Should customers pay less when they use a self-checkout?
The supermarkets are saving money through less staff resourcing, but those savings are not being passed on to shoppers.
New York lawmakers are considering a bill that would require stores to give self-checkout users a 10 percent discount. Retailers use self-checkouts to cut costs by reducing staff, but shoppers could share in the savings, lawmakers argue. Consumer NZ has similar thoughts in New Zealand. The group believes stores are saving money by using self-checkouts and not passing those savings on to customers.
Grocery prices are often the top concern for people's finances. Marketing experts say it makes sense to pass on savings to loyal customers who use self-checkout systems. However, retailers like Foodstuffs and Woolworths say self-checkouts offer convenience and flexibility to customers. Both companies continue to invest in both self-service and staffed checkouts to give shoppers choices.
Written by urgent.news from RNZ Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
