Self-Serve Checkouts

[lzrman]

What is your stance on this in regards to anything Loss Prevention/Security Wise?

We will be getting approximately 4 of these registers and I would like to know what your thoughts are on this?

One big thing that a competitor store doesn't do is "Keep that Associate Manning the Area" (they like to wonder).

Who should have access to what functions of this self register?

[ozsecuritychic]

just curious as to how these registers work. Are people going to be able to take a cheap item out of the box and fill it up with more expensive things?

[Eric]

Fences keep honest people out, these unsupervised self check outs are asking for loss, as any one unmonitored barrier does. Sure, employee costs are large percentage, so if you can have cashier supervising 2 or more of these self serve kiosks, it should help the bottom line right? Well, only if staff are attentive, all items have proper bar coding or prox devices, and there are no organized "clients" working together to beat the system.

I have seen / used them in a large grocery chain and a large home improvement chain. I felt that there is alot of room for error, but is the way of the future.

The banks and gas stations years ago went to machines that use cards, credit and debit, using less staff and raising profit, but the risk of loss would be smaller than allowing people to scan thier own groceries and 2X4's.

The challenges will continue for security everywhere.

[Andy Taylor]

Look at it this way. Employee costs go down, shrinkage goes up. As long as shinkage does not go up more than emloyee costs go down the store is ahead.
Not how I would see things, but that is how a lot of bussinesses would look at it.

[N. A. Corbier]

Yep. Cost of soft loss vs. cost of employee.

Much like the cost of inaction (being sued) vs. cost of action (paying a bunch of money to remedy it, acknoledging that it exists, and still possibly being sued.)

[lzrman]

The one thing i've noticed is they try to beat the system, but 9 times out of 10 theres someone there watching them and will always catch it.

Do you recommend 1 person per 2 self checkouts on a busy saturday?

We have 4 self checkouts and thats what I was thinking should be done, we do not have a podium to monitor all the self registers and its just stand there and watch which will catch errors.

Theres many times the weight is incorrect for an item scanned and we have to intercede most the time.

Just recently had a guy think he could fool me, he scanned a CD and placed it in the bag with some other item. When the sensor for the weight went off i told him he had to re scan the item, when he went to grab the item he sliped another item at the same time. People, think they can fool the system.

[Mr. Security]

I don't care for it. It takes jobs away from people who may not have marketable job skills.

[HotelSecurity]

Another example of cutting to save costs even if it means losses: The Montreal area commuter trains used to have conductors on them that collected the fares. Recently they cut them. They have machines at the entry to the train stations. You deposit money & receive a ticket. Instead of Conductors there are a few Security people that rotate from train to train. They check once in a while to make sure the passengers have tickets. The deterent is that if you are caught without a ticket is that the fine is a lot.

[sever104]

just curious as to how these registers work. Are people going to be able to take a cheap item out of the box and fill it up with more expensive things?

there basicly computers with a software built in..

[Eric]

People, think they can fool the system.

A small percentage of people will help us keep jobs by trying to beat the system, having the right employees in the right places as counter measures helps the company bottom line.

I was not aware of weight sensors, was there some kind of training / documentation / awareness program?

[copelandamuffy]

I was laid off several years ago working in the electronics Industry.
There were slim pickings for new jobs
I had cashier expereience from the past
Best Buy was building a new store near my home
I was hired full time as a cashier. I was fortunate, that my job at
Best Buy made for somewhat of a more Merry Christmas at home
then if I had no income at all.

It would have been far different if all the check out registers at Best Buy
had been self-serve.

And yes as a cashier I would on occasion note shoppers who
were trying to take an item out of the store without paying for
it. Music and Video c/d leaving stores and not being paid for
do add up in shrinkage.

[lzrman]

A small percentage of people will help us keep jobs by trying to beat the system, having the right employees in the right places as counter measures helps the company bottom line.

I was not aware of weight sensors, was there some kind of training / documentation / awareness program?

Only Self-Checkout associates are trained on the weight sensors, and after a couple weeks the customers do find out that the item they scan has to have a corresponding weight attached to it. If the item is to heavy or not heavy enough within that margin of error, then it will throw off the sensor and bring it to the attention of the "Self Associate". Where we can verify the item. So if your thinking you have a training seat, and decide to fill it full of expensive makeup and perfume, then it will go off. Same example with someone sticking some movies in a comforter set. Having myself as the right employee who does care about the assets of the store, helps my stores bottom line. When i heared about this a few months back, I made it clear that they needed to move me.

Its not a fool proof solution, just have to keep your eye on things.

[Bill Warnock]

Only Self-Checkout associates are trained on the weight sensors, and after a couple weeks the customers do find out that the item they scan has to have a corresponding weight attached to it. If the item is to heavy or not heavy enough within that margin of error, then it will throw off the sensor and bring it to the attention of the "Self Associate". Where we can verify the item. So if your thinking you have a training seat, and decide to fill it full of expensive makeup and perfume, then it will go off. Same example with someone sticking some movies in a comforter set. Having myself as the right employee who does care about the assets of the store, helps my stores bottom line. When i heared about this a few months back, I made it clear that they needed to move me.

Its not a fool proof solution, just have to keep your eye on things.

Izrman:
That was an excellent post!
You have not forgotten one of the most important elements, caring employees.
We have Giant Food, Wal-Mart, Lowes and Home Depot in this are, or at least where I shop, equipped with self-serve checkouts. These checkouts are assiduously monitored. Help is always available to the confused customer or one who is testing the limits of the system.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[lzrman]

Bill:

Help is always there, that is why we have a rule, you cannot supervise the front end and be a self - checkout associate at the same time. I think that is a rule that makes sure your merchandise isn't walking out.

I had this lady really nervous looking , she walked up to the self till and scanned her socks she scanned one then the other 2, without placing the first on the scale. She's like "leave me alone i know what im doing" and i said like 'excuse me you have to place the item in the back before scanning the 2nd and the 3rd'

I think she was disgruntled but *laugh* hey thats theft.

A problem i've had today was that, the supervisor is the only allowable person (with access) to Void Total a live transaction. I had the 'need' to do this approximately 6 times, and the other associate 3-4 and I left my area of responsibility without anyone watching 4 live customers to get her badge to void this transaction.

How would you ask the manager / service manager responsible for assigning extra privilages to a access card in this situation?

*mind u i could just do it, and get fired too :P*


p.s : our walmart is unmaned and unmonitored :P what a fool proof system here they have 9 in there store, and there tight! 2 bagger systems.

[security steve]

Giant has self checkouts. They have six or eight for one person. Everything is weight monitored. So if I scan a six pack of beer and put down a twelve pack, the alarm will go off. Same goes for scanning one donut instead of four. On the flip side, I can scan a twelve pack of of store brand soda, and place down coke.

That being said, Giant has an attendant station where the employee monitors all six to eight registers. They are usually on the ball when it comes to theft.

The bad arguement that the self checkouts take away jobs from cashiers is just that bad. There is no evidence to suggest that the number of regular cashiers have been reduced because of the self checkouts. If you go on a busy saturday, all the checklanes are open. In fact before the Giant installed the self checkouts, they had 28 cash registers. Now they have 34 including 8 self checkouts. So they cut, 2 regular checkouts and added 8 self ones for a total "loss" of one employee. This has helped speed up the checkout process which is the reason I shop there.