Retail equipment innovator Pan-Oston said its Utopia self-checkout system that was introduced to Crossroads Market near Bowling Green, Ky., about three months ago is proving to be a success.
“We selected the Utopia self-checkout solution for our new Crossroads Market store because we just wanted to make our customers happy and our stores more profitable,” said Stephen Reed, director of operations at Crossroads.
Utopia is the only plug-and-go, PCI-compatible self-checkout solution that is flexible and robust enough for any size c-store, Pan-Oston said.
The system is a self-service checkout solution that is simple to install, manage and update, and it integrates with pre-pay-at-the pump while working with or without POS systems. It’s scalable, and it can be up and running in hours, according to the company.
“We have been amazed at the positive customer reaction to our self-checkout, and labor costs have improved too,” said Jenny Sheffield, of Crossroads Market.
Utopia can help c-store operators overcome one of the most frequently mentioned customer complaints: standing behind someone buying lottery tickets when you just want to pay for your gas or other purchases.
The system can be retrofitted into existing counters, or be placed on top of existing counters. It is the next stage in the evolution of c-store self-service started over a decade ago by pay-at-the pump gas service, said Jim Vance, president of Pan-Oston.
Pan-Oston is a majority-owned subsidiary of Houchens Industries, one of the largest employee owned (ESOP) companies in the U.S. It has been designing and manufacturing retail checkout products as well as a broad range of retail fixtures and fittings for more than 40 years.
