Retail Customer Experience: Self-checkout and alcohol - a dangerous mix?
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Retail Customer Experience, a daily news portal devoted to helping retailers differentiate the shopping experience.
Self-checkout machines have been a mainstay in America's grocery stores and supermarkets for some time, but there is growing concern that some shoppers may take advantage of the technology to illegally purchase alcohol.
A study published in June by a UCLA Law School clinic and the advocacy group Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, or LAANE, has highlighted that very issue.
According to
the research, in two-thirds of their visits to specific grocery chains,
participants saw only one employee working at the self-checkout area,
and in five instances, they saw no self-checkout attendant at all. Additionally,
though it is the industry standard for clerks to check the ID of anyone
who appears under the age of 30, one-third of the participants reported
that they were not asked for their ID, and only one participant was ever
asked to give her date of birth.
"In combination," the study said, "low numbers of employees supervising self-checkout
machines, obstructed views and long wait times enhance the risk of error
in monitoring alcohol purchases and may make it easier for customers to purchase
alcohol illegally, either through deception or theft."
The study's results also indicate that in eight instances, the self-checkout
system didn't lock when alcohol was scanned, and that in 11 cases, participants
were able to "override" the system, either by scanning another item, swiping
a credit card or both. In total, the study says participants were able to
override a locked self-checkout machine or bypass the employee-override process
19 times out of 97, or in 20 percent of the visits.
While the study attributes a great deal of the problem to a lack of employee oversight, it also very clearly places blame on the technology itself, and some in the self-service industry aren't sure that's fair.
NCR recently issued a statement saying that human error was the more likely cause of the self-checkout breakdowns, not the machines themselves.
"NCR's experience is that retailers should and do consistently monitor to ensure that the correct procedures are in place and that staff are applying them correctly and consistently," the statement said. "However, it is also very important to understand that the LAANE study incorrectly describes how NCR self-checkout works and therefore its conclusions regarding self-checkout are likewise incorrect."
Nonetheless, a bill was recently introduced in California that would require the sale of alcohol to be routed only through a traditional checkout lane.
"This is just my opinion, but I think that's a shame," said Kenneth Duffy, IBM's kiosk offering marketing manager, when he learned of the proposed legislation. "I think, really, all it takes is a little bit of time and resources to train the employees to make sure that they recognize that this is a big deal."
Discussion Questions: Are there serious challenges to self-checkout systems involving the sale of alcohol and other age-limit items? Does this limit the technology's potential? What basic procedures might have to be added to prevent such sales?