Self-service cash desks: a description of how to use. Automation of trade

Mankind is constantly evolving. We are now living in an amazing time, when in many areas people are replaced with automatic weapons. And even there, where, as it seems, they can not replace a person for a long time, they can be met. Within the framework of this article, we will consider what self-service cash registers are. How to use them will also be considered.

general information

So, what is this - self-service cash register? This technology has long been known and very widely used in foreign retail chains. Self-service cash desks can be found in North America (to a lesser extent in South) and Western Europe. They also penetrate the space of the former USSR. One can make the assumption that in a decade they will be met even in Africa and Asia.

Automation of trade allows to release the human resource and direct people to solve other tasks that are not yet performed by mechanical assistants. It is assumed that self-service checkout terminals will double their number in the next four years. True, this is only an assumption, since in reality this will be affected by the expansion of working networks, the development of the technological component and overall progress.

Where can I meet them?

Self-service cash registers are most often used in large retail chains. And it's not surprising - these are large-scale projects, which include the delivery of complex equipment, as well as the integration of software into the general store account. Just work with the latter is the most difficult and expensive component of such a change. Since you have to spend a lot of money, this way of development is not yet profitable for individual shops or small networks. But if there are a lot of objects where this miracle of technology is installed, then they pay off fairly quickly. After all, the software component is honed only for the first retail facility, while in the rest, equipment is simply purchased and connected to an already existing system.

Benefits

When self-service cash registers are used and trade automation is introduced, it forms such positive moments:

1. Customer service is accelerated and the queue size is reduced.
2. The load on cashiers is reduced and the amount of personnel costs is reduced.
3. Improves the quality of service. With the use of advanced technologies, the human factor is eliminated, which has a significant impact on the level of service, the speed of the functions, and minimizes the number of errors.
4. Customer satisfaction. Most people positively assess their experience of interaction with advanced technologies. The automatic cash register is not an exception to this. During the introduction of this technology, it was noticed that people who interacted with her, more willingly go for repeated contact. This is explained not only by saving time, but also by an elementary reluctance to interact with other people.
5. Transfer to the buyer part of the functions of the cashier. It is believed that this opportunity allows people to better feel the process of acquisition and increase loyalty.
6. Optimization of the sales process. When a self-service zone is introduced, it allows you to significantly save the sales area for support services and place more goods.
7. Fast payback in large stores. Investments are returned at the expense of saving on wages during the period of 12-15 months.

In order to resist theft, enhanced video surveillance and weight control technology are used.

Implementation in the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States

The best things are in the Russian Federation and Ukraine. In Russia, the greatest experience is available in the "Auchan". Russian experience suggests that people save about 40 percent of the time in self-service. Total satisfied 97% of all who interacted with these automation wonders. But the breakthrough was outlined not only by large stores, but also by small representatives of huge networks. So, self-service cash registers are installed in the "Magnet". It is initially planned that there will be 2000 of them. This process began in 2016. But, given the number of stores, potential advantages and opportunities, it can be assumed that the self-service cash registers in the "Magnet" will replace people for five years. Just imagine how much time will be saved! Do not lag behind and the "Globe". Self-service cash registers are also receiving praise from customers. In Ukraine, the first such technological innovations were installed in Kiev in December 2013.

Service

For the first time self-service cash registers appeared in 1992 in Europe and North America. Therefore, you can not call them something new, especially there. In the third millennium, this technology has developed significantly. One can make the assumption that in a decade or two the cashiers will be workers on the brink of extinction. In order for this technology to conquer its market, manufacturers provide broad support for their solutions. In addition to technical maintenance of the hardware, they train the personnel in the work features. Now in this market there are four main players.

How does it work?

Self-service cash registers have counters that allow you to automate the flow of cash that is used in stores. In the future, this system will allow you to transfer money immediately to your bank account. Thus, cash is withdrawn in the process of trading. What is even more interesting is that money can be given at least by a pack or covered with a handful of coins. To solve various non-standard situations, there is an assistant station, with which you can remotely monitor what is happening on the point. Making a comparison, we can say that this is, in fact, a desktop for cash desks.

An important advantage of the equipment is the fact that the model assembly has become widespread. If you change the components of technology, then on the output you can get a very wide range of functionality. Weigh, however, such machines are many - about half a ton. Speaking of technology, it can in some way be compared with an assembly line.

Theft Control

This is a rather important aspect. There is it as follows:

1. The person first scans the goods.
2. The system compares the received data with those stored in its database (a previously known value).
3. The buyer transfers the goods to the package, under which the weighing platform is located.
4. If the values of the weights coincide, then everything is fine. If not, then the technician reacts accordingly.

But what if you sell fruits that have different weights? In such cases, significant algorithmic work is carried out. If we talk about its essence in a simplified way, then each barcode "mold" the weight and allowable range of values. For a part of the goods it is large, for others it is small.

Software Specificity

There is one interesting aspect of implementation. The fact is that there is no program in its classical sense. If you simplify the procedure, you can conditionally identify the availability of a program that implements the graphical interface. The buyer, when he clicks on the buttons, calls certain methods. They, in turn, tighten the data structure, where there is all the necessary information like the name of the product, its price, quantity and other. This has its advantages. So you can integrate into any data structure. But there are drawbacks in the form of implementation constraints, which has an interface. In other words, it is impossible to extract information that was not provided earlier.

Conclusion

Such a technique as self-service cash registers is, let's say, a small, but still a step, in which humanity is getting even closer to the moment when all the usual, monotonous and creative work that does not require creativity is shifted to the shoulders of mechanical assistants.

In the meantime, if you look at the eye of an experienced engineer, you can notice even more problems that have not been solved. So, for example, you still have to keep guard. And it's no wonder - otherwise people could just walk away carrying the goods with them, and none, even the most modern system against theft could not withstand them. Although seeing how quickly the technology develops, we can assume that in the future there will be ideas that solve this problem. And then one more sphere (trade) will completely pass into the power of technology. Is it good or bad? Rather, the first, because people will have the incentive to act more effectively and learn more and improve.