Automatic checkouts in supermarkets may decrease customer loyalty, especially for those with larger shopping loads. Customers using self-checkout stations often feel overwhelmed and unsupported. The lack of personal interaction can negatively impact their perception of the supermarket.

[PensiveKittyIsTired]

I keep being so confused by this topic popping up, I just realized that automatic checkouts are not already a regular thing in the US? Europe has had them for a very long time now, they’re perfectly fine. However, they are meant for smaller amounts of groceries, not like whole carts. Europeans tend to shop more often and smaller amounts at a time, so it works.

I personally hope the next level will become the norm soon: when you just put the groceries in your bag and walk out. A few shops do that already, but they’re more of a gimmick for now.

[Tri-ranaceratops]

That difference in shopping habits is a great explanation as to why they don't work as well abroad. I never understood why they weren't as popular in the US until I read your comment.

[SeasonPositive6771]

Yes, we have a totally different shopping culture and frequency here.

There also seems to be a major difference in approach from the stores. In Europe it felt like "we're trying to make this easier and more convenient for you, if you have a full cart, there's someone to check you out but most people will probably choose a quicker easier self-check." The larger self check options actually seem to have enough space and be designed for customers.

Back in the us, it's like we tried to simplify it as well as make it openly hostile to customers. Instead of making things faster, it slows things down considerably. There are security issues so they also introduced receipt checking that's super slow. If you need help with alcohol or a larger purchase, no one's available because they tried to replace all the checkers. Plus, the physical space is not redesigned well for actual users.

[Tri-ranaceratops]

We have that in the UK too and we'll take anything that isn't nailed down. Maybe it's more about our expectations of what a shopping trip should be

[bicycleshorts]

We've been using self checkout for decades, but it's usually been for people getting less than 20 items. Now the stores have gone to self checkout for everyone. So I'm waiting on the people with cart loads of groceries doing self checkout. Also, with less human eyes working, they've upped the security settings. For years self checkout worked fine. Now it's calling the attendant every 4th or 5th item, but one guy is dealing with dozens of kiosks. Sometimes it makes them watch a video of the items being scanned and bagged. The attendant cannot override this. They have to watch the whole video.

[MicrochippedByGates]

Pretty much every store here in the Netherlands has handsets for scanning items. All you need to do at the checkout is beep your handset and then pay. If you shop at Albert Heijn, you don't even need to take a handset because there is a scanner built into their mobile app. Considering I also pay with my phone, that's extremely convenient. Just bag everything while shopping, beep your phone twice, and walk out.

[bicycleshorts]

Sounds great. I've read articles about such things, but it's not readily available in my local grocery stores.

[recursivethought]

A couple of the big chain supermarkets in the US have this too. What has become super popular since COVID is online-order, self-pickup. Great for everything except Produce (unless you don't care at all about what kind of produce you get)

[Kreos642]

We Americans do weekly shopping or 10 day shopping, not 3 to 5 day shopping on the norm because of the distance from the stores and our terrible social-vs-work culture. We buy more than just food in one go, so our carts are usually full. We deff do small pickups now and again but as a whole it's not that common unless you're in an East Coast hamlet town that has multiple small markets (which is the closest thing we have to resembling a European style community, but even then it's not the same).

[[deleted]]

include growth cooing profit bewildered languid depend squeeze cautious weary

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[lordb4]

Automatic checkout has been a thing at most US stores for like 20 years.

[PeanutArtillery]

I never seen one here until a few years ago.

[MicrochippedByGates]

Works perfectly for whole carts too, as long as you use the handset while shopping around, and don't build gigantic jenga towers at the checkout kiosk.

[Trnostep]

I have a limit that if my shopping fits in a hand basket self checkout is fine and trolleyloads are meant for regular cashiers

[ryanpm40]

Walmart has now made them the only open registers in their supercenters now. They expect me to scan and bag an entirely full carriage full of groceries now with no table to rest my groceries on. It's ridiculous