42 ms·

I nearly always prefer self checkout, but let's get real, the problem is not "corporate squeezing every last penny". As the article points out, it's extremely d

I nearly always prefer self checkout, but let's get real, the problem is not "corporate squeezing every last penny". As the article points out, it's extremely difficult to make up the personnel savings due to shoplifting losses. For example, at grocery store, my guess is that stores take tons of losses from people swiping organic foods as conventional. And given how brazen shoplifting has gotten in tons of places over the past 3 years even when there are clerks around, it makes it really hard for the math for self-checkout to work.

mcphage 3y ago
Self-checkouts are a godsend to shoplifters. If a company is installing self checkout counters, I don't think I’d believe their complaints about shrink.
MarkSweep 3y ago
I’ve probably mis-categorized produce when using self-checkout. Often I can’t remember what type of thing I picked up. And I’m terrible at spelling, so I often have trouble looking up vegetables using the “search by name” feature. This UX problem could be solved if they just put RFID tags in all produce so you got 100% scans, like at the Uniqlo self checkouts.
- koolba 3y ago
  Most produce in big name stores has a four digit PLU code that can be entered rather than guessing the name.
eesmith 3y ago
> given how brazen shoplifting has gotten in tons of places over the past 3 years Most recent view is that the claims of brazen shoplifting were not fundamentally true. "The US shoplifting scourge is a lot of hype with little evidence" - https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/shoplifting-surge-hype-nightcap/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/shoplifting-surg... ("There are pockets are of real increases in certain cities, but the national trend is pretty flat") HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38578764 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38578764 "Is Shoplifting Really Surging?" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/briefing/shoplifting-data.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/briefing/shoplifting-data... ("The various sources of crime data — from government agencies and private groups — tell a consistent story. Retail theft has not spiked nationwide in the past several years. If anything, it appears less common in most of the country than it was before the pandemic.") HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38535662 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38535662 "How the retail lobby sold a $45-billion whopper about organized shoplifting" https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-retail-lobby-confesses-it-lied-about-organized-shoplifting-rings https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-ret... -- HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38695985 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38695985 . The National Retail Federation, which was pushing this panic, has had to withdraw its claim.
chrismcb 3y ago
How do you swipe organize as conventional? Are you staying the barcode from conventional food? Or did it let you select. My grocer has everything barcoded. There are a few items I have to tell it what it is, but it is very rare. Of course this would all be preventable if you hired a cashier instead of forcing your customers to work for free
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  Most produce in the US is not already packaged. It is weighed at checkout where you enter the type of produce, or enter a 4 or 5 digit code to identify the type of produce.

mcphage 3y ago

Self-checkouts are a godsend to shoplifters. If a company is installing self checkout counters, I don't think I’d believe their complaints about shrink.

MarkSweep 3y ago

I’ve probably mis-categorized produce when using self-checkout. Often I can’t remember what type of thing I picked up. And I’m terrible at spelling, so I often have trouble looking up vegetables using the “search by name” feature. This UX problem could be solved if they just put RFID tags in all produce so you got 100% scans, like at the Uniqlo self checkouts.

koolba 3y ago
Most produce in big name stores has a four digit PLU code that can be entered rather than guessing the name.

eesmith 3y ago

> given how brazen shoplifting has gotten in tons of places over the past 3 years Most recent view is that the claims of brazen shoplifting were not fundamentally true. "The US shoplifting scourge is a lot of hype with little evidence" - https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/shoplifting-surge-hype-nightcap/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/shoplifting-surg... ("There are pockets are of real increases in certain cities, but the national trend is pretty flat") HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38578764 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38578764 "Is Shoplifting Really Surging?" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/briefing/shoplifting-data.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/briefing/shoplifting-data... ("The various sources of crime data — from government agencies and private groups — tell a consistent story. Retail theft has not spiked nationwide in the past several years. If anything, it appears less common in most of the country than it was before the pandemic.") HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38535662 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38535662 "How the retail lobby sold a $45-billion whopper about organized shoplifting" https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-retail-lobby-confesses-it-lied-about-organized-shoplifting-rings https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-ret... -- HN at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38695985 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38695985 . The National Retail Federation, which was pushing this panic, has had to withdraw its claim.

chrismcb 3y ago

How do you swipe organize as conventional? Are you staying the barcode from conventional food? Or did it let you select. My grocer has everything barcoded. There are a few items I have to tell it what it is, but it is very rare. Of course this would all be preventable if you hired a cashier instead of forcing your customers to work for free

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
Most produce in the US is not already packaged. It is weighed at checkout where you enter the type of produce, or enter a 4 or 5 digit code to identify the type of produce.