Kroger wants cashiers to scan 30 items per minute

[snugglegirl05]

The Kroger location I work at wants every cashier to scan 30 items per minute.

For anyone who has cashiered at a grocery store, do you have any tips on how to scan 30 items per minute?

[XCashier]

Use both hands. Open the bag on the rack, grab an item in each hand, scan one right after the other, put both in bag. It's tricky, but it can be done; I used to do that at the fabric store when a customer bought loads of embroidery flosses or thread spools. Mind you, we weren't timed, so I don't know how fast I was. And it only works with non-breakable items; I wouldn't try it with glass jars or easily-bruised fruit.

[Food Lady]

Exactly what XCashier said. I used to do the same and now that I don't cashier anymore I still work that way at the self-checkout. People stare haha.

[bainsidhe]

Are you able to "pause" the transaction? Back when I worked at *big box retail*, I could pause the timer by hitting the subtotal button. This enabled me to wrestle whatever large item I was scanning, or I would scan a bunch of say cereal boxes at once and stage them next to the scanner, then hit the subtotal button, and then take a few moments to bag the items. I feel I was already pretty efficient at scanning and bagging, but this definitely kept me in the top 10% of speed.

What I DON'T understand, is that good numbers meant scanning 9-10 items per minute. Now granted that meant a mix of anything from yogurt to bookcases, but how the heck can someone scan 30 items a minute?

[Tama]

It's an average I think. When I worked at Walmart there was some sort of code you could type in to see your IPM.

[Javarod]

This sounds like my job. I just switched to non-ISBN receiver, which means we have to search for the book in question online using company software so it can be added to inventory. They just decided to raise the standard from 300 books per day to 400, or in other words, to 53 books per hour. Sure, an achievable goal, in a perfect world, which it sounds like Kroger is thinking you work in.

[EricKei]

The problem with this is that you're entirely at the customers' mercy. You know some will complain about you being "too fast" or whatever (Corp response: "Well, just ring up everyone else that much faster!"). If this number turns out to be unachievable to everyone save for a select few under absolutely ideal conditions, then the quota has done its job: creating a part of a paper trail that can be used against employees in the future when it comes time to save a little money on payroll.

[Smapti]

Cashiers at the chain I work at are expected to do 60 per minute.

It's really not that hard once you get the basic skills down. Just keep your hands moving, learn to memorize the more common produce PLUs, learn which side of a package the UPC is going to be on, go as fast as you can without damaging the product, and you can make target without even trying.

[TheWolfEmperor]

And then once you've mastered 60, they'll expect you to do a 100 or more.

Pretty soon they'll tell you, "It would be a lot easier if you could stop breathing while you scan."

[mjr]

The problem with this is that you're entirely at the customers' mercy. You know some will complain about you being "too fast" or whatever (Corp response: "Well, just ring up everyone else that much faster!"). If this number turns out to be unachievable to everyone save for a select few under absolutely ideal conditions, then the quota has done its job: creating a part of a paper trail that can be used against employees in the future when it comes time to save a little money on payroll.

I fought something similar when I worked in food service way back when.

I worked at a King of Burgers that was franchised. They wanted our drive-thru times to be under 3 minutes. There was even a big timer on the wall that started ticking the second a car pulled up. Not when they started ordering -- but immediately when the car pulled up.

To see how difficult this can be, next time, time it. As soon as you pull up, start timing. Even if you know what you want.

We ran into that problem a lot. People with multiple orders per car (oh, how I loathed that) or people that would order 10 burgers, 7 fries, 10 drinks, and such. During lunch rush. And a lot of the burgers would be custom.

After I left that job, for the longest time I refused to go to drive-thrus. I would park my car and go inside. I'm serious.

And then once you've mastered 60, they'll expect you to do a 100 or more.

Pretty soon they'll tell you, "It would be a lot easier if you could stop breathing while you scan."

Some companies are actually working toward "cashier-less" technologies. I'm not talking about "self checkout" scanners, either. I'm talking about using mobile apps and other technologies where you either "scan as you go", or fill your cart with whatever you are getting, and somehow or another the technology figures out exactly what is in your cart and charges it to your account. So you just fill up your cart, and walk out of the store with it.

[TheWolfEmperor]

That'll backfire the hundred or so times a customer calls to tell them "I saw it charged in my receipt but it wasn't in my bag when I got home."

I feel like it's all going to be a contemporary extension of the Keydozzle company.

[Gerrinson]

Are you able to "pause" the transaction? Back when I worked at *big box retail*, I could pause the timer by hitting the subtotal button.

Exactly this and the aforementioned scanning with both hands. When I worked at Ye Olde Grocery Shoppe, they wanted 25 items per minute, on average. I was one of the few people who listened when taught about the 'subtotal = paused timer'. I also was one of the few who used both hands to scan. They ran a monthly contest and some of the slower people accused me of cheating (on the cash registers...somehow ) because I consistently came in with 52 - 55 items per minute scan times.

With proper manipulation of the system and a bit of effort in learning 2 handed scanning, it can be done. If your employer doesn't have a pause on the timer, though, then you're pretty much sunk as soon as you get a slow/chatty customer or one who wants to argue about the price of every other item.

Or have to wait 5+ minutes on a simple price check because the only bagger available to run it is the kid who, at age 19, gave up and only bought shoes with velcro because tying laces is 'too hard'.

[EricKei]

mjr -- It's my understanding that "Clown Burger's" prefered time was half of that -- 90 seconds! O_O

I will admit I still use drive-thru (back problems as much as anything else), buuuut I'm the sort of customer that they love. I don't pull into the DT lane until I know precisely what I want and how to phrase it.

[dalesys]

Are you able to "pause" the transaction? ...

Once the dickwigs discover the peeons are doing that they're likely to pull a Game-orra Shop move and define pausing a transaction as "Stealing from The COMPANY!"

... Paranoia strikes deep, into your life it will creep ...

[EricKei]

dale - They often cannot, from what I hear. What they CAN do, however, is have you pull forward a bit and have someone bring the food out a minute later. That allows them to mark the transaction "complete" as soon as they have you move. I like their style Natch, the Corp's caught onto this long ago, so they tell workers not to do it unless absolutely necessary.

One thing that annoys me even more regarding the unrealistic timing, tho: "Clown Burger's," in particular, will often have TWO DT entrances side by side that funnel into one actual payment/food line...while this may allow customers to get their order taken sooner, it makes it take LONGER to get your food in the end. It's almost as if they want to make achieving these deadlines impossible...>_>