Albertsons has announced a major investment in self-checkout technology, considerably increasing its number of equipped stores. Since its introduction in the 1980s, self-checkout has grown in popularity by reducing congestion at cash desks. Not everyone is convinced of the benefits though, with many retailers still holding back.
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Albertsons has unveiled an expansion that will boost the number of stores with self-checkout from 152 to more than 550 nationwide by mid-2004. Though supermarkets were the first to adopt this technology, other retailers have followed suit. Home Depot currently boasts self-checkout at about 600 stores, with another 200 scheduled to go on-stream by the end of the year. It plans eventually to install stations in all 1,068 of its stores nationwide.
Since its introduction at grocery stores in the 1980s, self-checkout has become steadily more common. According to the Food Marketing Institute, nearly 30% of all supermarket chains have self-checkout systems operating in at least one of their stores – an increase of 6% from 4 years ago.
The technology allows shoppers to scan food items, bag purchases and pay via a range of methods. The system’s advantages are twofold: facilitating the shopper in a hurry, and reducing long queues – the chief bugbear of customers. It is also a labour saving innovation with each one allowing four shoppers to use it simultaneously. Most have touchscreens that require no computer literacy and come in numerous languages.
Not everyone is happy though. Some consumers complain that the self-checkout is impersonal. Equally, products without universal price codes can cause delays as customers are unable to input the correct data. Industry watchdogs are concerned about labour losses but retailers claim that staff freed up at the point of sale can then be utilised on the shop floor.
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By GlobalDataAs the retail investment climate improves, self-checkout may become a more familiar experience for shoppers. Much of the industry remains sceptical however. Viewing the system as little more than a novelty, many continue to take a wait and see approach.
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