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Walmart Gives Up Replacing Store Cashiers with Machines

15 points by shubidubi 8y ago

SHOwnsYou 8y ago
I love the Walmart checkout machines. They suffered initially from poor software. The update made in the last 4 months or so is 100x better. I see two frequent problems. The first is people with a full cart of items. Without the lazy susan of bags, scanning and bagging takes a long time. Not to mention checkers presumably have some training regarding grouping like items and other tricks of the trade Walmart has gleaned over the billions of transactions in their history. The second is people that are not confident using the software - I hate to generalize, but usually it's older people. Someone unfamiliar or inefficient with the software can slow down the customer flow significantly, even if their cart size is small. I love it not only because as a millennial that works in software, using the self check and adapting to unfamiliar situations comes easier to me, but also I rarely check out with more than 5-10 items because I go shopping 3-5 times per week rather than once per week.
- petermcneeley 8y ago
  RFID resolves this and other problems including inventory and theft. Even if you had to do this via visual inspection its still very possible.(http://mentalfloss.com/article/501060/man-buys-two-metric-tons-lego-bricks-sorts-them-machine-learning http://mentalfloss.com/article/501060/man-buys-two-metric-to...)
  - cwilkes 8y ago
    I thought Walmart dictated to their suppliers that every item had to have an rfid chip in it, and this was years ago. Perhaps having one on every single item was cost prohibitive.
dleslie 8y ago
I dislike self-checkout; it's not simply because most times I use such systems there seems to be an issue that requires attention from a staff member, but because there exists a human checkout line then there also exists a line that involves less work for me. When my kids are in tow, as is often the case at the grocer, then having someone do the work of scanning and bagging is enormously convenient. At the self-checkout I'm juggling the timer in the software that grows impatient when I pause, the line-up of humans behind me that do the same, the kids I brought with, and the process of scanning and bagging. Even without my kids, why wouldn't I opt for the convenience of having a human do some work for me?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- infogulch 8y ago
  When you rarely check out at above 15 items, it can be worth the lower self checkout througput in exchange for significantly less waiting time, since some people prefer human checkers their lines are usually longer.
- janesvilleseo 8y ago
  My local grocery store, Woodman’s, has 4 types of checkouts. Normal full service, 15 or less self checkout, over 15 self checkout with a conveyor, and their newest self checkout with a conveyor but they bag and assist. That last option is the best. It’s the quickest as there is two pay stations with dedicated baggers. I use it every time. It is the only store I have seen that has this option. If other stores knew about this system I’m sure they would adopt it. https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/7afm5r/this_check_out_lane_scans_items_as_they_pass/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/7afm5r/t...
obsurveyor 8y ago
I think this article is a bit misleading. According to the original article[1], they're not getting rid of the self checkout lanes, they're getting rid of "Mobile Scan & Go" which is using a mobile app to scan and checkout. [1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/-leery-customers-prompt-walmart-to-shelve-self-scanning-service https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/-leery-cu...
- joezydeco 8y ago
  A grocery chain near me tried the mobile hand-scanner concept over a decade ago. The trial stores quietly cancelled the program about a year later. I asked the manager and he said the scanner-enabled stores were showing higher theft rates. The store had a weak mechanism in place to prevent theft (random 'audits' by cashiers to match your cart to the receipt), but it was obvious there were way too many ways to game the system. Self-checkout must be doing okay. The Target I frequent just remodeled and tripled the number of machines.
  - SiVal 8y ago
    Yes, I'm quite sure that what is happening is that a particular solution wasn't working well, so they're discontinuing it and continuing with the general search for better solutions. I'm confident they're still working toward solutions that require less from customers, not just less from employees.
happycube 8y ago
... instead, they will resume replacing two store cashiers with one store cashier to increase profits.
parliament32 8y ago
Note that his article isn't about self checkouts, it's about "Mobile Scan and Go" which was some sort of "use your phone to scan your items as you shop" scheme.
Digory 8y ago
I’ve heard nothing but raves for scan and go at Sams Club. I wonder if they’ll keep it for the warehouse clubs?

