LOVE IT OR HATE IT, SELF-CHECKOUT IS HERE TO STAY. BUT IT'S GOING THROUGH A RECKONING
AppleMagazine|December 22, 2023
The promise of self-checkout was alluring: Customers could avoid long lines by scanning and bagging their own items, workers could be freed of doing those monotonous tasks themselves and retailers could save on labor costs.
LOVE IT OR HATE IT, SELF-CHECKOUT IS HERE TO STAY. BUT IT'S GOING THROUGH A RECKONING

All that has happened since the rollout of self-checkout but so has this: Customers griping about clunky technology that spits out mysterious error codes, workers having to stand around and monitor both humans and machines, and retailers contending with theft.

"Going to the grocery store used to be simple, and now it's frustrating," said Cindy Whittington, 66, of Fairfax, Virginia. "You're paying more.

You're working harder to pay for merchandise at their store. And it's become an ordeal to check out. I should get a 5% discount.

In 2021, self-checkout usage represented 30% of transactions, almost double from 2018, according to a survey of retailers by FMI, an industry group. And 96% of retailers surveyed offer self-checkout.

But the technology is also facing a reckoning amid the critical holiday shopping season. Some retailers are adding restrictions, while others are pulling out completely.

This past fall, Walmart removed self-checkout kiosks in three stores in Albuquerque, New Mexico as part of a location by location approach, but on the whole it is adding more than it is taking away. To reduce wait times, Target is now limiting the number of items to 10 that shoppers can scan in an handful of stores nationwide.

British supermarket chain Booths has been getting rid of its self-checkout at the majority of its stores for the past 18 months in reaction to customer backlash. A year ago, grocery chain Wegmans, citing "losses," discontinued its selfcheckout app that lets shoppers scan and bag items while they shop. However, it continues to offer self-checkout registers at its stores.

Self-checkout, first tested in supermarkets in the late 1980s, gained momentum 20 years ago. But grocers ramped it up even more three years ago to address the pandemic-induced severe labor shortages.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 22, 2023 من AppleMagazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 22, 2023 من AppleMagazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من APPLEMAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
CALIFORNIA'S INSURER FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT PRIVATE COVERAGE NEEDS $1 BILLION MORE FOR LA FIRES CLAIMS
AppleMagazine

CALIFORNIA'S INSURER FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT PRIVATE COVERAGE NEEDS $1 BILLION MORE FOR LA FIRES CLAIMS

California’s plan that provides insurance to homeowners who can’t get private coverage needs $1 billion more to pay out claims related to the Los Angeles wildfires, the state Insurance Department said this week.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
NASA'S 2 STUCK ASTRONAUTS MAY RETURN TO EARTH SOONER UNDER NEW PLAN
AppleMagazine

NASA'S 2 STUCK ASTRONAUTS MAY RETURN TO EARTH SOONER UNDER NEW PLAN

NASA’s two stuck astronauts may end up back on Earth a little sooner than planned.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #694
MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ROLE IN SEC SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT HACK THAT LED THE PRICE OF BITCOIN TO SPIKE
AppleMagazine

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ROLE IN SEC SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT HACK THAT LED THE PRICE OF BITCOIN TO SPIKE

An Alabama man admitted to taking part in a January 2024 hack of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission social media account designed to manipulate the price of bitcoin.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #694
SEC REQUESTS A PAUSE IN LEGAL BATTLE WITH BINANCE AS THE AGENCY ADAPTS A CRYPTO-FRIENDLY STANCE
AppleMagazine

SEC REQUESTS A PAUSE IN LEGAL BATTLE WITH BINANCE AS THE AGENCY ADAPTS A CRYPTO-FRIENDLY STANCE

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking to pause its high-profile lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange Binance as the regulator tries to present itself as more cryptofriendly under a new administration.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
AMAZON REPORTS STRONG EARNINGS FOR Q4, BUT STOCKS DIP DUE TO OUTLOOK FOR THE FIRST QUARTER
AppleMagazine

AMAZON REPORTS STRONG EARNINGS FOR Q4, BUT STOCKS DIP DUE TO OUTLOOK FOR THE FIRST QUARTER

Amazon reported better-than-expected revenue and profits for the holiday shopping period, but its stocks dipped in after-hours trading due to disappointing guidance for the current quarter.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
HOW ELON MUSK $97.4 BILLION BID COMPLICATES MATTERS FOR OPENAL
AppleMagazine

HOW ELON MUSK $97.4 BILLION BID COMPLICATES MATTERS FOR OPENAL

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dismissed a $97.4 billion takeover bid led by rival Elon Musk, but the unsolicited offer could complicate Altman's push to transform the maker of ChatGPT into a for-profit company.

time-read
4 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
LATINO WORKERS WORKING TO OVERCOME A TECHNOLOGICAL DIVIDE BROUGHT ON BY AUTOMATION AND AI
AppleMagazine

LATINO WORKERS WORKING TO OVERCOME A TECHNOLOGICAL DIVIDE BROUGHT ON BY AUTOMATION AND AI

As jobs become more reliant on technology some Latino workers can be left behind due to a lack of digital skills exacerbated by a lack of accessibility.

time-read
5 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
ELON MUSK-LED GROUP PROPOSES BUYING OPENAI FOR $97.4 BILLION.OPENAI CEO SAYS 'NO THANK YOU'
AppleMagazine

ELON MUSK-LED GROUP PROPOSES BUYING OPENAI FOR $97.4 BILLION.OPENAI CEO SAYS 'NO THANK YOU'

A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit behind OpenAI, escalating a dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found a decade ago.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
HOW PHOTOS LOST IN AMERICAN DISASTERS FIND THEIR WAY HOME, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM PEOPLE WHO CARE
AppleMagazine

HOW PHOTOS LOST IN AMERICAN DISASTERS FIND THEIR WAY HOME, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM PEOPLE WHO CARE

Hollowed-out homes. Cars entombed by mud. Unpeopled roads. Belongings reduced to dirt and debris.

time-read
5 mins  |
AppleMagazine #694
JAPAN'S SOFTBANK REPORTS LOSS WEEKS AFTER ANNOUNCING AI INVESTMENT
AppleMagazine

JAPAN'S SOFTBANK REPORTS LOSS WEEKS AFTER ANNOUNCING AI INVESTMENT

Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. reported a 369.2 billion yen ($2.4 billion) loss for the fiscal third quarter as it racked up red ink from its Vision Fund investments.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #694