeah, I think people would if it were cheaper.

[Bill Dufour]

Henry Ford was no friend to his workers but.. fairly early he raised the pay for his low level workers because it was too low. They could not afford to buy a car. He felt it looked bad for his workers to walk or take the bus to a car plant. They were surrounded by huge empty parking lots and investors assumed it meant production was down and cars were too expensive for the average American. Ford was obviously fooling investors telling them that the average working man could buy a Ford. This meant only expensive cars for rich people had a chance of surviving. And ford did not have any of those to sell.
Bill D
Bil lD

[Edwin Santos]

Yes! Its especially irritating at Lowes & Home Depot when you have something large or bulky, and the machine is scolding you for not putting something in the bagging area, or not taking it out fast enough. Someone said that pretty soon, they are going to make the customers unload the trucks too.

There should be a button on the touch screen that says "skip bagging". And the scanning gun should work well for any bulky item you don't want to take off the cart or muscle over the scanner. Most of these systems have been pretty extensively thought out.

I used to not like the grocery self checkouts because I buy a lot of produce, but the software has improved to the point where a lot of produce has the tiny barcode stickers on the twist tie or the item itself,and the quick lookup function has gotten much faster for items that do not have bar codes. This is the case at Kroger at least. I'm also a fan of Apple Pay for the sheer speed of it. I'm sure Google Pay works just as well.

Though I prefer self checkout, I haven't yet seen a situation personally where there was not a single cashier checkout open, but I could imagine it happening at some point.
Edwin

[Brian Elfert]

Home Depot's new self checkouts don't have either a traditional fixed scanner or a scale anymore. They have a handheld scanner used for everything. (A handheld scanner is maybe not the best these days, but who was thinking of a pandemic during the design?)

[Ole Anderson]

Think of the hand held scanner at Home Depot as a ray gun to play with and all of a sudden checking out is fun!

[Jim Becker]

There should be a button on the touch screen that says "skip bagging". And the scanning gun should work well for any bulky item you don't want to take off the cart or muscle over the scanner. Most of these systems have been pretty extensively thought out.

Bag or no bag, as you know. there's a scale in that "bagging area" that checks the weight increase as you add scanned items to your total. If you have a heavy item, it can be scanned on the cart, either by you or the self-service attendant, and if you, the attendant can clear the error message for an item not making it to the "bagging area". This is all relative to shrinkage prevention for both inadvertent and willfully "not scanning" something. I actually like the way the Home Depot has implemented their new self-service checkout system with the hand-held gun and the large screen. Hopefully, there will be an improved payment terminal for that as those here still do not support contactless payment with a card or ApplePay. Some of the food markets now support contactless payment, but none have hand-held guns in the self service area other than one that's sometimes available to the attendant.

[Ron Selzer]

local WalMart has a hand scanner at all self checkout stations. Have an area with 8-10 self checkouts and off to the side 4 self checkout stations with belts to feed them with scanner guns. One person oversees all of this, there is a camera showing your picture on the checkout screen all the time. Big items scanned do not need to be put on the platform, just leave them ion the cart.
Local Kroger before this hit, ONLY self checkout around 11pm when i stopped by after work

[Edwin Santos]

If you have a heavy item, it can be scanned on the cart, either by you or the self-service attendant, and if you, the attendant can clear the error message for an item not making it to the "bagging area".

What I was trying to express in my earlier post is that you can avoid the error message altogether by scanning the bulky item on your cart, and then hitting a button you will see on the large screen that says "skip bagging". Once you have done that, the scale in the bagging area receives the a message from the software telling it not to expect added weight.
This applies to one item, so if you wanted to skip bagging for several items, you would hit the button each time. At least this is the case at my Home Depot location. Have a look and see if this is the case at your local HD location also.

This feature is also present at two grocery store chains I use, and it's handy for bulky items that will not even fit in a bag, like a 6 pack of paper towels. It would be good if the grocery stores adopt hand held scanner guns, which I have not seen locally yet.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I used to loathe the check out process at Sams Club. Now we use the app and scan items as we put them in our cart with our iPhone . We know exactly what an item costs and how much we are spending cumulatively.

When done shopping, we just checkout on the phone and walk past all the check out cash points.

