Self-checkout and Shrink

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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by buckguy »

I often wonder if this is why most Target Stores have so few self checkouts. Most Targets only have 4 self checkouts which is very few for such a large store. But this also makes them easier to monitor and forces more transactions to go through regular cashiers to mitigate the potential shrink issue. And also keep in mind we have yet to see self checkout in clothing retailers. They came, went, then came back again at Ikea. Bed Bath & Beyond is in the process of installing them in certain locations though as we speak.
The full-size Targets near me all have more than four self-checkouts and the one in DC proper has at least a dozen. I've also seen large numbers of self-checkouts in Targets located in other mid-Atlantic markets and in Ohio. I would imagine that they tailor them to shopping patterns---the DC store has huge floor traffic but a lot of it comes from people buying just a few items.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by BillyGr »

buckguy wrote: February 10th, 2021, 9:15 am
I often wonder if this is why most Target Stores have so few self checkouts. Most Targets only have 4 self checkouts which is very few for such a large store. But this also makes them easier to monitor and forces more transactions to go through regular cashiers to mitigate the potential shrink issue. And also keep in mind we have yet to see self checkout in clothing retailers. They came, went, then came back again at Ikea. Bed Bath & Beyond is in the process of installing them in certain locations though as we speak.
The full-size Targets near me all have more than four self-checkouts and the one in DC proper has at least a dozen. I've also seen large numbers of self-checkouts in Targets located in other mid-Atlantic markets and in Ohio. I would imagine that they tailor them to shopping patterns---the DC store has huge floor traffic but a lot of it comes from people buying just a few items.
Ours only has the 4 self checkouts, and it is a regular store with the added grocery items (PFresh) remodel.
They definitely could have had at least a couple more in the space they have (given that these were set up pre-virus the spacing is not for that) without them being as close as many at the supermarkets are.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by storewanderer »

buckguy wrote: February 10th, 2021, 9:15 am

The full-size Targets near me all have more than four self-checkouts and the one in DC proper has at least a dozen. I've also seen large numbers of self-checkouts in Targets located in other mid-Atlantic markets and in Ohio. I would imagine that they tailor them to shopping patterns---the DC store has huge floor traffic but a lot of it comes from people buying just a few items.
That is interesting and not the case at all here. Even stores that were just remodeled last year and previously had no self checkout, only got 4 self checkouts added in. Even Super Targets I've visited only had 4 self checkouts. Thinking back, I may have seen one that had 8 self checkouts (possibly one group on each end of the front end) in Colorado at some point in the past.

Both the Reno and Sparks Target locations are very close to many apartments and do a fairly high volume of small transactions and routinely have 8+ customers lined up waiting for self checkouts- still only 4 self checkouts in these two stores. I don't think it has anything to do with Target looking at transaction types. I think they just only want to have 4 self checkouts. And 20 regular checkouts of which there are only ever a few open.

One thing I notice is the Sparks Target (which is a very busy store and quite orderly inside, militant almost) is very good at watching the self checkouts. Usually there is an employee as well as a uniformed security guard standing there watching. They seem to target specific customers to watch very closely I have noticed, namely teenagers, and they make it very obvious. Conversely, the Reno Target (which is a trainwreck mess of a store) often times has nobody watching self checkouts and when someone needs help, someone comes over from customer service (a bit of a walk) to assist.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by mbz321 »

As a Costco employee who frequently watches the self-checkouts, I feel it is a big part of our shrink problem (inventories were just completed company-wide last month, and from what I gather, overall results seem to be abysmal.) I have heard some locations are starting to have an employee at each 'self' checkout station, basically just turning them into express lanes. The machines themselves are incredibly not-user friendly for most of our clientele', which certainly doesn't help things any, Typically my location has just one, maybe two people overseeing 6 registers, having to run over to each member to scan their big items (since there are no scan guns for the members to use themselves), or to enter bakery items that aren't barcoded (because putting a simple button on the screen would have been two hard for some reason). In a regular lane, there are two sets of eyes on things..in a self checkout, maybe one. Plenty of opportunities for expensive items to be placed under more expensive ones (it's almost always razors, thin meats/fishes like smoked salmon, batteries, etc). The receipts print out on blue paper as they are supposed to catch more scrutiny at the door, but on a busy day, it is virtually impossible to start looking at every item (especially since we have failed to implement an item limit for self-checkout usage). Make me wonder if anyone at Corporate actually tested these machines in the real-world before rolling them out.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by babs »

:oops:
storewanderer wrote: February 10th, 2021, 5:13 pm
buckguy wrote: February 10th, 2021, 9:15 am

The full-size Targets near me all have more than four self-checkouts and the one in DC proper has at least a dozen. I've also seen large numbers of self-checkouts in Targets located in other mid-Atlantic markets and in Ohio. I would imagine that they tailor them to shopping patterns---the DC store has huge floor traffic but a lot of it comes from people buying just a few items.
That is interesting and not the case at all here. Even stores that were just remodeled last year and previously had no self checkout, only got 4 self checkouts added in. Even Super Targets I've visited only had 4 self checkouts. Thinking back, I may have seen one that had 8 self checkouts (possibly one group on each end of the front end) in Colorado at some point in the past.

