As self-checkout continues to expand across the c-store industry, retailers hold mixed views on the technology.
Mike Templeton, partner with c-store advisory firm NexChapter, pointed out that the technology is improving “all the way to accurate computer vision scanning,” but he stressed that “at its center it must be more convenient for customers to use.”
“If it’s more difficult than standing in line and waiting to be rung up, it’ll be more headache than it’s worth,” he said.
Templeton added that retailers who are successful with self-checkout have been thoughtful and strategic about integrating the technology.
“It’s not just a rip-and-replace exercise with a traditional point-of-sale register,” he said.
Parker’s Kitchen is one c-store chain that has embraced self-checkout at many of its stores. Parker’s self-checkout could be more accurately labeled “assisted checkout,” said Scott Smith, VP of IT, Parker’s Kitchen, which operates 100 c-stores in Georgia and South Carolina.
Assisted checkout refers to a setup where customers scan and pay for items themselves, but can still easily access help from a store associate who oversees the kiosks.
“At Parker’s, we believe in guiding customers through their self-checkout journey by always having a team member present to engage and assist them,” Smith said. “Currently, we have assisted checkout available in over 50 stores. We see this not as a way to replace team members, but rather as a valuable tool that helps us redeploy labor effectively, particularly to enhance our foodservice program and other critical areas within our stores.”
H&S Energy has been more cautious in its approach to self-checkout. After listening to the experiences of other retailers that reported increased shrinkage and challenges with shoplifting, H&S Energy paused its implementation mid-rollout.
“In the c-store industry, minimal staffing complicates self-checkout since constant oversight is needed,” said Fidaa Mohrez, senior director of operational systems, H&S Energy Group, which operates 287 c-stores California, Nevada, and Oregon under the Power Market, Pinnacle 365 and ExtraMile banners. “Operating with one employee often means they can’t both serve customers and monitor self-checkout. Consequently, we’ve decided not to invest further in this project for now. We’ll continue monitoring industry trends and feedback, and if we see improvements in self-checkout experiences, we might reconsider adopting it in the future.”
By contrast, RaceTrac is doubling down on the technology. The chain has deployed self-checkout in more than half of its locations and all new stores feature self-checkout kiosks.
“Self-checkout is a great offer to have in order to give choice to consumers to check out how they want to check out,” said Tyler Grubbs, executive director of digital & store technology, for RaceTrac, which operates 592 RaceTrac, 241 RaceWay in 14 states and 1,066 Gulf locations.
“We continue to monitor shrink at these locations as well as the best way to create a frictionless transaction for consumers looking for age-gated items,” he said.
Meanwhile, EG America (EGA) is taking a “test and learn” approach to self-checkout. “While we haven’t rolled it out chain wide yet, we’re actively piloting various solutions in different store formats to evaluate how they align with customer needs, traffic patterns and operational goals,” explained Sorin Hilgen, group chief digital officer & U.S. CIO, for EGA, which has more than 1,500 stores across 30 states.
EGA is focused on identifying the right environments where self-checkout adds value without compromising the store experience. It’s monitoring how customers engage with the technology, how it impacts store flow, staffing satisfaction and so on, while ensuring an intuitive interface and clear signage around the kiosks.
“Having that personal touch is obviously extremely important for us,” he said. “I’ve heard the term ‘assisted checkout,’ instead of self-checkout, so I think that’s more where we’re leaning toward.”
EGA is focused on ensuring it has the model correct, that the customer experience is seamless and that teams are equipped to support the effort before it considers scaling the technology. Currently it has about 40-50 kiosks in operation, and it’s evaluating how they perform in different geographical areas, and how the number of units in a store impacts results.
“We have some stores where it works great, and we have some stores where we basically have no real usage at all. We’re trying to understand why. Is it geography? Is it placement? Is it that the device might not be up and running for whatever reason? As we’re getting this input back, we’re able to try to identify … what makes one store more successful than the other in the adoption,” Hilgen said.
The chain is also working to integrate with back-office systems and ensure seamless, accurate data delivery.
“I think working with operations to make sure they feel comfortable with these devices as they’re showing up in the stores is obviously very critical,” Hilgen said.