We show a digital barcode receipt to the person at the exit and go on our way.

I wish more stores had apps like this, there's no reason why Lowes or HD shouldn't have this as they've both accepted the use of self check outs.

It's almost fun shopping at Sams now.

I love self check outs, pay at the pump, etc. I even order/refills and pay for my prescriptions, via my phone, and just pick up at the drive through. Beyond prescriptions, I rarely buy anything else at a drug store when I actually go into the store.

[Edwin Santos]

I used to loathe the check out process at Sams Club. Now we use the app and scan items as we put them in our cart with our iPhone . We know exactly what an item costs and how much we are spending cumulatively.

When done shopping, we just checkout on the phone and walk past all the check out cash points.

We show a digital barcode receipt to the person at the exit and go on our way.

I wish more stores had apps like this, there's no reason why Lowes or HD shouldn't have this as they've both accepted the use of self check outs.

It's almost fun shopping at Sams now.

I love self check outs, pay at the pump, etc. I even order/refills and pay for my prescriptions, via my phone, and just pick up at the drive through. Beyond prescriptions, I rarely buy anything else at a drug store when I actually go into the store.

You don't have to brag about being a Millennial, young fella.

[Brian Elfert]

Local Kroger before this hit, ONLY self checkout around 11pm when i stopped by after work

Before COVID-19 the local Walmart closed the self checkout at 10 pm. I got there one day just as they closed the self checkout. I had to wait at a regular cashier. I wasn't real happy since I figured I could be in and out real quick. (I am usually at home and in bed by 10 pm. I don't recall why I was out at that hour.)

It seems to make more sense to keep self checkout open all night, but what do I know?

[Jim Becker]

What I was trying to express in my earlier post is that you can avoid the error message altogether by scanning the bulky item on your cart, and then hitting a button you will see on the large screen that says "skip bagging". Once you have done that, the scale in the bagging area receives the a message from the software telling it not to expect added weight.
This applies to one item, so if you wanted to skip bagging for several items, you would hit the button each time. At least this is the case at my Home Depot location. Have a look and see if this is the case at your local HD location also.

Thanks for the further clarification...I'll have to check for that feature. It's rare I buy anything large at the 'borg, so I haven't looked for it previously.

[Doug Garson]

Before COVID-19 the local Walmart closed the self checkout at 10 pm. I got there one day just as they closed the self checkout. I had to wait at a regular cashier. I wasn't real happy since I figured I could be in and out real quick. (I am usually at home and in bed by 10 pm. I don't recall why I was out at that hour.)

It seems to make more sense to keep self checkout open all night, but what do I know?

It may be that they have experienced more theft late at night from self checkouts?

[Darcy Warner]

It may be that they have experienced more theft late at night from self checkouts?

They have like 4 cameras on you at all times while using those. Creepy, don't use them if I am forced to go to walmart. Only get Rotella oil and a Motorcraft filter there, in an out the auto service door, pay there, actual person.

[Peter Bucy]

When it comes to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we all live in a bad neighborhood.

Pete


In the past a walled off cashier station often meant you were in a bad neighborhood. A growing number of retailers now have plexiglass partitions to at least partially protect cashiers. Time and resources seem to the reason why the cashier isn't better protected. The retailers don't have time to have wraparound protection made and the companies that can do the fabrication work have as much business as they can handle for the most part.

Do you think we'll see stores isolating their cashiers even after this whole COVID-19 thing is gone? At some stores a remodel of the cashier station(s) will need to be done to provide full protection. Personally, I don't like to feel like I'm viewing an animal at a zoo when I check out with a cashier.

[Jason Roehl]

You don't have to brag about being a Millennial, young fella.

Gen X-er here (technically, I guess--never felt like I was), and I'm with ChrisA--my wife and I use the Sam's app when we go, it's a time-saver. Not that I really care about a few minutes, but standing in lines when you don't have to is really pointless. I was ecstatic 20 years ago when virtually all gas pumps became pay-at-the-pump because that meant I didn't have to stand behind someone making chain/rollover purchases of lottery tickets. I have yet to use ApplePay, however. I do have it setup on my phone, but have just never thought to do it. Haven't written a check in years at a store--THAT really holds up a line.

