Random stuff - the anything else thread
Jun 17th 2021, 5:25 pm
#8972
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Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
The old 'no one will lose their job' thing. A local store said the same thing, even had the employees saying it. A year later and their staff numbers have halved. I don't shop there anymore.
If they had to keep the same number of staff they wouldn't go to the expense of installing self check-outs.
If they had to keep the same number of staff they wouldn't go to the expense of installing self check-outs.
Jun 17th 2021, 5:31 pm
#8973
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Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
They already have 20+ item lanes at some Wal-Marts, go right for 20 items or less, and left for 20 items or more, the 20 items or more side has more space such as the photo above, and 20 items and less side, more machines but less space in bagging, the store probably has 40-50 self check outs in total now, but still typically has 1 cash lane open most of the day for now.
Long term, what Amazon is doing on a small scale in the US is likely what will happen, wont even need self check out machines in the future. But this tech is still being perfected by Amazon.
Long term, what Amazon is doing on a small scale in the US is likely what will happen, wont even need self check out machines in the future. But this tech is still being perfected by Amazon.
Maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy but I look at that photo and think, yes, there's plenty of room there compared to the self checkout areas I'm used to seeing.
And then I think about how I normally unload my items onto the conveyor belt without thinking of what should go first because the cashier will do that and by the time I've finished half my stuff is already scanned and bagged. As I lift the bagged stuff back into my cart a few more things have been scanned and then what's left is bagged by me and cashier, job done.
Now I imagine me and my full cart at that self checkout. What should I scan and bag first. I'd like to do that thing first but it's at the bottom of the cart as one of the first things I bought. Regardless it's me now scanning and packing and having to bend down to put 6 bags on the floor to make room on the stand for the other bags, oh bugger it, that bag just fell over as I lifted the one next to it, picks up items and put back in bag, puts that one on floor, carefully this time, and then I'm done.
Now to bend and pick up half a dozen bags...ooops...there goes my back from bending down (or maybe my blood pressure drops from down and up multiple times).
Aside from all that, I look at the space needed in that picture, consider how the cart needs to be backed out and all the rest...and I'm thinking that in the usual line and cash desk set-up where one goes through and is replaced by someone from behind, you could probably fit one cashier and two or three customers with carts, with the items scanned and bagged in a fraction of the time.
From the store's angle, how much do they lose by not having the tempting stock at the cash desks?
Unless the store is reducing employee number - as JG mentions - I can't see anything in it for them unless people buy less, perhaps visiting more often to make up for it.
Perhaps in future they'll have a 20 items or more lane.
And then I think about how I normally unload my items onto the conveyor belt without thinking of what should go first because the cashier will do that and by the time I've finished half my stuff is already scanned and bagged. As I lift the bagged stuff back into my cart a few more things have been scanned and then what's left is bagged by me and cashier, job done.
Now I imagine me and my full cart at that self checkout. What should I scan and bag first. I'd like to do that thing first but it's at the bottom of the cart as one of the first things I bought. Regardless it's me now scanning and packing and having to bend down to put 6 bags on the floor to make room on the stand for the other bags, oh bugger it, that bag just fell over as I lifted the one next to it, picks up items and put back in bag, puts that one on floor, carefully this time, and then I'm done.
Now to bend and pick up half a dozen bags...ooops...there goes my back from bending down (or maybe my blood pressure drops from down and up multiple times).
Aside from all that, I look at the space needed in that picture, consider how the cart needs to be backed out and all the rest...and I'm thinking that in the usual line and cash desk set-up where one goes through and is replaced by someone from behind, you could probably fit one cashier and two or three customers with carts, with the items scanned and bagged in a fraction of the time.
From the store's angle, how much do they lose by not having the tempting stock at the cash desks?
Unless the store is reducing employee number - as JG mentions - I can't see anything in it for them unless people buy less, perhaps visiting more often to make up for it.
Perhaps in future they'll have a 20 items or more lane.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Jun 17th 2021 at 5:38 pm.
Jun 24th 2021, 4:24 am
#8983
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Joined: Jan 2013
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 21,138
Jun 24th 2021, 5:39 am
#8984
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Joined: Jan 2006
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