MADISON, Wis. – Interaction with cashiers and sales staff is becoming less of an option as the number of self-service checkouts and kiosks allow customers to complete purchases from a machine rather than a person, Florida Today reports.
The number of kiosks is expected to increase from 1 million to 2.5 million worldwide by 2014, NextGen Research found. IHL Group’s The North American Self-Service Kiosks Market Study predicted that kiosks will garner more than $775 billion in transactions by the year’s end, with that number growing to $1.6 billion by 2013.
Machines dispense DVDs, stamps, tickets and other products, allow for self-service checkouts and place food orders. As with most things technological, self-service kiosks have their fans and detractors.
For example, Jack Faulds thinks redbox is a “wonderful thing.” He also uses the self-checkouts at BJ's Wholesale Club and Home Depot. “I don’t want to stand in line, and that is one of the good things about self-checkout,” said Faulds. “The main benefit is it saves time.”
On the flip side, Lois Dickinson does not like any sort of self-service kiosks, contending that they make the customer work harder. She would rather wait in line than try her hand at checking out. “I avoid them,” she said. “If you make one little mistake, you’re lost.”