Walmart Testing iPhone-Based Self-Checkout System for Retail Stores

[SunnyStudioNeo]

Walmart should integrate with more services

In my opinion, Walmart should be more open on this, by integrating with more services, like QuickEver note service, so that user can remember what they purchased; or integrate Square, so user can make easier purchase.

 

[Slim02]

Companies like Walmart are garbage. They don't even give liveable wages to their employees..and benefits like insurance? they have the government to provide that.

I would love nothing more than to see Walmart go under. They destroy competition with their low prices but at the cost of better paying jobs and good benefits.

That being said after a few years of the local Walmart carrying self checkouts they actually took them out because of theft issues. I don't see self checkout solutions actually replacing regular checkouts.. at least not completely.

See there where you people are wrong.. Walmart pay $2 to $3 over the state min wage and they also have benefits and it is not from the government.. I know some people that work for Walmart and you get the same thing you would get from any other big companies. Some of you people need to get your facts straight before making yourself look like fools..

 

[ScooterLibby]

Self check outs are job killers

Hilarious. We should get rid of cars because they put carriage makers out of a job, ban email because it robbed postmen of their jobs, and ban iPhones because of the unemployment they caused among Palm and RIM employees. You should sign the Candlemakers Petition.

 

[Ecofriend]

Our grocery store already does this with custom scanners so I assume it would work exactly the same with an iPhone as the scanner.

Not really a complicated difference.

(But don't let real-world examples stop MR posters from telling you why this couldn't work. By all means, carry on. )

I agree, there are enough places doing this already to make it worthwhile

 

[tech4all]

Sounds like the perfect feature to deploy to a customer base with below average intelligence and technical inclination.

Way to stereotype

No you aren't going to see Mercedes Benzs in the parking lot, but that doesn't mean everyone who shops there has "below average intelligence and technical inclination."

You could say the same thing about iPhone users. You don't have to "know anything" to work an iPhone. You just use it as Apple has you use it*. Does that mean Apple's customer base has below average intelligence and technical inclination? No, of course not.



*Without jail breaking

 

[faroZ06]

Way to stereotype

No you aren't going to see Mercedes Benzs in the parking lot, but that doesn't mean everyone who shops there has "below average intelligence and technical inclination."

You could say the same thing about iPhone users. You don't have to "know anything" to work an iPhone. You just use it as Apple has you use it*. Does that mean Apple's customer base has below average intelligence and technical inclination? No, of course not.



*Without jail breaking

Maybe he's just saying that because most people have relatively low intelligence and low technical inclination? He could be saying that the general customers will be confused by Walmart's checkout sytem, ignoring the fact that it's Walmart. I agree with that. There would probably be a lot of incidents involving accidental theft.

 

[Renzatic]

Way to stereotype

No you aren't going to see Mercedes Benzs in the parking lot, but that doesn't mean everyone who shops there has "below average intelligence and technical inclination."

The whole Wal-Mart people are stupid argument reminds me one of those generic All Americans Are Stupid blog posts that have become all the rage on the internet over the last few years.

One in particular I remember reading was some guy stating that 78% of Americans score less than 90 on standardized IQ tests. I'll gotta give the author props for writing a well worded post, but he fails because he misses the whole point of IQ tests.

Firstly, on average, the entire US populations cores 20 points higher on IQ tests now than they did in 1900. Does that mean everyone in the 19th century was technically mentally retarded? Considering people drank mercury like it was going out of style back then, there might actually be a point to that, but...

IQ tests are standarized, meaning that they're graded on a curve. In other words, if everyone in the country is scoring 120, then 120 becomes the new 100, which is supposed to represent the average intelligence level. So if everyone only scores 90 at max, then either there's been a recent epidemic of mild brain damage, or no one would be scoring 90 in the first place. They'd be scoring 100, since that's the median.

Then it went into some BS political issues, and how people who believe X are generally more intelligent and blah blah blah. The whole thing was just an exercise in mental masturbation, written so dude guy could tell the world how much smarter he was than everyone else because he thinks such and such and so on and so on.

Kinda like people who think of Apple stuff as a status symbol, and think they're smarter because they go to the local trendy organic place instead of Wal-Mart. Comeon, people. They're phones and stores. They don't say jack about crap besides I shop here and call people using this product.

 

[plucky duck]

Sorry, I get carried away at times and let my passion cloud my sense of compassion, and sitting in front of a computer working on dissertations all day can get one riled up. Thanks for the response and here's hoping for a better future, for everyone

It is a viscious cycle, the general population wanting cheaper goods and corporations wanting to maximize profit is in the end leading us towards a poorer and vulnerable nation as a whole, with a reduced quality of life.

 

[aressaress]

Laser scanners are dramatically faster than an iPhone camera. Do people really wanna go to the trouble of pointing their iPhone camera at the bar code on every item they place in their cart, then wait for it to focus to complete the scan? That sounds like a royal pain in the butt!

