I was at a grocery store today, and I was surprised at how crowded it was for a Sunday afternoon.
The checkout lines were two or three people deep, and it looked like many of those people had relatively small orders.
I then walked past the self-checkout area, and it was nearly empty, with several open checkout lanes.
I don’t understand such behavior, particularly for younger people (under 90).
Why are some people hesitant to use the self-checkout lanes?
Is it laziness, fear of technology, fear of making a mistake?
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco has a great bit on using self-checkout lanes:
If you’re not as ambitious as Sebastian and don’t want to train yourself at 3:00 in the morning, here are 11 tips on how to best use the self-checkout lane at a grocery store, from SHOP FOOD:
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Limit Purchases to 15 Items or Less
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Skip Self-Checkout If You Need Store Verification; e.g., alcohol purchase
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Skip Self-Checkout If You Have Coupons
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Confirm If You Have Your Own Bags
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Scan Items in Order of How You Want to Pack Them
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Avoid Distractions
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Be Aware of Multiple Barcode Scanners and Use the Best One
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Enter PLU Codes for Produce
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Keep the Bagging Area Clear
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Divide and Conquer. Work as a Team When Possible
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Be Prepared to Pay
I wonder if grocery stores have ever had a training day for customers on using the self-checkout lanes.
Just like how many grocery stores had special hours for senior citizens during the pandemic, perhaps they could use the same approach with training their customers.
I’m curious if anyone reading this is opposed to using the self-checkout lanes, and why that is.
