Why Walmart Plan To Replace Cashier With Self-checkout Kiosk?

Walmart is planning to replace cashiers and conveyor belt lanes with self-checkout kiosk, according to a report from Fox Business. Walmart’s move is partially in response to reduce coronavirus spread and creates less interaction shopping environment.  

Walmart’s test will firstly start at a store with no cashiers and only self-checkout in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And workers will still be here to help those who might have trouble with the self-checkout kiosk. If the process go smoothly and indeed speed up checkout process, this model will be expanded to more stores.

In fact, earlier in 2017, Walmart has already put forward the concept to reduce cashier as so to cut cost. The unexpected coronavirus just put it at the table and accelerate self-checkout process. Even though people have different views on self-checkout, but it undoubtedly has certain advantages than traditional checkout method.  

To begin with, self-checkout speed is faster. The traditional cashiers require customers queue up at the checkout lanes and wait longer when there are many people or someone purchase more commodities. However, the self-checkout can reduce customer queuing time. The self-checkout kiosks enable customers to scan commodity barcode and pay for them at the device by themselves, which is conductive to improve checkout experience.

Furthermore, the face recognition self-service checkout kiosk like Telpo TPS750 can even support all in one checkout process from scanning commodity, choosing payment method and printing commodity consumption vouchers. It can effectively reduce cashiers pressure and improve customers' shopping experience.

And then, it can optimize personnel configuration. It can be clearly seen that there will be short-handed at the shopping peak time, which might require add extra cashiers and increase labor cost. However, it will cause manpower waste and unbalance personnel arrangement at the spare time.

However, installing face recognition self-service checkout kiosk can better solve personnel arrangement imbalance. As Telpo TPS750 equipped with HD touch screen, customer can easily follow the screen content and make corresponding operation. And staff can be arranged at the self-checkout area to help customers get familiar with the self-service checkout kiosk and solve emergency.

Last but not least, it can ensure safe environment. Contactless is what customer care more right now, and the self-service checkout kiosk can reduce transmission risk caused by customers paying with cash. And Telpo TPS750 can provide QR pay and face pay such contactless payment method for selection. As it can reduce direct contact between people and cash virus spread, it can further ensure a relative safe shopping environment and reduce infection risk.

Besides, it can display product information or promotion information at the low customer flow time, which simplify supermarket promotion methods and save advertise cost.

In conclusion, the reason why Walmart replace cashiers with self-checkout kiosk is that it can reduce labor cost and optimize personnel configuration, and improve customers' shopping experience with a safe shopping environment. Further, it might meet diversified shopping requirement from different consumer groups. And it is possible to realize accurate member marketing in the future.