Customer Acceptance Prompts Rollout of NCR Self-checkouts in Commissaries
FORT LEE, Va. - Initial pilot data indicating high levels of transactions led to the Defense Commissary Agency's (DeCA) decision to install NCR FastLane self-checkout solutions in 25 locations across the United States and in Europe.
Five of the DeCA locations -- three in the United States and two in Germany -- have already been equipped with NCR FastLane. "Data gathered on the three self-checkout pilot sites clearly indicated a high level of customer acceptance," DeCA c.e.o. Patrick B. Nixon told Progressive Grocer. "The stores averaged between 225 and 375 transactions per day across the self-checkout lanes, or approximately 15 percent of the total daily transactions."
Rollout to the remaining 20 commissaries is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and will include sites in Hawaii and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States.
"We received such positive feedback from the initial installations that we are anxious to make self-checkout available to additional commissaries," said Bob Vitikacs, DeCA's head of sales operations. "The self-checkout
systems enable DeCA to offer the ultimate in value and convenience to our customers."
The DeCA authorized commissary shoppers -- which consist of military active duty, retired, guard, reserve, and the families of these groups -- are much like civilian customers, according to Nixon, with similar time constraints. "Time is an important factor for our customers, and they use the self-checkout to avoid checkout waiting periods," said Nixon. "For the most part, active-duty shoppers are younger and more willing to use modern technology."
DeCA is reviewing plans to expand the rollout to another 30 stores in 2005.
--Joseph Tarnowski
Five of the DeCA locations -- three in the United States and two in Germany -- have already been equipped with NCR FastLane. "Data gathered on the three self-checkout pilot sites clearly indicated a high level of customer acceptance," DeCA c.e.o. Patrick B. Nixon told Progressive Grocer. "The stores averaged between 225 and 375 transactions per day across the self-checkout lanes, or approximately 15 percent of the total daily transactions."
Rollout to the remaining 20 commissaries is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and will include sites in Hawaii and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States.
"We received such positive feedback from the initial installations that we are anxious to make self-checkout available to additional commissaries," said Bob Vitikacs, DeCA's head of sales operations. "The self-checkout
systems enable DeCA to offer the ultimate in value and convenience to our customers."
The DeCA authorized commissary shoppers -- which consist of military active duty, retired, guard, reserve, and the families of these groups -- are much like civilian customers, according to Nixon, with similar time constraints. "Time is an important factor for our customers, and they use the self-checkout to avoid checkout waiting periods," said Nixon. "For the most part, active-duty shoppers are younger and more willing to use modern technology."
DeCA is reviewing plans to expand the rollout to another 30 stores in 2005.
--Joseph Tarnowski