I need help with this TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS HOMEWORK EXERCISE Many supermarkets an
ID: 353963 • Letter: I
Question
I need help with this TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS HOMEWORK EXERCISE
Many supermarkets and other large retailers now offer self-checkout systems that encourage
customers to scan, pay for, and bag their merchandise themselves. These systems allow the store
to place employees in other areas where one-on-one attention is needed, and they reduce the need
to hire more cashiers.
Imagine that you work for a company that manufactures these checkout systems. Write a set of
instructions for store managers that will help them prevent the following problems that could
discourage customers from using the equipment:
• Some customers are hesitant to use the self-checkout system because it’s unfamiliar or
intimidating.
• Sometimes a customer scans the bar code, but the product does not appear in the
register’s inventory database.
• Some customers have difficulty following the steps needed to work the self-checkout
system (for example, they can’t figure out how to use the scales to weigh produce).
Consider what specific things the managers should do before the self-checkout system goes live
in their stores as well as the order in which they should accomplish these things. Including
graphic elements is a good idea, but images taken from elsewhere need to be clearly cited in
some way. Including the web addresses of online images would work.
Your instructions should be 100% your own writing and ideas. Ideas or sections copied from
other sources is considered plagiarism and will fail the assignment.
If you are completely unfamiliar with self-checkout systems, do some research—either online or
at a store that has one—to gain a better understanding of the experience the customer goes
through.
Explanation / Answer
Below are a set of instructions for store managers that will help them prevent the technical or operational problems that could discourage customers from using the equipment -
1. Provide customers with clear instructions on how to use the system to scan the products, bill them and pay the bills.
2. Provide alternatives to bill the product viz. manual entry if the scanner doesn't detect the barcode or if the barcode is not available for the product.
3. Ensure that the inventory stock SKU once replenished needs to be available in the system with the rates.
4. Provide a helper as a backup in case any customer is stuck in the process of scanning, billing and payment.