by Cody Hodge

Created on: November 06, 2009

Do self-checkouts save the customer money when they go shopping? This can be a tough call, and this really depends on how you view the technology that you have when you go through the self-checkout. On the surface, you would think that the self-checkout would speed up the customer shopping experience, and help them get out the door quicker. However, this isn't always the case.

Whenever you have customers dealing with technology, or anyone else dealing with technology, you are going to run into problems. I have heard so many stories about customers trying to use the self-checkout, and having to stand there and have someone either show them how to use it, or have someone fix it.

Some people can't even use a RedBox, and those things are easier than anything to use, so it can be costly for the business to have a self-checkout. It can be seen as bad customer service to not have people there to serve them. If you think about it, the cashier is the last person who the customer is going to see, and the last person that might be able to listen, or solve a problem that they were having. If the self-checkout causes more problems, are they going to shop there?

There then comes the problem of either you spend money on these machines, or you spend money on people, or you do both. That is the best option for any retail establishment. You can't not have people in a business, and since labor costs are the easiest to keep down, why not just have the people? The self-checkouts aren't that good, especially when you have to have someone there to make sure nothing goes wrong.

So does a self-checkout save the consumer money? it is a little like arguing that the self-service gas stations has kept the price of gas down. There is so much that the consumer nor the store can control. Whether it be the cost of shipping, or the costs of produce, it can be hard for just having a self-checkout to keep the costs of the groceries down.

At the end of the day, it can be a little misleading to say that having a self-checkout is going to keep down your costs at the grocery store. It might help out a little bit, but I don't see it being something that is going to keep costs down. The best way to keep the costs down is to simply lower the prices.

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