Self-service at the checkout is slower than a skilled operator, admitted Michael Webster, vice president and general manager of NCR's FastLane retail solutions division, but customers benefit because the technology allows more checkout lanes to be kept open at a lower cost.
Ninety percent of the cost of a traditional checkout is the labour involved, whereas a single attendant can supervise up to eight FastLanes. Retailers achieve a positive return on investment in 12 to 24 months, he said, and a typical installation involves a cluster of four FastLanes in a 12 to 20-lane store. All the checkouts at one K-Mart store in the US have been converted to self-service.
Self-service checkouts have been -warmly embraced by consumers" in the US, said Webster, where they will perform one billion self-service transactions in a variety of shop types including grocery, hardware, discount stores and drugstores.
FastLane is not only attractive to the -techno-savvy," he said - it also appeals to people who like to check -every item, every price" without struggling to keep up with a fast-working operator. Other benefits include the opportunity to pack the bags according to personal preference, and greater privacy when purchasing certain items.
The device has yet to be piloted in Australia, but NCR's market research suggests it will be as well received here as it was in the US and UK.
A typical FastLane configuration includes a barcode scanner, produce scale, note and coin acceptors and dispensers, EFTPOS terminal with a signature tablet, bagging station and a touch-sensitive screen. The weight of the bag is monitored to check that the increase in weight matches that of the item just scanned. Customers can override this check when handling large or fragile items, but the attendant is alerted. -Stock loss has not been a material issue... in any of the countries," said Webster. Other security measures are incorporated, including alerting the attendant when an item subject to proof of age has been purchased.
The first Australian FastLane installation is expected in the first quarter of 2003. Webster would not disclose which retailers have expressed interest.
ummm - "Other benefits include the opportunity to pack the bags according to personal preference". Presumably this trasnlates as "but you have to pack your own bags"...