Self Checkout at Pilot/Flying J

[storewanderer]

I was in a Flying J today that recently took over another operator's site and was surprised to see 3 self checkouts installed. I have never seen self checkout in a convenience store before.

I am not sure what I think of this. I watched a number of motorists with fuel prepays stand there and have to navigate to select their pump, then feed each bill to the machine one at a time, and they looked a bit frustrated. I think most people who pay cash for fuel are used to walking in, quickly throwing their money at the clerk and stating their pump number, and walking off without actually stopping at the counter. The fuel prepays on these machines takes about a minute. The machines seemed to interface a bit slowly.

[Alpha8472]

This is simply a waste of money for the store. These machines are hard to use and frustrate customers. It takes even longer to do a transaction. Convenience stores have always had problems with theft. Now it will be difficult to keep track of who is paying and who is not paying. Someone can just ring up a few items and neglect to pay for a ton of other stuff. They get a receipt and walk right out. It will be a mess. There will be even more theft. Meanwhile as a customer asks the clerk for help with the self checkout, several other people are robbing the store blind while the clerk is distracted. Yes, the clerk will spend more time helping with self checkout problems than if the clerk were to ring up the items himself at the main register.

[storewanderer]

This location is even more challenging since the store has multiple entrances, one goes into an attached casino, one goes out to the truck fuel islands, and one goes out to the parking lot where small cars go. The self checkouts are set up at the casino exit, facing into the store. So as you are using a self checkout (or a clerk is helping you), you and your clerk's back is turned to the doors that go out into the small car parking lot/fuel area.

I just don't think it is a good idea.

At this location they were requiring all transactions other than truck drivers to go to self checkout.

And the system interfaced so so slowly. It was the NCR software used by Lowes, Raleys, Safeway, Save Mart, etc. but I have not seen interface this slow since the first generation ones at Kmart or Albertsons a many years ago.

I also wonder how overpayments on a fuel prepay are handled.

[Super S]

This is the dumbest idea I have ever heard for a convenience store.