A new survey found that slow checkout speeds and long lines were the top grievances related to the store checkout experience, and yet a lack of quality human interaction and perceived ingratitude on the part of cashiers was also a part of the shortfall.
The online survey of 2,079 adults taken by Harris Poll for Digimarc, a maker of scannable barcodes, found a majority of respondents (61 percent) agreeing that clerks focus most on scanning items and less on finding out if they are satisfied. Further, a large group, 30 percent, feel like a burden to the clerk and other customers when they have a full cart.
It's not the only survey questioning the role of cashiers.
According to a survey from Retale that came out in April, 12 percent of shoppers who have used in-store self-checkouts use them at least partly because they don't like interacting with cashiers. The more common reasons for using self-checkout is having a limited number of items and finding the automated lanes have no line. Among Millennials, however, the survey found 20 percent have used a self-checkout because they don't like interacting with cashiers.
Photo: RetailWire
The higher rate by Millennials was attributed to the tech-savvy generation being more skilled at using self-checkout with the implication being that self-checkouts would be used more if the technical issues were reduced.
Self-checkout's appeal also promises to increase as mobile checkout options arrive. A Cisco Consulting Services global survey released in January found that 60 percent of consumers would like to be able to scan barcodes on items while shopping to track and pay at a self-service checkout.
Perhaps most troubling to the livelihood of cashiers, according to critics of the recent minimum wage hikes, is that rising wages may accelerate the industry's shift toward automated options. Several articles have insinuated that McDonald's rollout of self-service stations is traced to the wage increases, although the fast-food chain has said the goal is to provide more customizable options and open lines for its diners.
More encouragingly, Retail Feedback Group's "2014 U.S. Supermarket Experience Study" found that 65 percent of shoppers acknowledge cashiers have a positive impact on their trip experience. Brian Numainville, the research firm's principal, said the findings underscore "the importance of cashier-assisted lanes in high trip satisfaction."
- Digimarc Survey: 88 Percent of U.S. Adults Want Their Retail Checkout Experience to be Faster - Digimarc
- Survey: 20% Of Millennials Don't Like Interacting With Cashiers During Checkout - Retale
- New Cisco Research Reveals Hyper-Relevance as Key to Winning the Digital Consumer - Cisco
- 2014 Supermarket Experience Survey - The Retail Feedback Group
- A $15 minimum wage could hurt those it's meant to help - Yahoo! Finance
- The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income - Congressional Budget Office
- Fight For $15 Scores Win In New York As State Moves To Approve Fast Food Pay Hike - International Business Times
- McDonald's Self-Serve Kiosks A Response To Higher Minimum Wage? - Inquisitr