JC Penney to eliminate cash registers

[penn19]

I sort of envision it as being at an Apple store. I can't wrap my brain around the self checkout part, but I totally get the handheld devices. I think (with the exception of people who live in New Jersey), that it is difficult to remember a time, if ever, that you pumped your own gas.

I really think it is the way the media spins it. I googled the hand held device thing at Nordstroms, and writers were glowing about it. It has increased sales etc.....But the way they spun it for JCP, it was all negative. I am trying to keep an open mind about all of it.

 

[penn19]

You can't compare Nordstroms with JCP. Especially their shoe department (which I love ). They have one the best staffed shoe departments I have ever come across.

I found my experience at JCP to be different. I had to hunt down a salesperson and many of the registers were closed.

I'm not comparing the 2 stores style, I was comparing that they are both utilizing the same technology.

 

[Danibelle]

I was in Penney's today and decided to ask a couple of clerks about this new policy. The first lady said yes this was going to happen but that there would still be registers. The second lady was a little more specific. She said the employees were briefed in a meeting about the new "checkout procedures." There would be self checkout; also there will be roving clerks within the new areas with some sort of small checkout computer. (she did not specify where the bagging would be done). Also, within the larger depts/areas, there would still be traditional checkout, just not as many as the store has now. This was a medium sized Penney's in Savannah, GA. I suppose this is the new system and the clerks there do not know exactly when all this will take place.

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

I used to be the most loyal JCP customer.
All of my clothes came from JCP or JCP online.
I need a 36 inch in seam in pants and their St. John's Bay ultra tall pants came in lots of sizes and colors- perfect for work- for $21 each.

Fast forward to the new "no sales- everyday low prices" campaign...
They no longer carry ultra talls in my size- at all.
The ones they do carry in small sizes are now $25.

So I can no longer get my favorite pants, and prices went UP.
How is that any better?

JCP is out of touch with customer concerns and desires.
Many people I know in my area found that prices on things they regularly purchased from JCP went up as well.
They truly don't care at all and it is my choice to never shop there again.
Each person has to do what is right for them...

 

[Becky2005]

Face it, cash is on its way out. And so are cash registers and cashiers.

It all depends on the business...I think lots of people are actually going back to cash more often than not. I do work as a cashier and I tell you it is nothing to see some of our customers just whipping out the $100 bills like they are singles.

Of course, there is the problem of when the system does go down and literally all you can take is cash & checks. I thought it was hysterical the one time it happened and we told people we could only take cash -- they thought that meant we couldn't take credit cards but could still take debit cards. I got some seriously confused looks when I had to explain that, no, we can't take debit cards either...cash or check as in a real check you write out, not your debit checking account card.

I like JCPenney for their clothes but the one closest to us closed a while ago so don't know how it will work with no real checkouts but returns could be interesting with no cash register, unless it is a all sales final type thing.

I can do self check-out but don't like to since it isn't as if they give me a discount to use it. I will use if I'm in a hurry and really have to but otherwise, I don't.

 

[maxiesmom]

Of course, there is the problem of when the system does go down and literally all you can take is cash & checks. I thought it was hysterical the one time it happened and we told people we could only take cash -- they thought that meant we couldn't take credit cards but could still take debit cards. I got some seriously confused looks when I had to explain that, no, we can't take debit cards either...cash or check as in a real check you write out, not your debit checking account card.

That is a good point. And I've actually encountered that problem a couple of times at WDW, where the merchandise carts were having computer issues and could only take cash. Another good reason to always have a little on hand.

 

[Bell30012]

Posters do not seem to understand the difference between RFID tags and the current scan tags on merchandise. With RFID tags you do not have to pass each item over a scanner and wait for it to match. You can literally bring your cart to a spot and it will know what is in your cart. If you choose not to use a cart, you set your items on the table. It will know what items you have and the cost of those items.

They will not need those "inky things" as a poster put it. If you try to take an unpaid for item out of the store, the RFID tag will set off the door alarm.

As for power outages? Guess what, with the current system in the event of a power outage they can't sell anything either. The cash registers won't do the math and they won't open without power. Not to mention the credit/debit machines not working.

Everyone is jumping on the why it can't be done or why it is a bad idea train. No one is wanting to give it a chance or try it. RFID tags are one of the best things invented for inventories. People tend to resist change. There will be others that will love being able to simply walk up to a counter, set their items on it, swipe their card and be on their merry way.

Imagine how much time it would save in a grocery store if the cart knew what your total was for all items in the cart? Take an item out and it comes off the total, put an item in and it adds to the total. RFID tags do not have to be scanned. They read by Radio Frequency. It is a wireless non-contact system. It does not have to pass within sight of a scanner. It is so small that you won't even see this little device. Hitachi makes an RFID chip that is .05 mm x .05 mm. Hundreds of RFID tags would be read simultaneously. Unlike a bar code which has to read, one by one. Passive RFID which is what they would be using cost between 3¢ and 5¢.

