Old Navy Piloting iPod Touch-Based Checkout System

[aristobrat]

Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap so this move doesn't really surprise me.

Gapple.

I'm all for checking out of store quicker but I don't think this works well for clothing. Aside of the security tag removal, people want their clothing folded and placed in a bag. This takes time and counter space.

IMO, this is a solution in search of a problem, at least for clothing retailers.

Used in conjunction with their regular check-out process, this is a great solution for "line busting".

In higher volume stores, during peak hours, if they can use the ZipChecks to snag the customers that only have 1-2 items, they prevent them from having to endure the regular check-out process. When I worked at Apple, the bag/receipt areas were more than big enough to easy bag the customers stuff, .. I'm expecting Old Navy will have an area to fold clothes for these transactions.

Anyone trying to buy just a fleece and having to wait while the family of 6 in front of them gets rung up has got to appreciate that.

 

[GREEN4U]

Old Navy doesn’t see enough traffic to make the EasyPay worthwhile. A store like Target might benefit more from this technology.

 

[aristobrat]

Old Navy doesn’t see enough traffic to make the EasyPay worthwhile. A store like Target might benefit more from this technology.

Maybe? If you google Old Navy Long Checkout Lines and omit articles about ZipCheck and BlackFriday, they seem to be getting a fair amount of flack over how slow their checkout process can be.

 

[cvaldes]

Old Navy doesn’t see enough traffic to make the EasyPay worthwhile. A store like Target might benefit more from this technology.

Nah, a store like Target is wrong. This type of checkout system is better when there isn't a shopping cart involved. At big box stores, you walk around with a big cart and pile up a bunch of stuff. The cashier needs to pull the stuff out of the cart, scan it, then put it back in the card (bagged or not).

The EasyPay technology is better in a store where you are buying relatively few items and where the employee is answering a lot of questions from the customer (assisted retail sales).

This system would however work quite well in a restaurant. Server takes the order which is wirelessly transmitted to the kitchen. Also, they would give you your check and swipe your card right there in front of you (and not disappearing into the back with it for several minutes).

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Gapple.

Hahahahaa let me guess former/current Apple employee?

 

[GREEN4U]

Nah, a store like Target is wrong. This type of checkout system is better when there isn't a shopping cart involved. At big box stores, you walk around with a big cart and pile up a bunch of stuff. The cashier needs to pull the stuff out of the cart, scan it, then put it back in the card (bagged or not).

The EasyPay technology is better in a store where you are buying relatively few items and where the employee is answering a lot of questions from the customer (assisted retail sales).

This system would however work quite well in a restaurant. Server takes the order which is wirelessly transmitted to the kitchen. Also, they would give you your check and swipe your card right there in front of you (and not disappearing into the back with it for several minutes).

Good call. I recant my statement about Target.

Restaurants would be good cause then you can see them process the transaction in front of you. Good for people who are scared of what happens when the waiters take your credit card away.

EasyPay would also work well for pretty much any store in the mall.

 

[SandynJosh]

Reading this thread I felt I had inadvertently fell into a Luddite discussion.

Come on folks, geek it up a little!

 

[miamialley]

On a retail management level The Gap and Apple Retail are the exact same organization. Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap so this move doesn't really surprise me. Like rdowns mentioned though I don't see how this could work with security tags etc. but more than that when Easy Pay first started being implemented at the Apple stores the customers hated it. I don't think the Cash Wrap is dead quite yet.

"Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap..."

What? I bet there is a small percentage of Apple managers who have ever worked for Gap. Where do you get this information?

 

[AVYYN]

As an Old Navy employee, I can say THIS IS TRUE. Select stores have been remodeled known as Project ONE stores (Old Navy Evolution). Over the next five years, they are doing this to all the stores. In a memo sent to managers of Project ONE stores over the spring, it stated that we would have Apple EasyPay in our stores by Black Friday 2010 (which did not happen). No word on when they will actually be in our hands.

 

[AVYYN]

"Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap..."

What? I bet there is a small percentage of Apple managers who have ever worked for Gap. Where do you get this information?

Actually, three managers I know went from Gap Inc. to become Apple Retail managers.

 

[rdowns]

"Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap..."

What? I bet there is a small percentage of Apple managers who have ever worked for Gap. Where do you get this information?

It's no secret that Apple poached a lot of retail talent from Target and The Gap. Upper management, not store managers.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

"Most of Apples top retail (non corp.) managers are from The Gap..."

What? I bet there is a small percentage of Apple managers who have ever worked for Gap. Where do you get this information?

I worked with Apple at the dawn of the Apple Retail Store. I can tell you the first 80 or so stores had at one point at least one Manager from The Gap or Pottery Barn.

 

[aristobrat]

I worked with Apple at the dawn of the Apple Retail Store. I can tell you the first 80 or so stores had at one point at least one Manager from The Gap or Pottery Barn.

They're def. still pulling talent from other retailers, but they might be diversifying a bit. The store I worked at (until earlier this year) had a store manager that came from a district-level position at Express, a senior assistant manager that came from Circuit City (before it belly-upped), an assistant manager that came from Banana Republic, and another assistant manager that was a HR manager for Target.

 

[rdowns]

They're def. still pulling talent from other retailers, but they might be diversifying a bit. The store I worked at (until earlier this year) had a store manager that came from a district-level position at Express, a senior assistant manager that came from Circuit City (before it belly-upped), an assistant manager that came from Banana Republic, and another assistant manager that was a HR manager for Target.

Of course they're pulling talent from other retailers. Other retailers are probably poaching Apple talent too. Where would they get their employees from, the local welding shop?

