Reply #96: A response: [View All]

1) My local Giant Eagle grocery store installed them and hasn't fired one employee...they even have roaming checkers and baggers to assist the self-serve lanes.

2) Again, they're not all cutting jobs...and I can scan and bag every bit as quickly as a cashier can. I like the convenience.

3) The self-serve lanes are tied into the same computer system as the manned registers. If something doesn't register, it requires a manual price check...regardless of what register you use.

4) Again, some stores have roaming baggers that service the self-serve lanes. If the manned register you're at doesn't have a bagger, the cashier has to do the bagging after they ring you up. No time savings.

5) Equipment varies. I've never had that problem.


I don't think the machines themselves are at fault...it's how they're integrated into the operation (and the quality of the equipment used). They're just a tool. Some stores have found a way to incorporate them intelligently, some haven't.