Self checkout systems are popular at many big box stores and grocery chains because they help the store save money on staff. However, are these machines really worth the savings in costs? Do they even save money at all? Here are the top 5 reasons that self checkout machines are problematic.
1. The People
Relying on people to check out their own things is not always a problem, but there are some people who have problems. See the guy in this video below, who think he can checkout is pack of gum, but has some serious difficulty:
2. Technical Difficulties
As soon as something goes wrong with the machine, there's nothing you can really do about it. Unfortunately not all technical difficulties are as harmless and funny as the one in the video below:3. Customer Service
Yes it's easier to have customers check out on their own, but good customer service is about helping customers. That's why more and more chains across America are actually uninstalling their self-checkout machines. Read more about it here.4. Stage Fright
A new study has found that the fear of looking stupid stops people from using self-service checkout machines -- but hiding in a crowd helps. When there is one person standing behind you and you have to check yourself out, it tends to make you nervous or impatient. Learn more...
5. Fraud
Supermarket representatives would not dare divulge how many coupons are used fraudulently but acknowledge that there is a problem with faking the check out. For instance, placing a beef roast on the scale and punching in bananas is an easy way to reduce the price of groceries. However, this trick usually fails because the sensor recognizes the difference between the weight of the beef and bananas (details here).As you can see, even though the self-checkout system is a great way to save money, it may not be the future of payment technology. Perhaps the good old employee scanners and debit terminals are the best way to go for merchants (more options).
