The Problem with Self-Checkout

I’ve struck a chord.

In a recent post, I recapped my mild but pointed frustration at a local grocer and their methodology of managing self-checkouts. In this post, I commented on the possibility to immensely increase their level of service by the simplest of actions.

While that was the intent of the article, most readers were more focused on their preference to self-checkouts over having to use an actual cashier. This sparked many conversations that led me to writing this article.

I prefer self-checkouts.

For the record, I agreed with most of the feedback. Each rebuttal I received I found myself already thinking. And that is exactly the problem.

Let me name the main rebuttal I received and how I process it. Afterward I will conclude on how this aligns with the purpose of this newsletter, namely, to improve customer experience through human interaction.

Rebuttal: “It is quicker to use self-checkout.”

False.

Stating that using self-checkout is quicker than having someone whose occupation dictates their ability to scan and bag items is strictly incomplete. Having two people simultaneously achieve multiple tasks of loading to the conveyor belt, scanning the items, bagging the items, then moving the items into the cart by definition has to be more efficient.

So how did we reach this agreed upon conclusion that self-checkouts are quicker?

Self-checkout can only typically be “quicker” because of two variables: 1) availability of cashiers and 2) competence of cashiers. Let's break them down.

Availability of Cashiers

We’ve all experienced a grocery store at peak hours. Those times when purchasing cereal looks more like bumper cars at the local fairgrounds than a morning stroll. Where matriarchs are feared and competition of strength plays a role in adhering the last can of baked beans. It’s every man for himself, battle scars exist for those of us who’ve braved the fiercest of scuffles. Others go home with less of their dignity and even less of their list fulfilled.

Dramatic? Probably.

The point is whether it is busy, understaffed, etc. there are times where lines of eager consumers prohibit you from getting immediate attention from a cashier. AKA, there are lines. Using a cashier is less advantageous due to the time it would take to wait in said lines. Self-checkout looks far more appealing, and dare I say, quicker.

This is where my disagreement comes into play. In the circumstances listed above, it is absolutely quicker to use the self-checkout. However, there are other reasons for this occurrence that I’m combating in my writing.

Reasons for the lines.

It’s possible a decision was made at some point to staff fewer people as cashiers. Scheduling oversight can also contribute. Emphasis on internal cost savings leads to less payroll and introduction to more technology. Meaning, installing self-checkouts and reducing cashiers may be intentional to encourage less overheads.

As the consumer, I see grocery stores leveraging my impatience to do more work myself in order to save them money. That doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies. I do more work, buy the same product at the same costs, and they stamp a big ole “we are serving you” on the initiative.?

However, the decision to use one over the other boils down to the value add.?

Clearly time is a strong factor in selecting a cashier or not. I think most people would agree. However, if something was offered in that exchange / interaction that outweighed the time waiting, you’d better believe those lines would be a lot longer.

I’m not here to suggest what that value is or how to weight them appropriately across all your customers. However, every day people will pay more money for the exact same product and then thank you for it. They do so because something was added in value that was more important to them than just the dollars.

Competence of Cashiers

I need to be careful here. I’m not suggesting competence in terms of intelligence. I’m speaking specifically to skill sets. Competence in the strictest sense of ability to do the task efficiently. Don’t make me pull out my Merriam-Webster.

Cashiers tend to gravitate towards certain characteristics. Some are quick to a fault. Like when your produce becomes a bag of fermenting smoothies before you get home. Some are ultra careful to bag all items appropriately, but you’ve likely seen the rise and fall of a new moon before all items are accounted for. Some are easily distrac… Some also lose their train of thought and take a while to recover.

Either way, finding the balance in speed and quality are the hallmark traits of a good cashier. But that doesn’t necessarily make a great cashier.

The question is, is there a cashier that, when you see him / her, you wait in any line just to have them bag your groceries?

There is one for my wife. Being the primary grocery getter in my home, my wife has become aware of the varying degrees of service offered by cashiers. With several items and a bundle of energy also known as my son with her, self-checkout is rarely an option. However, she has noted that there is a cashier that she will seek out.

She is the perfect combination of helpful and friendly, adept at bagging, efficient, and is great with our son.

Meanwhile, there is another lady that she will avoid at all costs. She's grumpy, slow, crushes items in the bags, and will bid you farewell with a heavy sigh. I’d rather steal my groceries than have to use that lane. One exhibits great competence in her role, the other has left all of us wondering how she passed the interview process.

So What?

What's the point of all of this? The point is that there are reasons someone would choose self-checkout over using a typical lane. However, I’m not content to hear the excuses of people and not address the larger customer service aspect of all of this.

I believe that there is a strong emphasis to replace customer service interactions with technology for the sake of cost. Here I’m emphasizing self-checkouts. There may have been a real need to serve the customer through installing these stations. However, I see a deeper need for investment into the people that make these interactions more valuable.

It’s just bad service.

The problem I see is that the excuses of “it’s easier” / “it’s quicker” / “I don’t want to interact with someone” are all reflections of poor quality of service provided by the cashier. Meaning, if you received a level of service from a cashier that both met your needs and improved your overall experience, self-checkouts would be null and void.

Hiring the right people, developing them into their role, and continuing to improve their tasks through the use of technology allows for a deeper relationship between the two parties. I believe that people would choose to interact with a cashier every time if that level of value was being offered.

Currently there is little to tip the scales in the cashier’s favor. Oftentimes it does not benefit the consumer more to work with them than it is to do the work themselves.

I see this as a problem.

As someone passionate about this field, I believe replacing humans with technology in a service level interaction is hurting our overall experience. There are times when a person will be the best and most effective means of providing basic needs. Humans are the most qualified to use intuition, genuine caring, emotional cognizance, and a myriad of other abilities and marry them together to provide someone with great service.

Is it worth it? I think so.