Self-Checkouts Growing
| Self-service technology is catching on in North America and Europe, with retailers installing automated self-checkout points, and hotels, car rental firms and airlines using kiosks to simplify routine processes. |  |
Source: ePaynews.com
02-18-2005
Self-service technology is catching on in North America and Europe, with retailers installing automated self-checkout points, and hotels, car rental firms and airlines using kiosks to simplify routine processes. While retailers will never shift entirely to self-checkouts, most will use automated tills for line busting or to speed customer throughput at their stores. In the UK, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury and Tesco increased their self-checkout use in 2003, and in Germany the Praktiker DIY chain has become Europe�s first to deploy self-checkout technology, with further installations planned for Greece, Luxembourg and Hungary.
US-based retailers handled self-checkout transactions to the value of USD 70 billion in 2004 according to IHL Consulting, and Publix Supermarkets, the largest grocery chain in the US, is planning to deploy self-checkouts across its locations in 2005. Other US-based grocery stores such as Ahold�s Giant Food stores in Pennsylvania, are installing self-checkouts, as are smaller family-owned stores such as Sherm�s Thunderbird Markets in Oregon and Hiller�s Markets in Detroit. Grocers in Asia are also seeing the merits of self-checkouts, with Japan-based supermarket chain Okuwa, now redirecting clerks to the store floor.
Noted on
Posted by Craig at February 23, 2005 04:43 PM