15 points by shubidubi 8y ago

I love the Walmart checkout machines. They suffered initially from poor software. The update made in the last 4 months or so is 100x better. I see two frequent problems. The first is people with a full cart of items. Without the lazy susan of bags, scanning and bagging takes a long time. Not to mention checkers presumably have some training regarding grouping like items and other tricks of the trade Walmart has gleaned over the billions of transactions in their history. The second is people that are not confident using the software - I hate to generalize, but usually it's older people. Someone unfamiliar or inefficient with the software can slow down the customer flow significantly, even if their cart size is small. I love it not only because as a millennial that works in software, using the self check and adapting to unfamiliar situations comes easier to me, but also I rarely check out with more than 5-10 items because I go shopping 3-5 times per week rather than once per week.

petermcneeley 8y ago
RFID resolves this and other problems including inventory and theft. Even if you had to do this via visual inspection its still very possible.(http://mentalfloss.com/article/501060/man-buys-two-metric-tons-lego-bricks-sorts-them-machine-learning http://mentalfloss.com/article/501060/man-buys-two-metric-to...)
- cwilkes 8y ago
  I thought Walmart dictated to their suppliers that every item had to have an rfid chip in it, and this was years ago. Perhaps having one on every single item was cost prohibitive.

dleslie 8y ago

I dislike self-checkout; it's not simply because most times I use such systems there seems to be an issue that requires attention from a staff member, but because there exists a human checkout line then there also exists a line that involves less work for me. When my kids are in tow, as is often the case at the grocer, then having someone do the work of scanning and bagging is enormously convenient. At the self-checkout I'm juggling the timer in the software that grows impatient when I pause, the line-up of humans behind me that do the same, the kids I brought with, and the process of scanning and bagging. Even without my kids, why wouldn't I opt for the convenience of having a human do some work for me?

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
infogulch 8y ago
When you rarely check out at above 15 items, it can be worth the lower self checkout througput in exchange for significantly less waiting time, since some people prefer human checkers their lines are usually longer.
janesvilleseo 8y ago
My local grocery store, Woodman’s, has 4 types of checkouts. Normal full service, 15 or less self checkout, over 15 self checkout with a conveyor, and their newest self checkout with a conveyor but they bag and assist. That last option is the best. It’s the quickest as there is two pay stations with dedicated baggers. I use it every time. It is the only store I have seen that has this option. If other stores knew about this system I’m sure they would adopt it. https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/7afm5r/this_check_out_lane_scans_items_as_they_pass/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/7afm5r/t...

obsurveyor 8y ago

I think this article is a bit misleading. According to the original article[1], they're not getting rid of the self checkout lanes, they're getting rid of "Mobile Scan & Go" which is using a mobile app to scan and checkout. [1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/-leery-customers-prompt-walmart-to-shelve-self-scanning-service https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/-leery-cu...

joezydeco 8y ago
A grocery chain near me tried the mobile hand-scanner concept over a decade ago. The trial stores quietly cancelled the program about a year later. I asked the manager and he said the scanner-enabled stores were showing higher theft rates. The store had a weak mechanism in place to prevent theft (random 'audits' by cashiers to match your cart to the receipt), but it was obvious there were way too many ways to game the system. Self-checkout must be doing okay. The Target I frequent just remodeled and tripled the number of machines.
- SiVal 8y ago
  Yes, I'm quite sure that what is happening is that a particular solution wasn't working well, so they're discontinuing it and continuing with the general search for better solutions. I'm confident they're still working toward solutions that require less from customers, not just less from employees.

happycube 8y ago

... instead, they will resume replacing two store cashiers with one store cashier to increase profits.

parliament32 8y ago

Note that his article isn't about self checkouts, it's about "Mobile Scan and Go" which was some sort of "use your phone to scan your items as you shop" scheme.

Digory 8y ago

I’ve heard nothing but raves for scan and go at Sams Club. I wonder if they’ll keep it for the warehouse clubs?