[Mike Henderson]

Gen X-er here (technically, I guess--never felt like I was), and I'm with ChrisA--my wife and I use the Sam's app when we go, it's a time-saver. Not that I really care about a few minutes, but standing in lines when you don't have to is really pointless. I was ecstatic 20 years ago when virtually all gas pumps became pay-at-the-pump because that meant I didn't have to stand behind someone making chain/rollover purchases of lottery tickets. I have yet to use ApplePay, however. I do have it setup on my phone, but have just never thought to do it. Haven't written a check in years at a store--THAT really holds up a line.

I love ApplePay and use it every place that will take it. It's so much more convenient than a physical credit card.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

I love ApplePay and use it every place that will take it. It's so much more convenient than a physical credit card.



Same...ApplePay or at least contactless card support is my preference with chip reading behind that. I despise when a business can only take a magnetic swipe at this point...something that was supposed to go away in October 2015, but still lurks out there and not just in gas pumps!

[Greg Funk]

Same...ApplePay or at least contactless card support is my preference with chip reading behind that. I despise when a business can only take a magnetic swipe at this point...something that was supposed to go away in October 2015, but still lurks out there and not just in gas pumps!It's somewhat ironic that the the country that invented contactless payments (Apple & Google Pay) is behind just about every other country in implementation. I think it's been well over a year since I withdrew cash from a bank. Even our vending machine at work is contactless.

[ChrisA Edwards]

You don't have to brag about being a Millennial, young fella.

63 years young....:)

[Ole Anderson]

Sneeze shields up at my local bait shop and at ACE Hardware.

[Jim Becker]

It's somewhat ironic that the the country that invented contactless payments (Apple & Google Pay) is behind just about every other country in implementation. I think it's been well over a year since I withdrew cash from a bank. Even our vending machine at work is contactless.


I agree, but am not surprised...there was resistance to forcing the change because of costs, even though in the end, it might actually reduce some of the cost of fraud. The business world is a strange animal sometimes, focusing on the short term at the expense of being ill-prepared for what comes next.

[Stan Calow]

I was reluctant to try it, but now use ApplePay every time I can. I'd say it works about 80% of the time. When I ask a place if they have ApplePay, usually the cashier will say yes, but sometimes wont work, recently at HomeDepot.

[Brian Elfert]

Sneeze shields up at my local bait shop and at ACE Hardware.

Lots of stores doing that, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired in most cases. The plastic either isn't wide enough, or in the wrong place. Hy-Vee was one of the first to put up partitions, but they are the wrong place and not wide enough. The way most customers interact with a cashier the customer isn't behind the partition.

It may push more stores to self checkout, but the person who troubleshoots the self checkouts would be hard to protect. For stores that have human cashiers I could see a plastic booth with a door on one side. The part over the belt would have an opening large enough for items to pass through. Maybe they would even consider a fan for positive pressure, but that puts customers at risk if the cashier is sick.

[Brian Elfert]

I was reluctant to try it, but now use ApplePay every time I can. I'd say it works about 80% of the time. When I ask a place if they have ApplePay, usually the cashier will say yes, but sometimes wont work, recently at HomeDepot.

It appears that Home Depot does not have Apple Pay enabled. I asked one day about two months ago because I forgot my wallet and they said no. All my research online doesn't find anything that they support it.

I think the reason some stores don't do Apple Pay or contactless is because the readers are old and don't support it. Card readers had a chip slot long before chip cards were supported in the USA. A lot of people are worried about card numbers being stolen from contactless cards, but the range is very short and I am pretty sure they don't send the actual card number anyhow. There is more danger giving your card to server at a restaurant. Several of my credit cards were replaced with contactless versions before they expired. Credit card companies are smart and realize that if a card is easy to use it is more likely to be used.

[Edwin Santos]

I think the reason some stores don't do Apple Pay or contactless is because the readers are old and don't support it.

I think it has more to do with retailers not wanting to pay Apple their fee, which comes out of the retailer's end. In the early days of Apple Pay, adoption by retailers was slow for this reason, but as customers came to like the feature, and began requesting it, retailers have been relenting, especially when it places them at a disadvantage when their competitor accepts Apple Pay. One reason I like it is that the retailer merchant never gets your cc information and neither does Apple so you're safe from a hack or data breach of the merchant's system.