The retail giant will install the self-checkout systems at its suburban Big W stores in Warringah Mall and Pagewood in Sydney. The 12 month pilot will run in parallel to similar trials of the technology by United Kingdom-based retailer, Marks and Spencers, and US Publix Supermarkets.
The technology's developer, NCR, claims the technology would shorten queues at checkouts by allowing shoppers to "scan, bag and pay" for good unaided by checkout operators. During the pilot one supervisor will monitor four self-checkout lanes.
When the techogy was first showcased at the Melbourne Retail Business Technology Exhibition in August, NCR said that 90 percent of the cost of a conventional checkout was related to labour.
That, said Michael Webster vice president and general manager of NCR's FastLane while admitting that self-checkout offered a lower quality of service, at the launch, meant that more checkout lanes could be kept open at a lower cost.
Jason Jarvis, program director self checkout for NCR retail claims the new checkout system will give customers more privacy and "frees up store assistants to improve customer service in other areas in the store".
I really know for sure this isn't the WORLDS first as I was in England in 1999 and I was using Self-checkouts there at Safeway.