The Self-Checkout Revolution

April 27, 2023

In the year 1992, the supermarket self-checkout was born. 

This “new” part of our shopping experience has taken us some time to get right (thirty years to be exact!) and adjusting to this ever-growing technology can have its challenges.

In today’s climate, we enjoy being independent and getting things done on our own. We love feeling confident that everything is checked out correctly and thrive on the efficiency of the self-checkout process. After all, it’s like they say. “If you want something done right, do it yourself!” 

However, my first experience with a self-checkout was nothing like that. It left me confused and frustrated;

“Did I get the sale price on my Oreos?”

“I didn’t mean to pay for bags – I brought my own!” 

For some folks, that one bad experience may have deterred them for good. However, I wasn’t ready to admit defeat and went back for seconds.

By that time, there had been some updates, and more thought had been put into making the experience user-friendly and efficient. Error states were less frequent and If I did make a mistake, I could solve it without the help of an attendant.

Now I can never go back to standing in line and watching someone crush my Oreos under a carton of milk. 

One of the best things about the self-checkout experience is that we can receive instant satisfaction. Similar to that satisfaction that you get from an online purchase. Quick, independent…no small talk.  

Also, self-checkouts tend to make us feel safer when purchasing because we can maintain our privacy and some stress can be alleviated when no one else is involved in your transaction. 

Until recently, self-checkout kiosks could only be afforded by multi-million dollar box stores. However, with the help of solution providers like Oliver POS, kiosks are at last affordable, and available for all types of businesses. 

Whether you like them or not, self-checkouts are here to stay. The multi-billion dollar industry is rapidly growing and like most technological advancements, self-checkouts are bound to get more intelligent and efficient and will be a must-have for any business in the future.

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