How come in supermarkets half of the checkout lines in the store are not open?

Answer 1

Companies are dictated how much they can spend on payroll by their corporate offices, these offices just send the stores the #'s and don't really take into consideration where it all has to go to. As a result payroll $$'s first go to full time employees, and then to part timers...mostly cashiers/baggers/stockworkers.

In the grand scheme of things when preparing a schedule you have to "predict" the busy times of the store and schedule cashiers (which some may not be available to work at certain times and certain days because they have lives too) remember that they also have to be scheduled for normally a 4 or 5 hour shift, so there may be a period between the morning and closing crews at stores where they will be short-handed, or when they are going through the break-periods for their employees, and thusly short staffed.

BE PATIENT when in line. The employees have no control over how many lines they can open up, or how many people they can help at once. Even store management (I being in retail mgmt know) that while we can do our best to speed up lines, we can't make the guy at the front of the line that is being an jerk over how much he is charged for, go any faster.

Answer 2

Checkout lines are open depending on business for the day. If 8 workers are scheduled but only 5 show up, 3 will be on register & 2 will be doing restock or pricing. Baggers, box guys/gals or whatever the store calls them, are also rotated along the lines. Some get assigned to a register for 3 hours, then have to collect carts, put returns back, sweep, etc.

Any mangager/supervisor worth his/her salt will call for more cashiers as the lines pile up. Some stores have a rule that if 3 people are in line with one being waited on, they'll open another register. That works only IF you have the staff for it.

Too many people don't value their jobs these days either. They'd rather stay home playing sick, run errands, etc than go to work. I'm now disabled & would love a job, but I can't work right now. I have 2 conditions that won't allow me to be on my feet or sit for long periods of time. I hope to return to the workforce one day. I highly valued ALL my jobs, fast food to retail to office work to call center.

Answer 3

I've wondered the same thing myself--esp. during peak shopping hours. Seems like the day I run in to pick up just a few things, everyone else is moving at turtle speed and there are only 2 of the 12 checkout lanes open. I spend more time in line than I did driving to the store and picking up what I need.

Answer 4

It would make no sense to have 8 lanes open when you only need 3 or 4, and to pay the people to man these lanes. That would be like 5 people going to the same movie and taking 5 separate cars, a senseless waste. In addition, the number of people that are scheduled(and therefore the number of open lanes) is derived from analysing the past years of sales and other trends. This is done by the company that owns the store. Obviously this cannot always take certain random incidents into account.

Answer 5

the official reason for having them all is for around christmas when they are swamped they bring in extra help, but 3 or 4 more cashiers are always needed I hate going to walmart for this reason. Then the self checkouts are full or have someone that doesnt have a clue how to use them on them

Answer 6

because of business. They want to make as much $ as possible. Only on really busy times they have everything or most of everything open. If they have everyone working on the registers every part of the day, they would make less profit, because they would have to hire more workers. Also supermarkets like to build more registers when they open the store in case it gets busier then they anticipated.

Answer 7

I think they just put extra checkouts there to give customers the false impression that the store provides service. You can see dumbo checkout chicks straying around the aisle pricing crap. Any decent store owner would get night packers and get the s**t out of the aisle and fill his checkouts with workers.

Answer 8

Because cashiers have to get away from all the rude, stupid and just plain mean customers in the store and take a break. This can also serve as a way of getting even with the customers.

Answer 9

Ok i want to be happy to tell you this. I go shopping at WALLY WORLD(WAL MART) and I have to go through a long line of mexicans, and other races that stand in the lines with carts and carts full of groceries and I wonder why they don't EVER open up other Lines to get people out the Freakin door. There are these self check out lines that people are waiting for and don't know what the FREAK they are doing on them, and other people are having a hell of a lot of trouble with these darn lanes. Why not just open all the check out lines and get other people out who are in a dang hurry to get out!!!!!!!! GAW why are people so damn slow????

Answer 10

Great question...but i havent a clue..maybe someone can tell us..lol