No More Cash Registers

Another iconic part of our lives the past 150 years or so (it was invented in the late 1800's as a way of keeping employees from stealing from the boss) is dying a technological death.  It's the cash register. Stores across the country are replacing the cash register machine and having salespeople ring up sales on smart phones and tablet computers. Stores like smart phones and tablets because they take up less space than registers and free cashiers to help customers instead of tied to one spot in the store. They also are cheaper than registers (About $4000 per cash register as opposed to about $1500 for the phone or tablet).

I am nt sure how much space difference it makes, as little can be displayed in the amount of space required for cash registered. And consumers have to ask themselves a questions. "Do I want to check out a little faster but be bothered by roving sales people or is privacy and less pressure while in the store more important than speed at the check-out." I would choose the latter...but then older people would and the stores know the younger customer is more important to their profit margin. So I lose on that argument.

Americans increasingly want the same speedy service in physical stores that they get from shopping online. Online shopping is growing at such a fast rate that buyers are getting less patient when going to physical stores. In the past 10 years here self checkout areas that enable customers to scan and bag their own merchandise have become common in grocery stores. The big cash register makers now merge with the iPad. This allows store clerks to leave the iPad from the keyboard at the counter and use it as a mobile checkout device.

But there is one big problem with getting rid of the old fashioned cash register. 'What about people like me who pay cash for everything"? No retailer yet is accepting cash payments on their mobile devices. But if they start to do so, where will they put the cash that would normally go into a register? Hmmmm It is a problem because it means trusting employees too much. Theft could be a bigger issue. And I doubt stores would ban cash sales.

Being the slightly cynical guy I am I can only wonder if the end result of this process will be fewer employees and lower business costs, which is why employers are adopting the technology.