@remi said in Supermarket Self-Checkout:
I thought it might also have been to maximise the time spent in front of impulse-buy-at-the-till stuff, but the queue at the bookshop was very good at winding through that stuff, so that's probably not the main issue here.
Having a separate queue for each register maximizes each cashier's (and bagger's) work time. With a single queue the customers will wait for a fully open line before committing to it. While they maneuver into place and start loading the belt, the cashier is essentially idle.
I'm sure keeping each cashier busier also maximizes the store's overall throughput - but some customers will be penalized with a longer wait time than necessary.
I have a simple system -
1: Avoid self-checkout. They are the devil's handiwork.
2: Choose a line with an obviously experienced cashier.
3: Choose the line with the highest percentage of males in line. They seem to be able to pay for items a lot quicker.