Several recent surveys offer some conflicting insights about the role of cashiers, and the appeal of self-checkout, in retail settings. These insights in turn suggest that future trends could lean more toward either option, or maybe both. For example, about one-fifth of young shoppers explain that they prefer self-checkout lines because they dislike having to interact with cashiers. This rate is higher than that among older shoppers, implying that customers increasingly will demand self-checkout. The trend may be reinforced by improved technology, such as options to scan products while shopping, then pay automatically when exiting the store. But at the same time, 65 percent of shoppers in another survey noted that cashiers enhanced their shopping experience, making it more fun and informative. This result suggests that live personnel continue to appeal to shoppers, especially when they are friendly and interactive. Perhaps then the best prediction will be that as self-checkout technologies improve, cashiers will need to get better at their jobs too, creating room in retail settings for both options and allowing customers to choose the option they prefer on each trip to the store.

Source: Tom Ryan, Retail Wire, August 3, 2015