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Of course they're pulling talent from other retailers. Other retailers are probably poaching Apple talent too. Where would they get their employees from, the local welding shop?

At my old store we had 1 Manager from Pottery Barn, 3 Managers from The Gap, 1 from Williams Sonoma, 1 Manager from BR, 1 from Best Buy, and 1 from Mac Makeup.

 

[aristobrat]

Of course they're pulling talent from other retailers. Other retailers are probably poaching Apple talent too. Where would they get their employees from, the local welding shop?

At some point, someone has to make the investment when it comes to taking a regular employee with perceived potential and training them for management. "Grow Your Own"

My experience with Apple is that they'd rather pull talent from another retailer than grown their own.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

At some point, someone has to make the investment when it comes to taking a regular employee with perceived potential and training them for management. "Grow Your Own"

My experience with Apple is that they'd rather pull talent from another retailer than grown their own.

The "Grow Your Own" program was a bust to me. Part of the problem was Apple Retail got so big so fast they were pulling Specialists left and right for GYO and none of them were close to being qualified. GYO is a lot like Fearless Feedback... works in theory.

 

[tanbo]

I wonder how much Apple actually had to do with this product. I would wager Apple contracted out some guys to do this, it worked pretty well, and the contractors wanted to start their own business based on the knowledge they got and asked Apple if they could. This is the result. The company is definitely not a spinoff of Apple that's for sure. If Apple wanted to market this thing, it would certainly look better, that's for sure—just look at the website. Apple registers all their domains under MarkMonitor as well.

It is a 3rd party contractor, not contracted out from Apple however.

 

[karsten]

what are you supposed to do, stand around with an armful of clothes and hand them to the employee 1 at a time to get scanned? i wasnt too impressed with it at the apple store, having to find some little space where there werent any customers to stand and try and do a transaction out in the middle of the fricking sales floor. its kind of ridiculous.

 

[tallestof4]

We have been using the exact same system at Barnes and Noble for the past month or two. Its actually pretty cool. We use it for customers buying our eReaders at the counter so they don't have to wait in line (we don't have registers at the nook counter).

 

[Charles Belov]

Authentication issue

I'm surprised to read two pages of posts and not a peep about the security issue. How do I authenticate that the person wielding the iPod is authorized to do so and not an identity thief? This was an issue even when Apple stores had specialized hardware to do remote checkout and is an even bigger issue with using something as ubiquitous as an iPod for checkout. Not saying anyone's done it, but if the baddies can go after ATMs, they can go after iPods.

 

[adamberti]

There is a product out there that provides this style of POS system for any retailer who wants it. It's called Lightspeed and made by a company called Xsilva (http://www.xsilva.com)

I'm an Apple Consultant and Lightspeed Certified Reseller. You can basically do what Apple does in your own retail store. Mobile, on the floor payment. You guys here are right - It works great in some industries, but it's horrible in others. Another nice benefit of these systems is inventory lookup. No need to leave the customer while you go look and they wander off. You can keep them engaged.

-Adam
http://www.bertigroup.com

 

[aristobrat]

How do I authenticate that the person wielding the iPod is authorized to do so and not an identity thief?

Ask for a receipt from a stationary printer.

IMO, it'd be fairly difficult for someone to pretend to be an employee in an Apple Store or Old Navy. Even as busy as my old Apple Store was during the holidays, there's no way someone could have come in with one of the uniform shirts and attempted to ring up sales and not have been noticed by one of the 20 employees on the floor.

Either way, if the person is actually an impostor trying to steal your credit card number (does that qualify as identity theft? they'll get your account# and name, but they won't have your address, SSN, or DOB, which are all required for truly stealing an identity, no?), they won't have the ability to print a receipt for your transaction on a stationary printer in the store. Those are only accessible via a WiFi network that is WPA2 protected, hidden, and requires a certificate to join.

 

[Charles Belov]

Ask for a receipt from a stationary printer.

IMO, it'd be fairly difficult for someone to pretend to be an employee in an Apple Store or Old Navy. Even as busy as my old Apple Store was during the holidays, there's no way someone could have come in with one of the uniform shirts and attempted to ring up sales and not have been noticed by one of the 20 employees on the floor.

Either way, if the person is actually an impostor trying to steal your credit card number (does that qualify as identity theft? they'll get your account# and name, but they won't have your address, SSN, or DOB, which are all required for truly stealing an identity, no?), they won't have the ability to print a receipt for your transaction on a stationary printer in the store. Those are only accessible via a WiFi network that is WPA2 protected, hidden, and requires a certificate to join.

Okay, poor choice of terms on my part. I was only talking about stealing credit card info (although if this were my first purchase I might not know if they also asked for a driver's license that they weren't supposed to. Some places do ask for a driver's license when you use a credit card.)

A printed receipt is after-authentication. I'm looking for pre-authentication.

And I'd hope they'd notice an unauthorized sales person but...

Anyway, as long as I can still use the standard checkout line, those less caution than myself are welcome to avail themselves of this service. Just sayin'.

 

[moderately]

Okay, poor choice of terms on my part. I was only talking about stealing credit card info (although if this were my first purchase I might not know if they also asked for a driver's license that they weren't supposed to. Some places do ask for a driver's license when you use a credit card.)

A printed receipt is after-authentication. I'm looking for pre-authentication.

And I'd hope they'd notice an unauthorized sales person but...

Wow! So you are saying I might go to an Apple store, think I am paying for my new airbook but essentially be stealing it as I attempt to walk out the door. As I explain to security that someone swiped my cc info the new hire stumbles out of the mop closet peeling strapping tape from himself and pointing over my shoulder shouting, "Stop that man! He's stolen my shirt!"
Wow!