Is there a business reason to have slow, inefficient check outs?

You mean the hardware or the people? I’ve always assumed the latter has to do with tax breaks.

-Rob

I used to be 15 years ago. Our grocery store would get mad if there were more than 2 people in line behind the person checking out. They developed tracking systems the store which would predict when we'd need to open up more registers to help with getting people out the door. I cant imagine a reason why a grocery store would intentionally want to slow the checkout process. I think customer service has just gone to crap over the last few years.

People to man them are expensive. Margins are small.

One reason I can think of is because high margin impulse items are for sale at the checkouts. $2.50 for a single Snickers bar? Sure!

It also seems society has something to make passing time during the wait: cell phones.

On average, it takes the clerks at the local store, 5-7 minutes, per customer, regardless of how many items are in the basket.

There are always a large number of uniformed employees standing around.

The self-checkout line can reach the back to the back wall of the store - but from about midway back, it’s 10 minutes for me to check out.

I was wondering the same thing about the candy bars.

I notice this around here as well. The places I shop always have Mamaw and Papaw working the 1 or 2 checkout lanes where they do the scanning and they take forever because of their age and physical impairment but they have the young able bodied people just standing around doing nothing at the bazillion UScan stations.

My guess is that it is to make you frustrated and hope you decide to use the UScan on future trips.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
On average, it takes the clerks at the local store, 5-7 minutes, per customer, regardless of how many items are in the basket.

There are always a large number of uniformed employees standing around.

The self-checkout line can reach the back to the back wall of the store - but from about midway back, it’s 10 minutes for me to check out.

I was wondering the same thing about the candy bars.

Go to a Publix. I’m here in Florida on vacation and every Publix I go into is OUTSTANDING in customer service.

Winn Dixie has good pricing, and only self checkout. Both stores are a win in my book. I’ll trade them all day long for the local Safeway or Fry’s.

Also, the Publix ice cream is fucking magical. Thank you Artie and V-Tail for the suggestion. Now I need to get some half gallons shipped to AZ…

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
On average, it takes the clerks at the local store, 5-7 minutes, per customer, regardless of how many items are in the basket.

There are always a large number of uniformed employees standing around.

The self-checkout line can reach the back to the back wall of the store - but from about midway back, it’s 10 minutes for me to check out.

I was wondering the same thing about the candy bars.

Stop going to that store.
Send a note to the store general manager your displeasure in the level of service you experience, note what you observe and you'll be taking your business elsewhere. Make sure to cc whomever the district manager/director is.
The fact that you're going to take the time to write up a complaint and make sure it gets in front of multiple-layers of leadership, shows 'your concern' and displeasure at how things are going. If someone got you incensed, naming names is pretty effective way to get the heat lamp shown on that individual.

This may be an issue with the store manager and such a note is needed to effect change. The grocery business is pretty competitive, they're fighting for every single margin.

35yrs in the biz, last 15 as Store Manager,

but have been out of that game since 2015,

so need more specifics, if you can, as in which chain? time of day?

Regularly at Publix, if I’m the 3rd person in line, someone will man the next register and wave me over to that lane.

I will stand in line for 15 minutes before using a self checkout. I'm not a fucking employee and have no desire to be one. Did that, didn't like it.

I agree that people are becoming too expensive and this leads to fewer registers with fewer clerks.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
On average, it takes the clerks at the local store, 5-7 minutes, per customer, regardless of how many items are in the basket.

There are always a large number of uniformed employees standing around.

The self-checkout line can reach the back to the back wall of the store - but from about midway back, it’s 10 minutes for me to check out.

I was wondering the same thing about the candy bars.

Stop going to that store.
Send a note to the store general manager your displeasure in the level of service you experience, note what you observe and you'll be taking your business elsewhere. Make sure to cc whomever the district manager/director is.
The fact that you're going to take the time to write up a complaint and make sure it gets in front of multiple-layers of leadership, shows 'your concern' and displeasure at how things are going. If someone got you incensed, naming names is pretty effective way to get the heat lamp shown on that individual.

