JC Penney's to eliminate check-out clerks

[NowVoyager]

Personally I'm not overly found of those self check-out counters at the market. Nothing wrong with them, just a matter of personal choice. Heck I still remember when the cashiers at Mayfair had to say the price of each item as they rung it up.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/...ck-out-clerks/

It’s been a hundred years since James Cash Penney opened his first store in Wyoming. Now, the retail chain – with more than a thousand outlets – is struggling to turn a profit even though lots of people love the store. “I love Penney’s. I’ve always liked Penney’s,” says Mary Jane Hallisey of Hopewell. “Oh, I like it a lot. They have a lot of good stuff in there. I go all the time,” adds Olivia Kuhn of Brighton Heights. But the store is getting a makeover – specialized boutiques within the store like a denim bar – and more. The CEO of JCPenney is the former retail chief of Apple, and he wants to shake things up to restore the company to profitability. But one of his ideas – replacing clerks with a self-check-out system – well, that doesn’t go over too well with some customers. “I think it’s a bad idea all way around if you ask me,” says Jack Soffel of Robinson. Soffel shops at Penney’s and worries that the change will result in poor customer service. “I don’t want to walk into a place that’s so austere that it’s nothing but mechanics and automation,” he adds. “I like to talk to people, they help me, they ask me, they take me to find things.” Penney’s CEO Ron Johnson says the store will switch the traditional bar codes on price tags to RFID’s – or radio frequency identification chips – and use self-service checkout machines found in many grocery stores. “That’s taking away jobs from people,” notes Kuhn. “People need to work and make money. Plus, if I’m coming to the store, I want to have someone there to help me.” Now, JCPenney will not be eliminating store clerks all together. Each of the proposed boutiques within the store will have its staff. But beginning in 2014, at check-out you’ll be on your own. In an email, a Penny’s spokesman would not say how many jobs would be lost, saying instead this new check-out would actually free employees to help customers in other ways.

[Potemkin]

They are OK if there isn't a dunce in front of you and you follow the directions directly like a drone.

Someone, who shall remain nameless, always uses the scale part to park things before scanning them or to not place the item on the large platform, also a scale, when it is scanned.

Each mean an exception, requiring a clerk, and taking time.

Sale items, markdowns, etc almost always mean a hassle.

The ones at the DIY hardware stores are less sensitive, and I have less hassle.

[Mama Alanna]

I've found the self-scanners at Home Depot to be infuriating. The scale that lets the machine know that you've put something in the bag is either set so high that it doesn't recognize lightweight things or so low that it starts hollering about "UNEXPECTED WEIGHT IN BAGGING AREA! PLEASE REMOVE EVERYTHING AND START OVER!"

[Twoolf]

I would have thought they would have learned from Wally World and the major grocers that self checkout simply does not work. Shrinkage skyrockets, and customer satisfaction plummets. Not a good plan for a struggling retailer.

[Oric]

Instead of scanners they better have rfid tags on each items to speed up checkouts which is technically too expensive

[rb.]

I can't speak to a department store, but I love self checkouts. I use them in the grocery store, Canadian Tire (hardware, housewares), and Home Depot. Rarely have trouble.

[AndreaCA]

One of my friends freely admitted on Facebook to being devastated when a local store took out the self-check out. "Now, I'm never going to be able to afford an avocado!" was his post. Apparently, he was typing in the code for limes every time he bought avocados.

I think they are a pain.

[oldasrocks]

Next they will be expecting customers to stock the shelves.

[Kassy]

Or go Aldi, they sell a bunch of stuff just straight off the pallets.

I don't like self check out either. One reason is that i like my cashiers, some of them for themselves & them as an interacting team too.

The self service points in many business restaurants are being changed back but i can't recall their exact reasoning but it was cheaper/less of a hassle. Of course they run with tighter supplies then malls.

It must be annoying to keep running out of avocado's while the stupid limes stack up too.

[Sonny]

I Really think this is more of a Technology story than one about the Economy.

"" Or go Aldi, "" Hey right on Kassy,

I love Aldi's They're way cheaper than Walmart for things like
Bread, Milk, Eggs, Pasta, Beens, Fresh Produce, fruits and Vegetables . Cheese and Nuts

WTH, off hand I can't think of anything thats cheaper at Walmart except Gasoline..
~

[NowVoyager]

Originally Posted by Sonny

I Really think this is more of a Technology story than one about the Economy.

"" Or go Aldi, "" Hey right on Kassy,

I love Aldi's They're way cheaper than Walmart for things like
Bread, Milk, Eggs, Pasta, Beens, Fresh Produce, fruits and Vegetables . Cheese and Nuts

WTH, off hand I can't think of anything thats cheaper at Walmart except Gasoline..
~

It was a toss up, Sonny.

The technology for self check out isn't that new, but it isn't the primary method currently in use here.

I took this as a sign of how a major general merchandiser, struggling under a changing economy and despite a restructuring of how they do business, is looking at ways to both save money in the form of static costs as well as looking at rebranding Penneys in a way to attract a wider customer base with their adopting plan to have multiple 'boutiques' in under their roof.

In some Penney's they have a Sephora, a sort of mini Home Depot of cosmetics. Attracting customers who might have gone to a Dillards or Macy's to get Clinique or Estee Lauder. Sephora carry's a wide range of cosmetics from Philosphy, Tarte, Bare Minerals and such. I can see why Penneys would want to extend that model to other departments.