Camille P. Schuster, Ph.D.

Survey Sees Need for Speed at Checkouts

August 11, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
A survey of 2000 people conducted by Barclays Bank and published by the BBC found 68 percent of U.K. participants had abandoned a queue at one time or another. Apparently more than two-thirds abandoned the checkout line because it was taking too long to be served. What are the most effective methods for reducing the amount of time consumers spend on the checkout line?      [more...]

Eliminating staff and relying more heavily on technology will not necessarily solve the problem. The study reveals that part of the cause of slow checkout lines is the behavior of other consumers--too slow to get their form of payment, etc. Having those consumers go through self-checkout machines does not necessarily speed up the process. In fact, it could slow the process because those consumers who have trouble getting their cash out or using their credit card in the machine are the ones who are likely to have trouble navigating the self-checkout technology.

When proposing solutions, it is important to understand the causes of the problem.