 

[luvmy3]

Posters do not seem to understand the difference between RFID tags and the current scan tags on merchandise. With RFID tags you do not have to pass each item over a scanner and wait for it to match. You can literally bring your cart to a spot and it will know what is in your cart. If you choose not to use a cart, you set your items on the table. It will know what items you have and the cost of those items.

They will not need those "inky things" as a poster put it. If you try to take an unpaid for item out of the store, the RFID tag will set off the door alarm.

As for power outages? Guess what, with the current system in the event of a power outage they can't sell anything either. The cash registers won't do the math and they won't open without power. Not to mention the credit/debit machines not working.

Everyone is jumping on the why it can't be done or why it is a bad idea train. No one is wanting to give it a chance or try it. RFID tags are one of the best things invented for inventories. People tend to resist change. There will be others that will love being able to simply walk up to a counter, set their items on it, swipe their card and be on their merry way.

Imagine how much time it would save in a grocery store if the cart knew what your total was for all items in the cart? Take an item out and it comes off the total, put an item in and it adds to the total. RFID tags do not have to be scanned. They read by Radio Frequency. It is a wireless non-contact system. It does not have to pass within sight of a scanner. It is so small that you won't even see this little device. Hitachi makes an RFID chip that is .05 mm x .05 mm. Hundreds of RFID tags would be read simultaneously. Unlike a bar code which has to read, one by one. Passive RFID which is what they would be using cost between 3¢ and 5¢.

I imagine it would save all of a few minutes, which in the total time I take shopping isn't really going to matter to me. Its kind of like passing the slow guy so you can get to the red light faster.

I don't care what kind of scanners they use to scan the merchandise, its the lack of customer service that turns me off to the whole idea.

 

[Becky2005]

Posters do not seem to understand the difference between RFID tags and the current scan tags on merchandise. With RFID tags you do not have to pass each item over a scanner and wait for it to match. You can literally bring your cart to a spot and it will know what is in your cart.

As for power outages? Guess what, with the current system in the event of a power outage they can't sell anything either. The cash registers won't do the math and they won't open without power. Not to mention the credit/debit machines not working.

Imagine how much time it would save in a grocery store if the cart knew what your total was for all items in the cart?

It will be interesting....as we CAN still sell things in a power outage. It's called doing things by hand. We have a kit specifically to deal with it. It has calculators, paper & the good old fashioned imprint machines for credit cards. I have actually seen it pulled out and get prepared to use it the one time we lost power to the point the generator was not going to last.

I'm wondering if you will still get to see all the items individually or if it is just going to say "your group total is $168.52" -- without any indication as to what the price of individual items is. That right there will slow things down because how do you know you are being charged the correct price?

I'm thinking this may go over like the finger scanning to pay at Jewel went over...it didn't. It was all over the place that you could pay just by scanning your finger (or was it thumb)....I never see that as an option now when I go into Jewel.

I have no doubt it could work for some people but if cash isn't an option anywhere in the store & how DO they do returns if the RFID is deactivated when you buy the item so you can walk out of the store without the alarms going off, how do you return it since the radio frequency was already turned off. It's going to cause lines & people don't like to wait longer if the whole point is to make things speedy (which I'm sure it isn't...the whole point is so that they can make a higher profit by trimming labor costs).

I just am not seeing how it can work to be the entire storewide, no other option way of checking out. I suppose if it is the wave of the future we will get used to it just like everything else or if the consumers don't embrace the change enough, JCPenney will either have to convert back or close.

 

[bettymae1121]

It will be interesting....as we CAN still sell things in a power outage. It's called doing things by hand. We have a kit specifically to deal with it. It has calculators, paper & the good old fashioned imprint machines for credit cards. I have actually seen it pulled out and get prepared to use it the one time we lost power to the point the generator was not going to last.

I'm wondering if you will still get to see all the items individually or if it is just going to say "your group total is $168.52" -- without any indication as to what the price of individual items is. That right there will slow things down because how do you know you are being charged the correct price?

I'm thinking this may go over like the finger scanning to pay at Jewel went over...it didn't. It was all over the place that you could pay just by scanning your finger (or was it thumb)....I never see that as an option now when I go into Jewel.

I have no doubt it could work for some people but if cash isn't an option anywhere in the store & how DO they do returns if the RFID is deactivated when you buy the item so you can walk out of the store without the alarms going off, how do you return it since the radio frequency was already turned off. It's going to cause lines & people don't like to wait longer if the whole point is to make things speedy (which I'm sure it isn't...the whole point is so that they can make a higher profit by trimming labor costs).

I just am not seeing how it can work to be the entire storewide, no other option way of checking out. I suppose if it is the wave of the future we will get used to it just like everything else or if the consumers don't embrace the change enough, JCPenney will either have to convert back or close.

That's because it wasn't just "scan your finger". You had to scan your finger AND input your telephone number (and then something else too, a PIN maybe?). It was faster just to swip your credit card than deal with all of that.