This may be an issue with the store manager and such a note is needed to effect change. The grocery business is pretty competitive, they're fighting for every single margin.

can't speak for all chains, and the last one I worked for has changed up some in the way things are managed,

however, at one time, the Store Manager was the PR guy, and managed the dept heads,

the Front End was a seperate department and had a seperate manager for it,
and the go between was sometimes a co manager (salaried) that was in charge of that dept (as well as a few others,) tho typically one comanager did perishables (meat, produce, deli) and the other did dry goods, (Gro, dairy, GM, FE)



each chain has a different way to measure stuff, but all look at Sales per labor hour, and each dept has a goal, including FE, (front end) who is or was also measureed by cashier speed, (items per minute scanned) and a few other matrixs,


add in union contracts, the corporate love of self checkout (and the difficultly to find someone to properly monitor them to prevent theft, which in a lof ot stores is amazinly high at self checkout)

as in we had expectations to scan so many items per minute, and a bag matrix, (strive for 5, as in get 5 items at least in a bag or more)
corporate expectations of everyone gets a carry out (as in each big order has a bagger take them to the car)

then add in flex cashiers (only chain that does this really well is aldi's) where you pull in folks from all over the store to help in when you have a spike in business, which made the rest of the departments short handed during those spikes,,,



so basically, it is, despite the public thought, not the easiest part of the store to manage,



also, statistically, customers will lolligag all over the store, taking their time filling up the shopping bag, buggy etc, and not have a care in the world, but when they get up front to get checked up, it best happen NOW, as in they have places to be, people to see and need a quick exit,

So many places just don't seem to care.

I wish I could duplicate the H.E.B. in Granbury, Texas (population 11,000 but busier store than you would think) and have one near my house and all the places I travel to.

I go in there the day before Thanksgiving and yes every line is 3 to 5 people deep, but they got 14 checker lanes open with friendly staff and they are moving people thru.

Yooper Grocery Store 8-9 @ 9:30AM:
6 standard checkout lanes and 2 self-checkout lanes.
1 actual cashier.

HEB at my place in pretty good. They always have a person monitoring the check-outs during busy hours. Any line gets long, they'll open up another previously empty check-out.

And their employees are friendly, as mentioned above.

Kroger, otoh, sucks.

^^^^^^ I do most of my shopping at HEB and agree they are on top of long lines and open up registers as needed. Everyone is friendly, helpful and very efficient at what they do.

Kroger is the worst or in the running with Wal-Mart

The HEB pharmacy is also very good. Kroger is ok but has some weird policy's and hope I never have to use Wal-Marts again.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
On average, it takes the clerks at the local store, 5-7 minutes, per customer, regardless of how many items are in the basket.

There are always a large number of uniformed employees standing around.

The self-checkout line can reach the back to the back wall of the store - but from about midway back, it’s 10 minutes for me to check out.

I was wondering the same thing about the candy bars.

Go to a Publix. I’m here in Florida on vacation and every Publix I go into is OUTSTANDING in customer service.

I can’t wait!!! Most of our traveling in to Florida and South Carolina and I love Publix.

We don’t have any, yet. They are currently building two here and I can’t wait.

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
so need more specifics, if you can, as in which chain? time of day?

Harris Teeter: not nearly as cool of a chain as it was before it was bought, but it still seems to have a better selection/does have better produce than Publix - though limited compared to H‑E‑B. I will start going to the Harris Teeter downtown Charleston.

The local Publix is nowhere as efficient as the ones in Miami were, but it is better. (The local Target is also very poorly run... Maybe it’s some kind of weird neighborhood labor issue, but all of the local businesses seem fine.)

Time of day doesn’t matter. Gone at 7PM on Friday, middle of the day during the week, in the morning, always the same lengthy experience at the local Harris Teeter.

I'm fortunate I guess . There's a locally owned supermarket near me that is staffed mostly by high school age kids except for the management . Super friendly , helpful and they move you through quick . If there's more than two people waiting to check out they send somebody to open another register . NO self checkouts either . Their prices are slightly higher than Walmart or Winn Dixie but they more than make up for it in service .
One thing that I have noticed is that I see the same employees every time I go in . Apparently a very low turn over . That tells me something .