 

[iEvolution]

Hilarious. We should get rid of cars because they put carriage makers out of a job, ban email because it robbed postmen of their jobs, and ban iPhones because of the unemployment they caused among Palm and RIM employees. You should sign the Candlemakers Petition.

LOL nice apples to oranges comparison.

Cars have tons of advantages over carriages.
Email has tons of advantages over postal service.
Apple/RIM/Palm are in the competition business, someone has to lose.

What does a self checkout provide that a cashier cannot? Tell me. Other than the anti-social/shy people of the world can avoid any small talk what does a self check-out do for the customer over a cashier? N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

 

[ChrisA]

Who can't afford an iPhone? Why do people on this website always say its some kind of luxury good? With a new 2 year plan, its 200 dollars every time a new one comes out. That is a VERY small amount of money, even for someone with low income, and its no more than an Flagship Android Phone.

Are you kidding? You can't buy a phone for $200 unless you sign a $1,000+ contract. Inside that kilo-buck contract are loan payments. You pay quite a lot for that phone.

If you are on a low income working for $12 per hour and have two kids you do NOT buy iPhone data plans.

 

[ChrisA]

LOL nice apples to oranges comparison.

Cars have tons of advantages over carriages.
Email has tons of advantages over postal service.
Apple/RIM/Palm are in the competition business, someone has to lose.

What does a self checkout provide that a cashier cannot? Tell me. Other than the anti-social/shy people of the world can avoid any small talk what does a self check-out do for the customer over a cashier? N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

If done correctly the goal is to completely avoid the checkout line. What is "correctly"? That is easy: Walmart places RFID chips in EVERY product. You scan the items and place them in your cart or bag then simply walk out the door and do NOT stop at some self checkout station but just walk out and the RFID readers mounted inside the door jamb reads the tags and verifies payment.

What could be better than that? Easy, not having to scan everything. If the RFID scanners can read the product codes they can read your WallMart credit card RFID chip and do the transaction. Then anyone who has a card can simply "shop lift" just walk in and take stuff and the bill arrives at the end of the month.

How to prevent using a stolen card? Cameras look at you and match your face to your RFID.

Many years ago my Grandmother shopped at a store that worked this way. I was small then and barely remember but she just walked in and got the groceries she needed. The clerk knew her and wrote down the amount in a book. Later at the end of the week she'd pay. Many small town stores used to work that way. Even today at the lumber yard I can tell the salesman to "put it on my account" and they know you if you are in there three times a week spending a few $1K on lumber.

Wouldn't it be great if Wallmarts worked like that, just go and get the item and walk out, the bill comes at the end of the month. After all isn't the worst part of shopping having to stop and line up to pay? RFID can eliminate the self checkout station.

Some day all stores will be like that, you just walk in and take stuff and the money is automatically deducted from you account.

 

[tigress666]

What does a self checkout provide that a cashier cannot? Tell me. Other than the anti-social/shy people of the world can avoid any small talk what does a self check-out do for the customer over a cashier? N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

But it saves the company money and in the end, that's what the company cares about. Only if it is costing them money through disgusted customers annoyed with having to deal with those machines rather than a person would the company start debating on if a cashier is "cheaper". And who is to say they'd really have enough disgusted customers who would shop elsewhere over such stuff.

Of course, this is very short sighted on the companies part. If people can't find jobs or are not paid enough, they won't have enough money to buy the goods the company sells and the company will lose customers simply cause no one can afford to shop there. In the end, companies do have long term interests in paying well or at least encouraging a populace to have a good job rate in some way.

 

[thewitt]

Many customers prefer self checkout, and it's never a bad thing when you are in the service or sales businesses to make your customers happy.

In spite of what some of you think, businesses are not in business to provide employment. They are in business to make money.

I know, that's evil and you would much prefer the socialist manifesto where everyone is equal in all things. Sorry. That's not how the real world works. Even in your socialist utopia there are the have's and the have nots.

Vote with your wallet and don't shop at Wal-Mart if you disagree with their self checkout systems. That's how capitalism works.

 

[Oletros]

Many customers prefer self checkout, and it's never a bad thing when you are in the service or sales businesses to make your customers happy.

In spite of what some of you think, businesses are not in business to provide employment. They are in business to make money.

I know, that's evil and you would much prefer the socialist manifesto where everyone is equal in all things. Sorry. That's not how the real world works. Even in your socialist utopia there are the have's and the have nots.

Vote with your wallet and don't shop at Wal-Mart if you disagree with their self checkout systems. That's how capitalism works.

I'm astonished, how can anyone link liking or not self check out with socialism?

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In the Netherlands you mainly have 2 types of these systems: system 1 works with the hand scanner where you scan while shopping, the other system works as if you were the employee at the check out point, you scan everything at check out and make the payment. Payments at check out are always done with debet card. In the latter system there is a build in control where the product/price is verified against the weight that you put on the band. Of course there are some people controlling both processes, but it's a lot cheaper than all these employees at check out.

When I was in Florida last August I was surprised to find that there still was no more advanced system in place in Walmarts, Supertarget etc.