Both the Reno and Sparks Target locations are very close to many apartments and do a fairly high volume of small transactions and routinely have 8+ customers lined up waiting for self checkouts- still only 4 self checkouts in these two stores. I don't think it has anything to do with Target looking at transaction types. I think they just only want to have 4 self checkouts. And 20 regular checkouts of which there are only ever a few open.

One thing I notice is the Sparks Target (which is a very busy store and quite orderly inside, militant almost) is very good at watching the self checkouts. Usually there is an employee as well as a uniformed security guard standing there watching. They seem to target specific customers to watch very closely I have noticed, namely teenagers, and they make it very obvious. Conversely, the Reno Target (which is a trainwreck mess of a store) often times has nobody watching self checkouts and when someone needs help, someone comes over from customer service (a bit of a walk) to assist.
I have not seen a standard Target with more than four self checkout stations. However, the baby Target stores are mostly self checkout. I know the transactions tend to be smaller at these stores but they have all in on the technology. The Herald Square location in NYC has 20 or more self checkout stations and maybe only 2 or 3 standard checkouts.

Target tends to be a bit slow adopting new tech on the front end. I gotta figure they will add more this year. Most stores can easily add four more stations. We'll see.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by Jeff »

I love using Scan and Go myself at Sams Club. Its super easy and when the lines are long, you just walk out. I've actually done the opposite and charged myself for something twice by accident and the person noticed it at the door (she counted the items in my cart, I had 8 and my receipt said 9).

I think one day everything will eventually be locked in a vending machine style where you need to pay as you grab the item. Would make sense you think for smaller stores, but larger would be awful to do this.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by storewanderer »

mbz321 wrote: February 11th, 2021, 7:00 pm As a Costco employee who frequently watches the self-checkouts, I feel it is a big part of our shrink problem (inventories were just completed company-wide last month, and from what I gather, overall results seem to be abysmal.) I have heard some locations are starting to have an employee at each 'self' checkout station, basically just turning them into express lanes. The machines themselves are incredibly not-user friendly for most of our clientele', which certainly doesn't help things any, Typically my location has just one, maybe two people overseeing 6 registers, having to run over to each member to scan their big items (since there are no scan guns for the members to use themselves), or to enter bakery items that aren't barcoded (because putting a simple button on the screen would have been two hard for some reason). In a regular lane, there are two sets of eyes on things..in a self checkout, maybe one. Plenty of opportunities for expensive items to be placed under more expensive ones (it's almost always razors, thin meats/fishes like smoked salmon, batteries, etc). The receipts print out on blue paper as they are supposed to catch more scrutiny at the door, but on a busy day, it is virtually impossible to start looking at every item (especially since we have failed to implement an item limit for self-checkout usage). Make me wonder if anyone at Corporate actually tested these machines in the real-world before rolling them out.
I've been noticing lately at Sam's Club the receipt "audits" are taking a lot longer. The Sam's Club receipt audit is computerized and once the receipt is scanned by the door attendant, the system tells them what to do (count number of items, then scan specific items). The local Sam's Club just tore out 3 more regular checkouts and put in 3 more self checkouts so they are up to perhaps 10 self checkouts now and no more than 8 regular checkouts (maybe 6). This isn't a very busy store, but is busier than it was in the past. But the past couple times I've gone there, I have noticed for the customers in front of me, it seems like the receipt audit is triggering the door attendant to scan literally every item in the transaction.

In the case of Costco self checkouts failed once and the company abandoned them. It is odd they have decided to do such a quick roll out of the machines again. They probably need to add additional labor at the exit door in order to spend more time on the receipt audit process for these transactions. But that sort of cancels out the point of adding the self checkout in the first place... wastes the customer's time and costs the store more labor.

What is the cart policy with the self checkout? One policy (this too would piss people off) that may work at self checkout is the old "cart to cart" policy where every item must be physically removed from the cart the customer is using, then scanned, then placed into an empty cart. That was the old Costco policy back before they had the conveyor belt checkouts, long ago.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by babs »

