Customers sound off on merits of self-scanning

More and more stores are opting for do-it-yourself checkouts

The systems have been used in the United States since the early 1990s, but have gained in popularity over the last seven years as more affordable and user-friendly models have become available, according to Lee Holman, an analyst at technology research firm IHL Consulting Group of Franklin, Tenn.

Though companies such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart have introduced self-checkout at their stores, Holman said, grocers have embraced the trend the most.

‘‘I just like it because it gives me more freedom,” Mona Khan of Damascus said after making a self-service purchase at the Giant Food store in Germantown’s Neelsville Village Center. ‘‘If I have something I don’t want somebody to see or be touching, it’s more comfortable.”

‘‘They’re extremely popular,” Giant spokesman Barry Scher said. The systems can be found in all new Giants as well as stores that have undergone major renovations. They have proven so popular that the company plans to install self-scanning lanes in all of its supermarkets, he said.

Shoppers in North America are expected to spend more than $525 billion at self-service machines in 2007, up from $438 billion in 2006, according to a study released in July by IHL Consulting. A poll of U.S. and Canadian consumers conducted by New York-based BuzzBack Market Research found that 77 percent were more likely to shop at businesses with self-service machines, and 55 percent said they wanted more self-service at grocery stores.

‘‘It’s really fast because I know how to use it,” said Jose Dory of Gaithersburg after using a self-checkout at Magruder’s on Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg. ‘‘A lot of people don’t know how to use it, so I definitely take advantage of that,” he added, referring to sparse lines.

‘‘It’s more efficient for the customer and the business,” said Gary Bortnick, Magruder’s chief operating officer. Self-checkout has taken off since the supermarket chain introduced it four years ago.

Common complaints include malfunctioning machines and the difficulty of locating items that cannot be scanned, such as produce, on the self-checkout’s screen. Some shoppers are also concerned that the arrival of self-checkout could cause cashiers to lose their jobs.

‘‘I noticed [stores] stopped hiring people, and people need employment,” said Latisha Gasaway of Frederick while finishing up her shopping at a Germantown Giant.

Holman said that the companies his firm interviews about self-checkout are more interested in reassigning cashiers to customer-oriented positions, such as answering questions or carrying bags to the shopper’s car, than creating a mechanized workforce, an attitude echoed by Giant and Magruder’s spokesmen.

Still, some shoppers enjoy the service provided by cashiers, such as Bill Morgan of Montgomery Village, who does like the efficiency of self-checkout. ‘‘I would prefer a cashier, personally, the contact with a person,” he said as he exited the Gaithersburg Magruder’s.

There is some interaction at self-checkout, however. At Giant and Magruder’s stores, employees help customers bag their items, and they flit from station to station, plugging in produce codes and assisting stumped shoppers.

Jordan Katz of Germantown said he prefers self-scanning and seeks out shops, such as Magruder’s, that provide the service. ‘‘There’s a couple places that I shop at specifically because of self-checkout,” he said.

Many shoppers said self-scanning is best used for small purchases instead of for a week’s worth of groceries.

‘‘I usually have too many items and I don’t feel like it,” Dayton Ward of Boyds said as he pushed his full cart through an upcounty Giant. ‘‘Also, I have a 5-year-old.”

Ishan Khetarpal of Clarksburg said his young sons, Sanjay and Mihir, grocery shoppers of tomorrow, love the hands-on self-checkouts.

‘‘There’s also no waste of time, generally speaking,” Khetarpal said while the trio wheeled their cart out of the Neelsville Giant. ‘‘But there is a downside to it,” he said. ‘‘Things have to be weighed, the produce. ... When you look at it, it’s not user-friendly at all. But overall, I enjoy it.”