The test run with self-checkout machines at Walmart is over. The retail giant is getting rid of these machines and replacing them with human cashiers because customers don’t like them and customer satisfaction scores are going down.
To speed up the buying process, self-checkout lanes were added so that customers could scan and pay for their own items. But this ease of use came with a cost: less face-to-face contact and more anger when technical problems happened.
Walmart’s “Scan and Go” technology was meant to change the way people shop by letting them scan things in-store and pay with their phones. Even though the idea was creative, customers didn’t connect with it.
Ray Korsch, a market manager at Walmart, says that the company’s goal is to find new ways to save customers time and make their shopping experience better. The self-checkout tools, on the other hand, didn’t work well.
It shows in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) scores, with Walmart’s score falling from 72 to 71 between 2016 and 2017. They are almost at the bottom of the list, just below Sears.
Randy Parraz, who is in charge of Making Change at Walmart, thinks that the company’s plan to give customers more work to do didn’t work out.
Walmart is going back to standard checkout lanes with real people working them because customers are unhappy with the new system. The goal of this change is to make shopping more personal and increase customer happiness.
Even though technology is getting better, it’s still very important for people to connect with each other in stores. The choice made by Walmart shows that the old ways are sometimes still the best.
People are moving away from self-checkout machines, which makes me wonder what the future holds for store technology. What do you think? Will other businesses follow Walmart’s lead, or will they keep pushing the limits of automation?
One thing is for sure: Walmart’s move back to traditional checkout lanes is a big step towards earning back customers’ trust and happiness.
What do you think about Walmart’s choice? Do you want cashiers or self-checkout machines? Talk about your thoughts and experiences!
