Several major supermarket chains are starting to rethink their use of self-checkout lanes in an effort to improve the experience of their customers.
This week, a British retailer known as Booths announced that it would remove these areas from all of its stores.
Other companies such as Walmart and Costco have also reportedly changed their strategies.
According to Nigel Murray, the managing director of Booths, customers have complained about the way the self-checkout machines work.
They can be unreliable, slow, and impersonal. He also noted that they could be an issue when it comes to identifying and weighing products or making an alcohol purchase.
He also noted that some customers have complained about the way the machines work. For instance, they could be an issue when it comes to identifying and weighing products or making an alcohol purchase.
According to international retailers, self-checkout can lead to higher instances of intentional theft and customer errors.
In New Mexico, Walmart removed self-checkouts from some of its stores earlier this year.
The company said it wanted to provide more hands-on assistance to customers.
Similarly, Costco noted that it would be hiring more staff members in the self-checkout areas after it discovered that some customers were sneaking in using membership cards that weren’t theirs.
In Australia, the management of a major supermarket chain said this year that it believed that the introduction of self-checkout lanes had increased the number of shoplifting incidents.
However, there is no indication that the company is planning on changing its approach.
In the past year, Woolworths, which has a large number of self-service checkout lanes, installed cameras in its stores to help speed up the process.
A spokesperson for Woolworths later noted that the company’s staff members are always busy, and mistakes can easily occur.
The company would like to thank its customers for their patience while it continues to implement its new approach.
