self-checkout
A millennial love letter
When you see what kiosks bring to the table , you ’ ll know that they ’ re an essential part of the overall retail experience
By Travis R Morin , Marketing Editor , Advanced Kiosks – www . advancedkiosks . com
As I write this , I ’ m certain of only two things : I ’ m a millennial , and I ’ m head over heels in love with self-checkout lines . From our alleged fondness for killing casual dining restaurants to the theory that we can ’ t get through the day without a participation trophy , us 90 ’ s babies are often written about – and it ’ s rarely good .
Perhaps it ’ s for this reason that I like to think of myself as outside the norm for my generation . I don ’ t like avocado toast , or avocado in any other form for that matter . I ’ d rather hold a book in my hands than read anything on a tablet , and I ’ ll take plain old breakfast over an overpriced brunch any day of the week . I may be a millennial , but I ’ m certainly not one of those millennials .
Having a retail epiphany All of that changed last night . There I was standing in a department store , juggling several items in my hands because I was too cool to grab a shopping trolley . I made a beeline for the self-checkout kiosks that were all in use , when suddenly I hear a voice behind the till of the 10 items or less checkout that ’ s right next to the kiosks . “ Sir , I can take you over here .” I hesitated for a moment and looked ahead to scope out the status of the people at the automated kiosks . One of them had just swiped their debit card . Yes ! I thought . That was a close one . “ That ’ s OK !” I Replied . “ It looks like that one is about to open up . Thanks ” On the face of things , it makes zero sense . I was standing there , arms burning and squirming while I held on to about eight items with my two hands . But rather than take two steps to put them down and let someone else serve me , I was willing to tough it out for the chance to not interact with a human being . Was I actually no better than the groan-inducing millennial stereotype that I despised , and up until now had disassociated myself from ?
Just as I was about to tumble into a life-changing identity crisis in the middle of the store , I turned around and noticed that the queue for the self-checkout line was at least five people deep , composed of all ages , and not a single one had budged to take Mr 10 Items or Less up on his offer – it all made sense now . It wasn ’ t just my 20-something-yearold self who had a soft spot for these electronic retail kiosks , they were a hit with everyone .
For the average person who ’ s decompressing after spending far too long in their car coming home from work , fighting through the organised chaos that is any store after 5:00 pm , and just wants to get home to have dinner and settle in for the night , the self-checkout lane is a godsend . It ’ s quick , efficient , easy to use , and gives you the power to bag your items however you like .
Maintain the edge If you own or operate any sort of retail store , you know that you ’ re selling your customers more than just products – you ’ re selling them the best shopping experience possible – ideally an experience that makes them your return customer rather than your competitors '. The right kiosk is the perfect asset to help your shopping experience stand out from the competition .
Benefits of self-checkout :
• Improved customer service
• Reducing payroll and paper resources
• Promoting brand image
• Time-savings
• Convenience
• Enables inventory reduction
Retail kiosks can come with hardware add-ons to maximise utility , including a credit card reader , a printer for receipts , side tables to hold belongings , a security camera , privacy screen , and an electronic signature pad . Additionally , kiosk management software can be used to lock the web browser and other aspects of the operating system , as well as creating a user-friendly self-checkout . Take it from me , as soon as you see what a retail kiosk solution brings to the table , you won ’ t hesitate to say , “ Yes .” Or as we Millennials say , “ Yaaaaasssss ” n
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