Schnuck Markets

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No Need for Speed, Just Control

Self-checkout has become a core component within many top-tier supermarkets' point-of-sale arsenals. Taking a lesson from their larger counterparts, regional chains and independent operators are now using the solutions to promote customer service within their stores.

Based on their acceptance of ATMs and pay-at-the-pump fueling, "customers show they are willing to use self-service technology," says Jim Mueller, director of information technology for Schnuck Markets. "The technology is now more secure and reliable and customers feel comfortable guiding themselves through the checkout process."

Self-service technologies, including self-checkout, "are a requirement" for the 102-store chain, Mueller says, "They provide a competitive edge."

Stationary units, which debuted in the grocery industry in 1998, have been adopted with vigor over the last few years. Mass merchants and warehouse clubs (63 percent) and grocery chains (46 percent) are showing the most commitment to self-checkout technology, according to Franklin, Tennn.-based IHL Consulting Group's study based on data from 172 merchants.