The business guru John Harvey Jones once said that the only thing certain in business is that change will continue to happen. One area of change that is happening at breakneck speed is the introduction of automated checkouts. In the space where one till with a checkout assistant used to be, a large grocery retailer can now install four or six self-service checkouts. Customers scan their own items through the till and put them in a bag. Most systems use voice commands to help customers do this, such as ‘scan the next item’ and ‘put the item in the bagging area’. In order to prevent fraud, many systems can detect the exact weight of the item once it is placed in the bagging area. Typically, one checkout assistant can cover four or six self-service checkouts.
Some retailers, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and B&Q, have been highly proactive in installing self-service checkouts. Tesco, for example, has installed automated tills in over 250 stores in the UK, and Sainsbury’s has followed suit in over 200 of its stores. These firms are taking a ‘me first’ approach to this new technology. Other retailers, such as Morrisons, are installing self-service checkouts gradually and not in the same quantities as their rivals. This is a more cautious ‘me too’ approach. But what exactly are the reasons for embracing this new technology and what are the likely effects on customers and staff? Let us investigate further.
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