I think RFID has potential, if it works the way it's supposed to. But that still only covers the "ringing up" part, you still need to bag your items and pay for them. And many customers will want to review the transaction to make sure everything rang correctly before paying, if they have purchased more than a dozen things that will add on a significant amount of time too. I'm sure it will have it's uses but I don't think it's going to allow for ultra fast checkouts either.

 

[Bell30012]

The item still has a normal scan code on it as well. The scan code could be used for returns. If the RFID is passive it can still be used to read a price as well. It would just be deactivated from setting off the door scanner. The scanner at the door would know that item had been paid for. I am often in JC Penny, I rarely see anyone using cash. I am sure there are some and the store will probably come up with some solution for that.

Where you work may have a kit for power outages but larger department stores for the most part don't. Power outages are rare. They aren't going to build their business model on something that only happens once in a great while.

I'm actually excited about this change it and it will cause me to shop at JC Penny more often. I hope other merchandise stores will jump into this. I've seen RFID in action. I know the time savings that it will be. I've watched an entire inventory of spare parts be inventoried in just a few minutes. Something that took days before. As I've said, grocery stores would be the best use of this technology.

Did you know that the federal government has been studying putting RFID in our currency to prevent counterfeiting and for tracking large sums through customs? The current strips in US Currency are not RFID.

 

[ilovemk76]

That is a good point. And I've actually encountered that problem a couple of times at WDW, where the merchandise carts were having computer issues and could only take cash. Another good reason to always have a little on hand.

ITA

This is why we always have some cash in our wallet.

 

[ilovemk76]

That's because it wasn't just "scan your finger". You had to scan your finger AND input your telephone number (and then something else too, a PIN maybe?). It was faster just to swip your credit card than deal with all of that.

I think RFID has potential, if it works the way it's supposed to. But that still only covers the "ringing up" part, you still need to bag your items and pay for them. And many customers will want to review the transaction to make sure everything rang correctly before paying, if they have purchased more than a dozen things that will add on a significant amount of time too. I'm sure it will have it's uses but I don't think it's going to allow for ultra fast checkouts either.

RFID does not just have potential it works every day. Warehouses use it to know where inventory is being moved. Toll transponders use it too. RFID will work great for paying and the bag can also have an RFID. You can bad as you purchase and then just scan the bag. When you leave they can rescan the bag and check that all that is in the bag is what was paid for.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think many people are like me, and while they get how RFID is supposed to work, we don't trust the system as a whole. Stores seem to have trouble making sure things ring up the way the are signed. And now we are expected to trust that everything rings up correctly, without the ability of checking each price as that item is rung up? No thanks.

 

[Bell30012]

I think if you gave it a chance you would love it. Imagine using your smart phone to check any price in the store. At the check out screen you can see each price on screen with the item.

 

[SaraJayne]

I think if you gave it a chance you would love it. Imagine using your smart phone to check any price in the store. At the check out screen you can see each price on screen with the item.

Well, that'd be awesome ~ if I had a smartphone.

 

[SaraJayne]

I think many people are like me, and while they get how RFID is supposed to work, we don't trust the system as a whole. Stores seem to have trouble making sure things ring up the way the are signed. And now we are expected to trust that everything rings up correctly, without the ability of checking each price as that item is rung up? No thanks.

Yup. Too much margin for error and not enough accountability on part of the store.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think if you gave it a chance you would love it. Imagine using your smart phone to check any price in the store. At the check out screen you can see each price on screen with the item.

So now instead of checking each item as it rings up you have to stand their and look thru a list, and see if everything rang up the way you think it should have. I can just see my parents "Gee Jerry, wasn't that blouse supposed to be $11.95? It rang up $12.50. Is that right?" "How the heck am I supposed to know Ann?"

Yeah. Not a huge time saver.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

While I have a appreciation for technology I do not have a appreciation for the fact that CEO and Stakeholders are eliminating the average working class job. They will get higher and higher profits and the middle and lower class will shrink and shrink because more and more "average" or "entry-level" jobs are being automated. While I appreciate a college education I know that not everybody is cut out for college and what jobs will be available for those people?

Every 9.00 a hour job that is eliminated means that many more on welfare and public aid.

Keep the cashiers and the customer service.

 

[Bell30012]

Ah yes, you will have another option. That is you can choose to shop elsewhere. JC Penny's will be saving money that can be used to lower prices to help them compete better. There will be others that will come to the store just to try it out.

If you don't want to use your smart phone to look up a price there will still be prices on the shelf and there will still be price check scanners. No matter what changes come along in retail there will always be those that are against change.

How many remember when they had to look up your CHARGE card in a book to see if it was stolen. Or call in a card number for an authorization number. There were charge cards before credit cards. At one time there weren't any bar codes on products. A cashier looked for a price tag on each item, then punched it into a cash register. Scans became faster and more accurate. (Some of the cashiers were older and their eyesight wasn't quite as good any more.)

Before ATM machines we went to bank tellers. You couldn't get cash at night or on a Sunday. Change will continue to come along. Who would have thought we could completely handle our own gas purchase without involving a cashier? (Except in Oregon and New Jersey)