Latest news with #selfcheckout
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
How ending self-checkouts boosted Dollar General's sales
It may be the end of self-checkouts as we know it after Dollar General's tech gamble paid off. The retailer removed self-checkouts from 12,000 stores nationwide in 2024 - leaving them in only a handful of locations. The company said at the time that it made the move in order to cut rising 'shrink', the retail term for theft. The value store had seen shoplifting soar since installing the tech. Now it seems removing the machines is helping stop theft. The company reported that lower shrink and higher inventory markup were major factors in boosting its income by 8 percent to $392 million in the first quarter of this year, Retail Dive reported. Chief Financial Officer Kelly Dilts said improvement in shrink rates will be a tailwind throughout the year and that 'should be the gift that just keeps on giving.' 'The removal of self-checkout is sensible at Dollar General. The stores are pretty small and don't really need self-checkout,' Neil Saunders, retail expert at GlobalDatatold Other chains may follow in its footsteps, he added, but he does not think it is likely they will disappear entirely from all stores. 'I think some chains will remove self checkout, but we won't see the concept disappear entirely. It still has advantages,' Saunders said. Retailers like Walmart , Costco, and Target have already begun removing self-checkout, mainly to curb theft and revamp stores. In the first quarter of this year Dollar General has opened 156 stores and remodeled 688 locations as part of its Project Elevate, and revamped 599 through so-called Project Renovate. The company continues to operate over 20,000 stores in the US and Mexico, and it finished off this year's first quarter with $10.4 billion in net sales, a 5.3 percent increase from this time last year. 'As we think about gross margin, we are just really pleased with where shrink came in,' chief financial officer Dilts said. CEO Todd J Vasos also praised improvements in layout and merchandising. 'Our store standards are much, much better than they've been in quite a long time, and every single quarter that goes by continues to get better and better,' he said on Tuesday. Walmart also experienced sales increases in its recent quarters, having removed self-checkouts from all Sam's Club stores in favor of AI technology . While Target has removed self-checkout in some locations, a spokesperson told the New York Post that it will not be gone for good. Despite the apparent success of the removal of self-checkout machines, it has not been completely smooth sailing for Dollar General in recent months. Locations were shuttered last year, and Vasos claimed its 49 percent profit drop in last year's fourth quarter was partially due to consumers pulling back on spending . 'Many of our customers report they only have enough money for basic essentials, with some noting that they have had to sacrifice even on the necessities,' Vasos said as the retailer announced October to December earnings. has reached out to Dollar General for comment.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Dollar General's self checkout gamble could spell the end of the machines for good
It may be the end of self-checkouts as we know it after Dollar General's tech gamble paid off. The retailer removed self-checkouts from 12,000 stores nationwide in 2024 - leaving them in only a handful of locations. The company said at the time that it made the move in order to cut rising 'shrink', the retail term for theft. The value store had seen shoplifting soar since installing the tech. Now it seems removing the machines is helping stop theft. The company reported that lower shrink and higher inventory markup were major factors in boosting its income by 8 percent to $392 million in the first quarter of this year, Retail Dive reported. Chief Financial Officer Kelly Dilts said improvement in shrink rates will be a tailwind throughout the year and that 'should be the gift that just keeps on giving.' 'The removal of self-checkout is sensible at Dollar General. The stores are pretty small and don't really need self-checkout,' Neil Saunders, retail expert at GlobalDatatold Other chains may follow in its footsteps, he added, but he does not think it is likely they will disappear entirely from all stores. 'I think some chains will remove self checkout, but we won't see the concept disappear entirely. It still has advantages,' Saunders said. Retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Target have already begun removing self-checkout, mainly to curb theft and revamp stores. In the first quarter of this year Dollar General has opened 156 stores and remodeled 688 locations as part of its Project Elevate, and revamped 599 through so-called Project Renovate. The company continues to operate over 20,000 stores in the US and Mexico, and it finished off this year's first quarter with $10.4 billion in net sales, a 5.3 percent increase from this time last year. 'As we think about gross margin, we are just really pleased with where shrink came in,' chief financial officer Dilts said. CEO Todd J Vasos also praised improvements in layout and merchandising. 'Our store standards are much, much better than they've been in quite a long time, and every single quarter that goes by continues to get better and better,' he said on Tuesday. Walmart also experienced sales increases in its recent quarters, having removed self-checkouts from all Sam's Club stores in favor of AI technology. While Target has removed self-checkout in some locations, a spokesperson told the New York Post that it will not be gone for good. Despite the apparent success of the removal of self-checkout machines, it has not been completely smooth sailing for Dollar General in recent months. Locations were shuttered last year, and Vasos claimed its 49 percent profit drop in last year's fourth quarter was partially due to consumers pulling back on spending. 'Many of our customers report they only have enough money for basic essentials, with some noting that they have had to sacrifice even on the necessities,' Vasos said as the retailer announced October to December earnings.
