Cultural Critical Analysis

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Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Prepared for Kylie Robertson, Instructor of Business Communication Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Edmonton, AB Prepared by Darren Lacusta First Year Business Student: Section OA02 Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Edmonton, AB April 6, 2023

Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2 Background ............................................................................................................................. 2 History ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Grocery Clerk ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Piggly Wiggly ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Gas Station Attendant ........................................................................................................................ 4 Self service & Checkout today .................................................................................................. 4 Online Shopping ................................................................................................................................. 4 Brick & Mortar ................................................................................................................................... 5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 6 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 7 1

Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 Introduction As we see more and more retail locations introduce self-checkout terminals, the need for multiple retail cashiers is becoming more of a rarity. Did the pandemic trigger the recent onslaught of self-checkout machines? Are robots going to take our jobs? Consumerism is no stranger to changes, whether it be the introduction of new stores, new products, or even new procedures. For the past century consumers have welcomed innovation and technical advancements that promise higher satisfaction rates. The purpose of this paper is to display that the post pandemic influx of self-checkout and other self-service options is not a threat to jobs, and consumers are not unfamiliar with a self-service shopping experience. Background The Covid-19 Pandemic introduced the necessity of social distancing and brought many changes to the modern world. Social distancing, lockdowns, store capacity limits and reduced workforce are examples that directly impacted consumerism. “Shipments for self-checkout machines jumped 25% due to the pandemic, and the consumers willingness to use self checkout machines rose from 30% to 45% after the first 18 months of the pandemic”. (Experience, 2021) Although the Pandemic has played a significant role in the immediate rollout and cultural need for self-service procedures including self-checkout machines. The consumers introduction to self-service and self-checkout procedures happened far before Covid-19. The concept of self service, changes to procedures, and technology advancements have been implemented and successful in consumerism throughout history. 2

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Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 History Grocery Clerk The procedures and layout of the grocery stores we are familiar with today are different than the original grocery store concept. Over a century ago, it was the grocery clerk who was tasked with assembling your weekly grocery order. Customers would enter the store and hand a list of required items and products to the clerk. “The clerk would then fill the order as best they could from the selection of items kept out of customers reach, often weighing out dry goods from large barrels”. (Eschner, 2017) Leaving the customer with, no control over quality or variety, and the workforce of clerks tasked with weighing out and assembling customers order was a costly expense. Piggly Wiggly It wasn’t until 1916 when the first Piggly Wiggly opened its doors to the public. Piggly Wiggly was the first grocery store to introduce consumers the concept, procedures and layout, we are familiar with in grocery stores today. Isles of shelves lined with varieties of products within an arm’s reach. Consumers, taking the responsibilities of the clerks, are now given full range to walk the length of the store collecting any item they’d like, not just from a pre- determined list, and placing them into a basket of their own. When the customer had finished their shopping venture, taking however long or short they wanted, they would make their way to the cashier at checkout. At checkout customers are met with the cashier rather than the familiar clerk. With this new self-service approach, handing off many of the responsibilities a clerk would otherwise perform, to the consumer. Self-service did not replace the clerk; it altered the job title and responsibilities of the clerk to that of a cashier. Without the need to assemble orders, those in the cashier position can focus primarily on ringing through customer orders quicker and more 3

Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 efficiently. Piggly Wiggly, using the self-service was able to “cut costs by cutting out the clerks” (Eschner, 2017) and introducing cashiers. These reduced costs allowed the store to offer consumers a wider range of products at a reduced price. As Piggly Wiggly expanded across the united states, other grocery stores soon adopted the self-service concept. Gas Station Attendant In this current day and age, we are very familiar with the forever changing prices at the gas station, however the procedure tends to stay the same every visit. Pull up, insert your card for payment, distinguish between gas and diesel, and proceed to fill your car up. However it wasn’t until 1947, Los Angeles California was home to the first self-service filling station. The price of gas was able to be reduced for the consumer by having them pump their own gas, an attendant would still start the pump and make change for consumers. This concept offered savings for the gas station, by reducing labor from a team of employees to a single attendant, and the consumer. Other gas stations owners soon saw the money saving opportunities that came with self-service pumps, and the reduction of gas station employees. Automated self-serve pumps remotely operated by an attendant inside the store were invented in 1964, and took some time for the public to really welcome the idea. It wasn’t until 1973 when the fully remote access self-service option with pay at the pump capabilities was introduced. By “2002 the percentage of convenience stores with pay-at-the-pump jumped to 80 percent” from only about 13 percent in 1994. (Company, 2018) Self service & Checkout today Online Shopping 4

Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 Online Shopping has served as a great foundation to give the consumer a sense of familiarity with the concept of a fully self-service shopping experience including the process of checkout. The online shopper will browse the store for their desired amount of time, adding the desired products to a virtual cart or basket before heading to checkout. At checkout online shoppers input required payment and delivery information after their selections have been made. The online shopper is then tasked with waiting the pre-determined shipping time for their products to be delivered. With the popularity of online shopping increasing, the everyday consumer is becoming more accustomed to and expectant of options. The online shopper has proven that consumers are capable of self service and self-checkout processes. The success of online shopping, and endless options it brings are directly correlated. The consumers demand for options is more than the desire for a variety of products. Consumer satisfaction increases when they have options. Brick & Mortar Self-service/checkout terminals exist in many forms, they range from vending machines offering drinks and candy to photobooth machines providing a memory caught in time. Some machines exist for convivence, others are purely for entertainment. Movie theaters have been using self-service concepts for years, with kiosks to distribute tickets in place of box office workers. Newer theatres new opting for a self-service concessions area on top of the ticket kiosks. Airlines are latching onto the efficiency and effectiveness that self-service machines bring. Airports are littered with varieties of self-service machines, whether you need, your boarding pass, lunch, or help with where to go. Even the secure area of customs has recognized the privacy and speed self-service machines offer. It is becoming the new normal to be presented 5

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Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 with a kiosk or machine that performs the task a human once did. Self-checkout is varieties of stores, not just for groceries.y Conclusion The introduction of self-service procedures and self-checkout concepts are no stranger to the business world. Technology always has and always will continue to advance. Throughout history innovations and advancements have found their place in consumerism. Self-service and self-checkout options increase productivity and provide consumers with increased satisfaction. The implementation of self service and self-checkout in retail locations allows for increased profits and a better use of work force. Consumerism has seen new technology advancements alter job titles and responsibilities before, self-checkout machines are not stealing cashier jobs. As more and more stores introduce self-checkout and self-service options, remember, although the technology is new, the concept of self service and self-checkout are something consumers have been familiar with for years and is nothing new to worry about. (Harris, 2019) Business owners and future entrepreneurs should continue to offer self-service and self-checkout options in the future of consumerism. These processes when implemented properly can significantly increase consumer satisfaction, employee efficiency, and lower costs. 6

Self Service & Self-Checkout Something New? Or a Returning Trend? Darren Lacusta OA02 REFERENCES Company, P. S. (2018, January 22). A Brief History of Self-Serve Gas Stations . Retrieved from Petroleum Service Company: https://petroleumservicecompany.com/blog/brief-history- self-serve-gas-stations/ Eschner, K. (2017, September 6). The Bizarre Story of Piggly Wiggly, the first Self-Service Grocery store . Retrieved from Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bizarre-story-piggly-wiggly-first-self- service-grocery-store-180964708/ Experience, R. C. (2021, Dec 2). Self-checkout machine shipments spike 25% in 2020, issues remain . Retrieved from Retail Customer Experience: https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/self-checkout-machine-shipments- spike-25-in-2020-issues-remain/ Harris, K. (2019, June 12). Coming Full Circle: Revolutionary Ideas In Grocery Shopping . Retrieved from History Daily: https://historydaily.org/coming-full-circle-revolutionary- ideas-in-grocery-shopping 7

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