Happy Thursday! On this #TBT I want to highlight a short lived feature a few warehouses around the US tested in 2013 & 2014: self scan checkout.


How It Worked:
You scanned your membership card to obtain a scanner which you then used to scan each item’s barcode as you added it to your cart. 

All of the carts were equipped with holsters for the scanner so they were readily accesaible while you shopped.

The scanners were fairly intuitive and easy to use. TVs mounted above the self scan kiosk had a short video that walked you through how to use the scanners. Also, there was always a knowledgable employee standing by if you had questions. 

If you accidentally scanned something twice, or decided not to buy an item, you could easily remove it from your scanner.

The scanner kept a tally of how many items you scanned. You could easily browse your scanned items to make sure you hadn’t forgotten to scan anything.

Checkout was a breeze because you didn’t have to unload everything in your cart at the registers. Instead, you left all of your items in the shopping cart and used separate self-scan-only registers. An employee would confirm the items in your cart matched the list on your scanner, ensuring everything had been scanned. Then, they would scan your list to the register so you could pay as usual. If you were purchasing any age-restricted items, the register would prompt the employee to enter your ID info. Self scan checkout accepted electronic payments only (debit & credit cards), but if you needed to pay using cash or check, the employee could move your transaction to a regular register.

My Experience:
I loved being able to load up my cart knowing I would only have to unload it once – into the the back of my car. I also enjoyed the faster checkout. To me, the only real downside was the scanner did not keep a running tally of my total cost, which seemed like a missing feature. But I guess I understand why Costco excluded the total – if you could see how much money you were spending, you might be inclined to put some items back!

Why It Ended:
When self scan disappeared, I asked several different employees why it had gone away and was told everything from “it was just a trial that was never intended to be permanent” to “there was too much shrink (e.g. theft).”

While it didn’t last, it was fun to try while it was around!

#costco #costcofinds #selfscan #costcobuys #costcodeals #costcofind #costcohaul #throwbackthursday #throwback #TheCostcoConnoisseur