A Walmart store located in Fayetteville in Arkansas is changing their shoppers’ experience in the midst of the pandemic by using self-checkout counters without actual human cashiers.
According to a spokesperson of the company, this Walmart will remove the conveyor belt lanes and switch on self-checkout counters.
The purpose of this change is to see whether the usage of these self-checkouts will speed up the purchases and provide a safer experience by reducing human interaction.
A Smooth Transition Suitable for Both Sides
The company also explained that the employees will be available to help the shoppers with the self-checkout and will check out groceries in the conventional way if some shoppers prefer it.
If this test is successful, they may roll out the system to their markets country-wide; still, the timing mostly depends on the feedback they’ll get from customers and their employees.
This news come several weeks after the largest retailer in America announced streamlining their apps to allow customers to buy online, including groceries, electronics, and apparel.
The company has also released their touch-free payment system known as the Walmart Pay last month. This move has been made to relieve the coronavirus spread while customers are shopping inside the stores.
The company’s 1st report for this quarter’s earnings show a 74 percent increase in their online sales year-over-year with the demands soaring because of the pandemic.
Other Stores Are also Saying Goodbye to Human Cashiers
Several Tire stores in Canada have also made the transition to self checkout.
Despite their implementation to optimize customer convenience and reduce company costs, some people aren’t pleased with this retail option.
Some shoppers complain of their difficult use and that they’re a threat to cashier jobs. For one customer, basically, these self-checkout machines are asking them to do cashier’s work!
So, some of the Tire stores in Toronto, Canada actually pulled out these self-checkout machines. Their associate dealer Tim Tallon said that there were 4 self-checkouts and were removed due to being old and inefficient.
The Change Can’t Be Avoided
Despite these pullouts of the self-checkout machines, for Marion Chan, a retail consultant, the tide is turning toward automation. For Chan, this can’t be avoided, like other tech changes.
A lot of people, Chan explains, particularly young shoppers, appreciate the ease and comfort of self-checkout.
Plus, it saves costs and she believes that soon enough formats without human cashiers will be more and more common.