I never warmed up to the self-checkout lane though use it the majority of the time. There is something to be said for being familiar with names and faces of people. Some cashiers can be chattier than others, they warm up over time even if things were transactional to begin. Shopping at a big box store where these lanes are typically found is usually a soulless experience. The only human touch could be experienced at the check-out lane which many retailers decided to do away with to save monies.
Yet the success of retail relies on the human experience at the store, it may be the only way to differentiate from competitors who look and feel much the same and can price match as well. Those few minutes at the check out line can the only way brand can stand out. I always found it counter-intuitive that brands did not see than as an opportunity but as a lever to crank up operational efficiency. Thanks to rampant theft, the math of self-out no longer makes sense and many retailers are removing this option. One can only hope this time around they have the sense to treat the presence of a human cashier and their ability to interact with the customer as the unique brand building opportunity that it is.
My favorite check-out experience is at Trader Joe's and love that they never plan to introduce self-checkout. They are on to a good thing and are wise not to fix what is not broken.
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