On Sun, 5 Jan 2014 21:20:14 -0000, "Michael R N Dolbear"
wrote:
I first used a contactless card (MC credit) to buy a coffee at the
RFH, but
I don't see the few seconds saved as of any significance. It might
be of
some benefit when a whole host of people were buying the same thing
and
nothing else.

It is about volume - shop in ALDI and see how fast their checkout
operators are and you will see why it is significant.

Bus travel, where the bus is delayed while a queue of people pay, is
also a significant application.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.

"Neil Williams" wrote

I don't see the few seconds saved as of any significance. It might
be of some benefit when a whole host of people were buying the same thing
and nothing else.

It is about volume - shop in ALDI and see how fast their checkout
operators are and you will see why it is significant.


They waste a few seconds by being slow to press the "customer does not
require cashback" key so I think they are much the same as other
supermarkets though fewer coupons and car park tickets, and no loyalty cards
do help.

I recall from way back a planning document that gave the average time to pay
in cash and by card - are there more recent statistics ?

Bus travel, where the bus is delayed while a queue of people pay, is
also a significant application.

Agreed, but that exactly matches my 'buying the same thing' remark.


--
Mike D

In message , at 14:19:32 on Mon, 6 Jan
2014, Michael R N Dolbear remarked:
It is about volume - shop in ALDI and see how fast their checkout
operators are and you will see why it is significant.

They waste a few seconds by being slow to press the "customer does not
require cashback" key so I think they are much the same as other
supermarkets though fewer coupons and car park tickets, and no loyalty
cards do help.

One of the main ways they are quicker is by refraining from extended
chats with customers about their mutual social lives.

Round here Waitrose is one of the worst where it seems every customer is
a long lost friend of the cashier and they absolutely *have* to catch up
with the local gossip.

I was quite taken aback a couple of weeks ago at Aldi when a checkout
operator spoke for the first time I can recall, and asked me if I was
"going to be watching the game" later that evening. I muttered something
about not being that interested in cricket (the test match series being
the only 'game' I knew taking place at the time) and left.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 10:00:52 on
Tue, 7 Jan 2014, remarked:

[Aldi]

And you are expected not to hold everyone up while you put your
purchases into your bags but place it quickly back into the trolley
and then pack it at the shelves situated away from the tills.

It's not clear what to do if you have used a handbasket. They won't let
you carry the empty basket past the till (get quite stroppy if you try)
to reload then transfer to your shopping bag on the packing shelf. Which
leaves you trying to pack the items into your shopping bag straight away
without an adequate "holding area".
--
Roland Perry

"Michael R N Dolbear" writes:

"Neil Williams" wrote

I don't see the few seconds saved as of any significance. It might
be of some benefit when a whole host of people were buying the same thing
and nothing else.

It is about volume - shop in ALDI and see how fast their checkout
operators are and you will see why it is significant.


They waste a few seconds by being slow to press the "customer does not
require cashback" key so I think they are much the same as other
supermarkets though fewer coupons and car park tickets, and no loyalty
cards do help.
Contactless does save time at other checkouts by elliminating the do you
want cashback question, the transaction has gone through in about the
time it normally takes to plug the card into the machine.

Then normally the machine decides if the card is a debit or credit card,
then the cashier asks if you want cashback and then they press a button
to allow you to enter your pin.

Contactless is also much easier on the M6 toll, much less chance of
dropping the card.

Phil