Ron Schenone

Self Checkout Grocery Scanners – A Shoplifter's Delight

Posted by on Jun 28, 2007 | 14 Comments

A few evenings ago I was watching the History Channel which featured a program about the future of computer technology when one particular item caught my eye. It is the self check-out grocery scanner that eliminates long lines for the shopper and would appear to eliminate the need for checkers as well.

The system is not very complicated and basically consists of a scanner which is affixed to the shopping cart which also incorporates a monitor screen. As you pick up an item you scan it into the system which keeps a running total as you shop. For items such as fruit and vegetables which are not pre-priced, scales with printers are available to print bar codes for the customer. The customer then just scans the printed bar code and continues shopping. Though it wasn’t specifically mentioned during the program, it appears that you the shopper, bag as you go.

Once you have completed your shopping your proceed to the front of the store to pay by credit card. You scan the bar code which has been generated on your shopping cart monitor then just swipe your card to pay and out you go. Sounds relatively simple.

The first thing that came to mind was how would the system know if you put a item into your cart without swiping it first? Would this be considered shop lifting if a person honestly didn’t remember to swipe an item into the scanner? Though random audits could be done before the shopper left the store, how would one know if you are stopping a thief or not?

So what do you think? Do you like the self check out idea?

Comments welcome.

[tags]grocery, self checkout, scanner, bar codes, [/tags]

  • marc klink

    This is probbaly where RFID comes in. Each item scanned could have its RFID chip neutralized, so when leaving the store the alarms do not go off.

    That leaves the problem of at what point the chip would be neutralized, and that would seem to be another can of worms.

    In my area, the WalMarts and Home Depots have been using this. There are people who seem to be watching each checkout aisle, so where the savings comes in I’m not sure. 1 watcher for 1 aisle = 1 checker for 1 aisle. There seems to be no net savings.

  • http://www.windango.com Windango

    The safety measure is all about cross checking whats in your cart to the correct weight. If whats in you cart weighs more than it should you won’t be able to check out until someone checks your cart.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Thanks to you both for your comments. I am aware of self checkout. Lowe’s uses it where we live as well as Wally World. I have also seen the employees assigned to watch the scanning process and to listen for the beep.

    Leaving RFID aside for one moment, if I placed my own barcode on a item that I produced on my computer and stuck it on a item covering the original bar code, the system would still beep, weigh the same, yet I would reap the savings.

    I might just be playing the Devils Advocate here, but unfortunately there are those who are going to use any system for their own benefit.

    Ron

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/shadowmyth/ ShadowMyth

    It is pretty difficult to shoplift using the current self check out system, I have analyzed this myself. Whatever people do manage to shoplift won’t be costing the store too much, as they are already saving a lot from the lack of additional checkers. Technologies are already in the works though for the RDIF checkout, that will make it possible to just walk out the door with your purchases. Supposedly it scans everything you have on your person, and instantly bills your credit card. No shoplifting involved in that situation. A lot of businesses are already using RFID tags in their items, making it virtually impossible to walk out the door with unpaid items. I personally like the self checkouts, especially when I am in a hurry. A lot of the stores I shop at have them now, and it seems backwards when I am in a store without this option. I live in Seattle, not sure how popular it is yet in the rest of the country.

  • http://opiated.wordpress.com/ Done Zone

    I’ve been using this self-checkout for years.

    A big supermarket in my town was one of the test locations for this technology. Its had the machines since 2000.

    At first it was kind of nifty. And yes, we bag our own stuff.

    But what bothers me is that I’m dinked a service charge of $1.50 from my bank card each time I use a self-checkout machine.

    I don’t see why I should have to pay a sum just so I can pay for my stuff. If I drop by for groceries once a week that adds up to $6 just so I can pay for my groceries. That’s a bit much!

    For that reason, I give the self-checkout machines a pass now.

    But money is not the only reason. I also prefer saying “hello” to a cashier, and exchanging a few pleasantries about the day.

  • CST

    In our area grocery store, where the self-checkout is for 15 items or less, you are required to put all the items on the platform where the bags are and are not to remove them until the transaction is complete. You can bag the items and slide them to the end of the table, but you cannot put them in your cart. Every item’s weight is calculated, so it knows the difference between a 2-liter of soda and a candy bar. If you do not put the item on the bagging platform (scale) after you scan it, the transaction will not continue and you won’t be able to scan any additional items until you either put the item back on the scale or the supervising cashier overrides it.

    At Wal-Mart, it’s basically the same except there is an override on the screen that you can push to indicate that the item is in your cart and not on the bagging scale. Again, this raises a red flag with the supervising cashier and they must approve it before the transaction can be completed.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hello ShadowMyth, Done Zone & CST,
    Thanks to all of you for the excellent information. I appreciate your taking the time to comment and sharing your thoughts and experiences.
    All the best, Ron

  • malignanthumortension

    i’m not sure how but mistakes from me have been caught.. either forgot to scan or a scan bleeped such as i scan an item and it shows up multiple times..

    i’m surprised.. and comforted. :D because i don’t want to be a theif nor of course be overcharged!

    but there are times.. i scanned a korbel once.. it showed up once in the display and scan of the scanner.. but there was a ghosting that ended up in the relay and printed out on the reciept that i was charged twice… there’s been humorous stories such as a man went to buy all articles for a bbq party and ended up with a ghosting of his wife’s former grocery trip a week prior.. and many feminine items showed up on his receipt… lmfao! but they can rescan manually.. all one has to do is ask, since there will be occurances that will conflict tabulations.

    recently i had trouble with a jug of detergent… i scanned it and it got me thrice! i removed the charges and rescanned.. it did it again.. so i removed and put that jug down and got me another then scanned that.. it seemed to have worked.. but when i went to the checkout the damned jug didn’t show up.. that’s one of the many reasons i don’t bag, i leave everything in the open so the cashier can take a double check and my scanner was so messed up they just rescanned everything, my card and all and the difference was that jug of detergent…

    i don’t mind.. not at all, what i love about it is.. i don’t have to do the MATH nor have to tabulate extra taxes and whatnot with a crappy calculator…

    that’s why i use the scanners… screw thinking!

  • mack

    Hey Ron, I was curious if you had any idea how I could find the name of the program you are talking about in your post. I’m really interested in watching the segment about this shopping cart device, but searching google or the History Channel website hasn’t been able to locate the program to which you refer. Could you help me out?

    Thanks!

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      Hi mack,
      I would check the History Channel online store.
      Hope this helps.

  • mack

    I have tried the History Channel online store as well, but as I do not know the name of the program you are referring to finding it is quite difficult. The History Channel store has poor search functionality, and as of now I have only a general date when this program would have aired and a general idea of the show’s topic to utilize during my searches. I was able to find one program that might be the right one, but I can’t be sure, http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=69890&v=aetv, if this is not the right program can you please provide with me any extra information I might use to find this program since my current searches are not proving to be useful.

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      Hi Mack,
      I don’t believe that was the program I watched. You are correct. Trying to find something on the History Channel
      is difficult. There is one other problem. I wrote this article on 6-2007, so I don’t recall the name of the problem I watched.
      Sorry.

  • Taylor Cohron

    Except 10.6.8 broken Music Manager, at least on my machine, the preference pane requires the app to be open, and when I launch the app it crashes. There goes that one.

    iCloud will probably be a nicer experience UI wise anyway, Google Music is nice, but it isn’t top notch. (Then again, I hope iCloud doesn’t turn into another Mobile Me.)

  • http://twitter.com/theseanasaurus Sean Norman

    Or just go use Grooveshark or Nutsie and save yourself the hassle of uploading.