The Effects of Self Checkout Lines

Consumers have a great impact on what is available in a variety of markets. As consumer demand shifts to new products, the market will adjust to provide those new products and services that the consumer has decided to be of some importance. From black and white televisions to LCD televisions, from cameras requiring film and then bringing it to the store to develop prints, to digital cameras that provide us with the ability of uploading images with the simple click of a button. Businesses who participate within the constantly changing market are all striving to meet one goal, increasing profit margins. Meeting this goal can be a challenging process, especially because the demand and needs of consumers are constantly changing. Recently the market has been adjusting rapidly to meet one of the increasing needs of consumers, a need that has become more and more important in the last few decades, convenience. The next time that you take a trip to your local grocery or retail store and you are ready to end your shopping adventure and proceed to checkout consider the many options that you have. Depending on the number of items you are purchasing you might be able to go through the express lane, but as known by most consumers you can only purchase a maximum of ten items. There is the choice of waiting in a conventional line, which typically means waiting while a number of consumers before you complete each of their transactions. Then there is a modern option, the option of self checkout. This option allows consumers the ability to skip past the long lines, and the freedom of not having an item purchase limit (S. Dudley, personal interview, August 15, 2008). These self checkout lines are becoming increasingly popular for many reasons among both consumers and businesses.
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