Meijer Trying To Speed Up Checkout Times

Recently all Meijer stores implemented a new program that monitors their cashiers speed at the checkout lanes. From the second the first item is scanned a timer starts and doesn't stop until a receipt is spit out. To assess efficiency, the store's computer takes into account everything from the kinds of merchandise being bagged to how much each customers is paying. Each week, cashiers get scored and if a cashier falls below 95% of the baseline score too many times, they are likely to be demoted to a lower paying job, or in extreme cases, even being fired. Because of the economy all retailers are trying to do anything they can to increase efficiency inside of their stores, but is this the best way to do it?

I am one of those people that wants to get in and out so this sounds like a great idea to me. On the other hand, there are many people that like to talk and have a friendly conversation with their cashier, so they would hate this new operation that Meijer has adopted. Interviews with cashiers at 16 Meijer stores suggest that its system has spurred many to hurry up and has dialed up stress levels along the way. One cashier, who is 22 years old, says he recently told a longtime customer that he couldn't chat with her anymore during checkout because he was being timed. Other cashiers say they avoid eye contact with shoppers and generally hurry along older customers who might take longer to unload carts and count money.

I understand what Meijer is trying to do, and what most retailers are trying to do. Speeding up customers through check lanes means that they can keep the number of checkout lanes open to a minimum, reducing the cost of labor, but I don't know if this is the right way. There are older customers that do take longer, or even some that do want to chit-chat, so why should the cashier or customer be penalized for this? Why not take an approach like Target, my current employer? When check lanes begin to get backed up, employees are taken from the salesfloor to come help cashier until the lines decrease. To me it makes more sense and if a customer is taking a while, or they want to have a short conversation, the rest of the team helps out. I think it will be interesting to see how this works out for Meijer in the long run.