Yap, here in Spain we also have those two systems

 

[Renzatic]

I'm astonished, how can anyone link liking or not self check out with socialism?

Cuz self checkout is like bootstrapping with groceries.

Look at me *dink*! I'm doing it myself *dink*! I don't need no government officials holding my hand *dink*! :glares at cashier:

 

[BeardedOrc]

Sounds like the perfect feature to deploy to a customer base with below average intelligence and technical inclination.

How many of those people can afford iPhones in the first place though?

I have no doubts that if such a system is put into place that theft/ shoplifting/ 'I-thought-I-paid-for-it's' will increase exponentially and cause problems. But given Wal-Marts clientele, I think a majority will be 'iPhoned' out from the get go.

I stopped reading on the first page of this thread due to comments like this. I swear, some Apple fans are the most obnoxious and snobbish people in the world. There is nothing special about iPhones and actually cost $0 with a 2 year agreement.

 

[Renzatic]

In spite of what some of you think, businesses are not in business to provide employment. They are in business to make money.

If we slide down that slippery slope just a little more, I'd say we're only a hairs breadth away from calling people with jobs freeloaders off the corporate teat.

 

[Macist]

Not a massive story. Using PDAs as scanners has been around since the late 90s in various forms. It's just that the makers of this stuff are now increasingly using iOS over other options - it's mature, robust and has good development tools.

 

[Oletros]

I stopped reading on the first page of this thread due to comments like this. I swear, some Apple fans are the most obnoxious and snobbish people in the world. There is nothing special about iPhones and actually cost $0 with a 2 year agreement.

And not counting that the system will be available also for Android

 

[andyring]

How many of those people can afford iPhones in the first place though?

I have no doubts that if such a system is put into place that theft/ shoplifting/ 'I-thought-I-paid-for-it's' will increase exponentially and cause problems. But given Wal-Marts clientele, I think a majority will be 'iPhoned' out from the get go.

Ummm, probably about 99 percent of them can. Why? Because everything else "they" are buying is actually paid for by you and I and China in the form of a check from the government.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I'd rather use the self-check option than have to deal with cashiers any day. I can scan and pay for my groceries in less time than most cashiers can, without dealing with them being Nosy Nellies. It's none of their business what I buy, but somehow they get offended if they ask why I'm buying something and I don't answer, or they get upset if I don't what to make small talk. Just shut up and do your job!
Plus, most of the people who bag groceries are completely incompetent. The cilantro does not go underneath the canned goods! When they toss my fruit down the line, it ends up bruised and costs me time to go to customer service to get it replaced.

I always managed to get carts full of groceries through the Walmart self-check lane with little to no problems. Even if I had more than just a few items! (Protip: When the bag is full, put it in your cart and start a new bag! It's not rocket science.) The ones here had scales, I'm not sure why people weren't smart enough to do produce on them. There was a handy look-up thing where you could check for the codes if there were no stickers on the produce. Put your item on the scale; type in the code; done.

I stopped shopping at Walmart when they took away the self-check lanes, though. If I have to wait in line, I'll bloody well do it somewhere else.

 

[184550]

Ummm, probably about 99 percent of them can. Why? Because everything else "they" are buying is actually paid for by you and I and China in the form of a check from the government.

So thought provoking and intelligent.

Let me know when you can come play in PRSI.

 

[terraphantm]

Are you kidding? You can't buy a phone for $200 unless you sign a $1,000+ contract. Inside that kilo-buck contract are loan payments. You pay quite a lot for that phone.

If you are on a low income working for $12 per hour and have two kids you do NOT buy iPhone data plans.

Maybe so, but you definitely don't need to earn $100k/year to afford one either

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LOL nice apples to oranges comparison.

Cars have tons of advantages over carriages.
Email has tons of advantages over postal service.
Apple/RIM/Palm are in the competition business, someone has to lose.

What does a self checkout provide that a cashier cannot? Tell me. Other than the anti-social/shy people of the world can avoid any small talk what does a self check-out do for the customer over a cashier? N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

In my experience, the cashiers at Walmart after 9PM or so are so unbelievably incompetent that I'd be willing to pay extra just to avoid having to deal with them. They're a time waster for me, and if I can avoid that, I will.

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Way to stereotype

No you aren't going to see Mercedes Benzs in the parking lot, but that doesn't mean everyone who shops there has "below average intelligence and technical inclination."

You could say the same thing about iPhone users. You don't have to "know anything" to work an iPhone. You just use it as Apple has you use it*. Does that mean Apple's customer base has below average intelligence and technical inclination? No, of course not.



*Without jail breaking

I don't even see why one should think they won't see mercedes benz' at Walmart. I see plenty at my local one - not base C-classes either. A surprising number of E-classes and S-classes. Hell, I personally drive a BMW (a 535xi or M3 depending on day / time of year) and I've been to Walmart many times. I was working 16 hours a day for a while, and Walmart was the only place open late. What else is one to do if local businesses don't want to cater to those with busier lifestyles?

 

[Kwill]

Some Shoppers Hate Returns From Self-Checkout

Hopefully the new system will be better.