Checkstands

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storewanderer
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Checkstands

Post by storewanderer »

Recently in my area two store remodels have taken place and the number of checkstands has been reduced significantly:

Wal Mart: store previously had 10 self checkouts and 24 regular checkouts. Store now has 15 regular checkouts and I am not even sure how many self checkouts... maybe 20... two banks at each door, plus I think 6 of them with conveyer belts so you unload your whole cart onto it then scan items all at once. This is a store where I never saw all 24 regular checkouts open, even during the holidays. But I have seen conditions with lines backed up into clothing due to too few checkouts open. Wal Mart has the reputation it deserves for slow checkout so perhaps customers expect this type of thing.

Smiths: store previously had 8 self checkouts and 8 regular checkouts. Store now has 16 self checkouts and 5 regular checkouts. This is a store that, last year during the holidays, had all of its checkouts open and had lines backing up into the aisles it was so busy. Typically the 5 checkstands is about what they had open and was adequate. Very interesting move. Recent reviews on Google, Yelp, etc. have customers commenting negatively about the store "only having 5 checkouts" and "trying to force customers to use self checkout." It appears the customers in this store, were more used to fast checkout. They are also pushing the "Scan bag and go" program in this store. The machines seem to always be broken. I suspect usage statistics are near zero. At least they have wi-fi in the store now; so something positive has come of that.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by cjd »

The Walmart here, too had about 25 regular checkout lanes with only about 5 being open. Some of these were just the short express lanes without conveyor belts, that were stacked two deep, so they could fit two checkouts into the space of one regular lane.

If I remember right the self checkout area was near the left entrance but it's hard to picture it. In the past couple of years, they removed the regular lanes on one side and added another set of self checkouts so there is now one on the left and one at the right. Usually both are open but sometimes one is closed off. Each of these has about 6-8 checkouts plus the overseers podium and they are fenced off with panels so there's only one way in and out. The set at the left side has two self checkouts with the conveyor belts, which are outside of the fenced in area but I haven't used them.

The store has just been remodeled over the last few months and they added an open sitting area with wood floors and leather chairs and removed a few regular checkouts in doing so. There is also a book section but that was already there.

In the garden center they recently actually added two more checkouts where there were only two previously. I've still yet to see more than two open, the garden center lines are often very long.

The scan bag and go and other things of that nature to me seem akin to restaurant pre order apps and never seem to catch on or have lots of issues if you try them. So I tend to avoid those sort of things.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by wnetmacman »

I live in Lafayette, LA. We essentially have three main choices:

Super 1 Foods - no self check; each store has at least 9 checkouts, most of which are always open. One store had a few self-checkouts, but dropped them after the last remodels.

Albertsons - No self checkouts, and most of the stores don't open more than 3-5 of the 9 lanes they have.

Walmart - one store has none (it's in a very high crime area). The other stores are a mixed bag. My closest store has 16 regular checkouts and 12 self checkouts. 4 are on the GM side and close with those doors. The other 8 vary; most nights they close at 10 and open 2 regular checkouts. One night they were all closed at 9. The stores that have self checkout have a similar balance in each store.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by babs »

The little Target stores in Manhattan have dozens of self-checkout stands and a few regular staffed checkstands. The industry is certainly moving in the direction of self-check as stores are remodeled and equipment is replaced. As more people have gotten used to it, I think there is less of a blow back about it. I certainly prefer self-check.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by klkla »

I've seen this trend at some stores in LA also. The downtown L.A. Ralphs has about a dozen self-checkstands and seven with cashiers. This store has a smaller than normal average order size for a Ralphs Fresh Fare so it makes sense about 80% of the time.

The new mini-target on 6th & Virgil is all self-serve, although the customer service desk can check people out. In California you cannot purchase liguor, beer or wine at self-service so some sort of cashier is always required.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by Jeff »

My local Albertsons removed the self checkouts for 2 - 15 items or less lines. Then there are 5 registers only. Usually 2-3 of the regular registers are open and one of the 15 items lines.
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Re: Checkstands

Post by Super S »

The Fred Meyer near me, which is undergoing a major remodel, is adding a new bank of self checkouts on the general merchandise side, and a second bank on the grocery side. While the number of checkstands is being reduced, they are actually replacing them and moving to a different design that Fred Meyer has already installed in some locations, which I would guess is a standard Kroger design. Worth noting is that the new registers are not touch screens.
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