storewanderer wrote: February 11th, 2021, 9:08 pm
mbz321 wrote: February 11th, 2021, 7:00 pm As a Costco employee who frequently watches the self-checkouts, I feel it is a big part of our shrink problem (inventories were just completed company-wide last month, and from what I gather, overall results seem to be abysmal.) I have heard some locations are starting to have an employee at each 'self' checkout station, basically just turning them into express lanes. The machines themselves are incredibly not-user friendly for most of our clientele', which certainly doesn't help things any, Typically my location has just one, maybe two people overseeing 6 registers, having to run over to each member to scan their big items (since there are no scan guns for the members to use themselves), or to enter bakery items that aren't barcoded (because putting a simple button on the screen would have been two hard for some reason). In a regular lane, there are two sets of eyes on things..in a self checkout, maybe one. Plenty of opportunities for expensive items to be placed under more expensive ones (it's almost always razors, thin meats/fishes like smoked salmon, batteries, etc). The receipts print out on blue paper as they are supposed to catch more scrutiny at the door, but on a busy day, it is virtually impossible to start looking at every item (especially since we have failed to implement an item limit for self-checkout usage). Make me wonder if anyone at Corporate actually tested these machines in the real-world before rolling them out.
I've been noticing lately at Sam's Club the receipt "audits" are taking a lot longer. The Sam's Club receipt audit is computerized and once the receipt is scanned by the door attendant, the system tells them what to do (count number of items, then scan specific items). The local Sam's Club just tore out 3 more regular checkouts and put in 3 more self checkouts so they are up to perhaps 10 self checkouts now and no more than 8 regular checkouts (maybe 6). This isn't a very busy store, but is busier than it was in the past. But the past couple times I've gone there, I have noticed for the customers in front of me, it seems like the receipt audit is triggering the door attendant to scan literally every item in the transaction.

In the case of Costco self checkouts failed once and the company abandoned them. It is odd they have decided to do such a quick roll out of the machines again. They probably need to add additional labor at the exit door in order to spend more time on the receipt audit process for these transactions. But that sort of cancels out the point of adding the self checkout in the first place... wastes the customer's time and costs the store more labor.

What is the cart policy with the self checkout? One policy (this too would piss people off) that may work at self checkout is the old "cart to cart" policy where every item must be physically removed from the cart the customer is using, then scanned, then placed into an empty cart. That was the old Costco policy back before they had the conveyor belt checkouts, long ago.
Not sure why there is all this hate on how Costco is doing self checkout. It's the easiest interface of any store out there. The attendents are roaming and actively getty involved as needed. Now compare this to Walmart. A store that in my area has added 25+ self checkout stations and is down 4 staff checkstands with rarely more than one open at a time. The employees are useless, I've had to help them multiple time to figure out how to fix the register. Winco? The clerk is sitting there not paying attention. Rite Aid? It's not even staffed. Costco is pretty good job in comparison.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by storewanderer »

babs wrote: February 11th, 2021, 11:05 pm
Not sure why there is all this hate on how Costco is doing self checkout. It's the easiest interface of any store out there. The attendents are roaming and actively getty involved as needed. Now compare this to Walmart. A store that in my area has added 25+ self checkout stations and is down 4 staff checkstands with rarely more than one open at a time. The employees are useless, I've had to help them multiple time to figure out how to fix the register. Winco? The clerk is sitting there not paying attention. Rite Aid? It's not even staffed. Costco is pretty good job in comparison.
Costco's self checkout interface is the same as CVS and Safeway/Albertsons. It is just stock Toshiba self checkout software. I agree it works pretty well and interfaces easily. The screen also seems to be very responsive. Interestingly, Wal Mart Canada uses this software as well...

All 3 stores you have commented negatively about: WinCo, Rite Aid, and Wal Mart US are using NCR Self Checkout Software. I agree these machines tend to have issues, the screens aren't real responsive, the icons to touch don't seem big enough, and various other problems. Also the staffing at the stores in question does not seem to help much. The one thing I like on the self checkout at Wal Mart is if I have all barcoded items, I can do the whole transaction without touching the screen. After being done scanning just insert the card and it automatically goes past the finish and pay/select payment type screens on its own and straight to processing card.

There is a key difference on the Toshiba machines the employee has to physically come to your unit to clear out any error. On the NCR machines that "monitor station" has a screen for the self checkouts and the self checkouts can be controlled from there entirely- the cashier never has to walk over and clear out the error (and actually look at what is going on in your transaction). For the set up where the employee is wanting to sit around while watching self checkout, this is great, I guess. But it is terrible customer service and also I think it is bad for shrink. One time in the past in a store with these units I encountered an employee who stood up there and was so disengaged/bored he started to show up with a book and was reading a book and whenever the red light would flash on the screen at the monitor station he would just look up from his book and clear it off so the customer could proceed with the transaction. An employee could not get away with that on the Toshiba units- they have to be actively monitoring the machines and walking around.
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Re: Self-checkout and Shrink

Post by mbz321 »

storewanderer wrote: February 12th, 2021, 12:06 am

Not sure why there is all this hate on how Costco is doing self checkout. It's the easiest interface of any store out there. The attendents are roaming and actively getty involved as needed
Realistically, there is nothing wrong with the interface itself. The problem is in its configuration, as well as the user base. However, there is a noticeable delay when the cashier has to sync the wireless scan gun to the machine, and a delay between scanning each item (which is also likely causing items to be missed). The scales frequently and easily seem to go out of calibration. The biggest problem for the first-time users is they don't realize they have to scan their membership card on the scanner glass.....I've seen people try to put it everywhere but, then they stare at the end not realizing they have to press the 'Done scanning items' button on the screen. There are so many different things that require an attendant to come over, making the whole system sort-of useless....they could have easily just converted a couple of checkout lanes to express lanes without adding self-checkout machines. Limiting the number of items coming through I think would significantly reduce error, but that seems to be store-by-store decision for now.
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