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
I'm the voice of Sainsbury's self checkouts – everyone asks if I get paid per time the tills are used, here's the truth
HAVE you ever wondered who the voice at supermarkets' self checkouts belongs to? Well, in Sainsbury's, the job is held by Alison - who regularly shares updates about her job as a voiceover artist on her social media pages. 3 3 And in a new TikTok, Alison revealed one of the questions she's asked all the time is how much she gets paid for the honour - with people asking if she gets a set payment every time the till is used. "I wish, absolutely not!" she laughed. Instead, she got paid a set rate for every day she worked on the job. "For that particular job I did two days of records and then three extra days of re-record," she explained. "So five days in total. "So five days' worth of work which is a separate fee per day and then also a buyout fee depending on how long they want to use it." Alison also revealed her five-year contract states that her voice - which she recorded in July 2023 - will be used up until July 2028. "Must be SOOO trippy when you're at self checkout yourself and hear your own voice!" one person commented on the video. "So interesting!" another said. "I'm actually a Sainsbury's shopper, so I can now put a face to voice!" I quit my job to be mad mountain-dwelling inventor… from a floating BBQ desk to off-road bed tank, these are my wackiest "I would go to Sainsbury's daily if I were her to troll the customers," another laughed. "I'm so sorry but i'm pretty sure I've told u to shut up before," a third joked. "The amount of times I've shouted at u for shouting at me is unreal," someone else said. "Sorry for anything I have ever said to you at the self checkout!" another giggled. "Do you ever not pay for your shopping and then just say 'payment accepted' and then walk off with a trolley?" someone else hilariously asked. With Alison replying: "Hahahah no but maybe I'll try that next time!" "If I was your I would have so much fun I'd stand next to the self checkouts and say stuff just to mess with people," another admitted.
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Wild moment OAP hurls her shopping at customers at Morrisons self-checkout as staff forced to break up vicious brawl
THIS is the wild moment all hell breaks loose after Morrisons shopper launches items at customers at self-checkout desks. The dramatic footage depicting staff breaking up the brawl, was captured inside an Eccles store, in Salford, Manchester, on June 3. 5 5 5 It shows a woman hurling items in her basket through the air in front of horrified onlookers. Someone can be heard yelling "you stupid b****" as the irate shopper continues to throw products. Concerned Morrisons staff attempt to jump in and diffuse the situation with help from security guards. But the disturbing scene escalates after the woman kicks another customer, throwing her to the floor. She continues launching her attack while her victim lays on the ground. When the woman sets her sights on another shopper she is finally apprehended by members of the public. One even appears to kick her while she's held restrained. The footage cuts off as those involved fall over and brawl on the floor. One customer, who caught the shocking scene on camera, told the "To be honest, I am not too sure what set her off. She just started screaming and throwing things. "Then she got out of her chair and attacked a poor woman who only came in for a balloon." Another witness alleged the aggressor even tried attacking police officers who arrived. Greater Manchester Police were called to the store at around 6.15pm. They arrested one woman at the scene on suspicion of assault and assaulting a police officer. A Morrisons spokesperson declined to comment. This comes as other shocking scenes across the country have been caught on camera. Dashcam footage recorded an idiot biker plunging into a freezing river after a high speed police chase. Irresponsible yob Karl Burnside lost control as he tried to evade cops at Rockwell Nature Reserve, in County Durham. The 20-year-old ended up being treated for hyperthermia in hospital. Elsewhere, a cyclist was filmed tearing between traffic with a child clinging to his back before going the wrong way through a roundabout. Concerning footage showed the man riding in a cycle lane on Springfield Road, in west Belfast, with the youngster on his back. The child, who didn't appear to be wearing a helmet or any protection padding, was riding piggyback style. At one point the little one, donning a short sleeved red top and beige shorts, flung their legs out to the side - barely clinging on as they gripped the man's neck. The disturbing scenes unfolded after a robbery went wrong at a property in Leicester on July 8 last year. Dramatic body-cam footage shows Costel Remus Galoi lunging at police with a kitchen blade. Do you have any shocking dashcam footage? Email 5 5
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tesco shoppers mock 'VAR'-style cameras at self-checkout
Tesco's introduction of AI technology to some self-checkouts has led to customers joking that it bears a striking resemblance to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology used in supermarket is aiming to reduce shoplifting by installing overhead cameras to identify when shoppers fail to scan an item properly, and then showing a live-action replay of the item not some shoppers mocked the tech, others complained it was a step too far, with some saying they would not use self-checkout move comes after shoplifting in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales rose 20% last year to 516, the number of thefts recorded by retailers themselves is even higher. Figures from the British Retail Consortium suggest there were 20.4 million thefts in the year to last September, up 3.7 million on the year before, costing retailers £2bn. 'The last item wasn't scanned properly' Tesco said it had rolled out the technology across some of its stores in a bid to help customers using self-service checkouts to identify if an item hasn't scanned supermarket said it would make the checkout process "quicker and easier".If an item fails to scan, customers are shown a video on the self-service screen of their attempt, accompanied by a message saying "The last item wasn't scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again."It follows a similar move by Sainsbury's, which has rolled out AI recognition technology at self-service checkouts at some of its stores."We regularly review the security measures in our stores and our decisions to implement them are based on a range of factors, including offering our customers a smooth checkout experience," said a Sainsbury's spokesperson. 'Tuna disallowed' "VAR Decision – Tuna Disallowed," joked one commenter on a video posted on Instagram showing the technology flagging an item that had failed to scan properly, which has had more than 3.5 million views. "Clearly off side," added on Bluesky, a user voiced fears that the technology could open the door to more surveillance measures. "What's next? Drones to follow… you about the store?" On Facebook, another user said he would "not use self-checkouts" after the technology was introduced. Record shoplifting The move marks the latest attempt by retailers to try to stem the rise in has also introduced giant trolley scales at its Gateshead store, which prompted a similarly mixed response from shoppers earlier this year."Am I at border control or Tesco?" asked one Reddit week Greggs announced that it will move its self-serve food and drinks behind the counter at sites where there are high levels of theft. And in 2023, photos circulating on social media showed supermarkets had fitted products including steaks and cheese with security tags, while coffee was replaced with dummy jars.
