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ICT in a Supermarket |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ICT and customersCustomers have benefited enormously from the integration of ICT into the modern supermarket. Some of the benefits are: - The customer doesn't need to carry cash with them, they can pay for everything electronically - There is less chance of being wrongly charged or given the incorrect change as the till calculates this for the cashier - An itemised receipt is given so it is easy to check that you have been charged correctly for your purchases - Queuing times at the checkouts are reduced as it is faster to scan items than to find the price and type it into the till - Because of the stock control systems, most goods will be in stock for the customer - Customers have a choice whether to visit the shop or purchase using the internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ICT and the supermarketThe use of ICT in supermarkets has brought about many benefits for the company. Some of them are listed below: - There is much less chance of human error because the till calculates the total amount due and also calculates the amount of change to be given - Cash is rarely used to pay for items so this reduces the opportunity for theft - Cashiers can process customers more quickly and keep queues down - Special modeling software can be used to work out how many cashiers are needed on the tills at any given time. This cuts queues down but also means that cashiers aren't sat doing nothing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ICT and supermarket employeesWhen ICT was first introduced into supermarkets, there was a huge impact upon employees. No longer did items need to be individually priced. This reduced the need for so many staff. Cashiers at the tills became 15% more efficient due to the increased speed of scanning rather than looking for the price and typing it in. However, they can be monitored to check how many items they are scanning per minute and mistakes are easy to spot. Fewer staff were needed and those that remained needed to be retrained to use the new technology. There was often resistance at first due to fear of the computerised tills and worry about possible redundancy. Although some staff lost their jobs, many new jobs were created. For example in larger stores a network technician may be needed to help look after the computers and data. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The futureTechnology is continuing to change the way that supermarkets operate. - Many supermarkets are beginning to introduce self scanning. The customer can either scan the price of their items as they walk around the shop or they can scan them when they reach the checkouts. This can lead to some customers cheating and not scanning everything but generally the supermarkets feel that the saving in staff wages will offset any losses. - Small computers integrated into the trolley can help customers to find their way around the store and to locate items more quickly. Want some ice cream but don't know where to find it? Type "ice cream" on the touch screen and you are directed to the correct aisle - floor plan included. Regular purchases show up on a favourites list, with price and location. Special offers are flagged up as you move from section to section. Write your shopping list online - at home or work and soon it will be automatically downloaded to the trolley's computer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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