Someone sent me a link to a long piece in the Dallas Morning News about the continuing challenges of America’s supermarket checkout lanes, which essentially comes down to this:
• Other than the invention of scanning, checkouts haven’t changed all that much.
• RFID was to expensive to make them obsolete.
• Self-checkout hasn’t been the panacea that some expected.
• Smartphone scanners may put consumers in greater control, but they don’t necessarily alleviate long lines.
The best solution to long checkout lines is attentive store managers, not technology.
• Other than the invention of scanning, checkouts haven’t changed all that much.
• RFID was to expensive to make them obsolete.
• Self-checkout hasn’t been the panacea that some expected.
• Smartphone scanners may put consumers in greater control, but they don’t necessarily alleviate long lines.
The best solution to long checkout lines is attentive store managers, not technology.
- KC's View:
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It is an interesting piece, which you can read in its entirety here.
Here’s what I’m waiting for, and it is by far the biggest challenge. Forget technology - I’m waiting to see a supermarket that finds a way to reward its best customers with express lines, offering speedy service to people who buy lots of products, and not to those who buy the fewest products.
For my money, that’ll be the killer app.
