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Efficiency. Chat and shop. It’s a twofer. And if you like interaction but not having to get to close, it’s great.
by devoutsalsa 6y ago
Efficiency. Chat and shop. It’s a twofer. And if you like interaction but not having to get to close, it’s great.
- chrisseaton 6y agoBut it's not efficient, is it? These people could be doing something more productive with their time than staffing a checkout in order to make small talk.
- null0ranje 6y agoThey are. It's called building goodwill.
- the-dude 6y agoActually at my favorite supermarket these people are not only staffing checkouts, they are running the store : there are no managers to be seen. I enjoy seeing this group of young people given such a broad responsibility and I acknowledge them and their stellar job. And they acknowledge me. But who am I, I just enjoy Old Europe.
- the-dude 6y agoI have heard from employees at supermarkets that shrinkage with self checkout is elevated to the point it does not really matter.
- Ygg2 6y agoYou mean theft? Isn't shrinkage just term for employee theft?
- the-dude 6y agoI do mean theft. I am not a native speaker and thought shrinkage applied to both.
- winthrowe 6y agoMy understanding is shrinkage typically refers to the sum total of all product received but unsellable, whether from theft, spoilage, or or breakage.
- devoutsalsa 6y agoShrinkage is.. "an allowance made for reduction in the earnings of a business due to wastage or theft."
- falcolas 6y agoMore efficient for the company, perhaps (though self checkouts are typically still manned, though at a reduced rate). But much less efficient for the customers. Who do you optimize for? IMO, ideally not the company.
- chrisseaton 6y ago> But much less efficient for the customers. I don't know what your experience is, but I always find self-checkout massively more efficient for me and I'd always prefer it and would choose shops that offer it over those that don't. I can just breeze through with my AirPods still in listening to my podcast, not having to wait for anyone else or have anyone else wait for me, not having to say anything, and just get on with the rest of my day and what I really want to spend my time doing.
- falcolas 6y agoIs it really more efficient (faster, lower effort, etc), or are you just busy (as opposed to idle)?
- bspammer 6y agoIt’s faster because there’s 20 open machines and I don’t have to wait in a queue. It’s lower effort because talking is a bigger cognitive burden for me than scanning a few items. Over time with experience, you get as fast as an employee would be anyway.