Overview
JC’s Supermarket Swords is an independent retail grocery outlet in Dublin. It offers name brands at low prices and always ensures an excellent selection of fresh produce and grocery at exceptionally good value. For added customer convenience, its retail area spans over 25,000 square feet with 21 checkout points. JC’s Supermarket invests in human resources and technology to keep such a large operation at optimum performance and efficiency. A special emphasis is put on the point-of-sale, which represents the last opportunity for the supermarket to make a good impression on the customer.
The Challenge
JC’s Supermarket had separate scanner and weighing scale units at the point-of-sale. “Our setup wasn’t ideal for maintaining contact with the customer,” stated Michael Savage, the supermarket’s Managing Director. “To weigh an item, our checkout staff had to turn 90 degrees to place an item on the scale, then turn back to input the relevant product code into the till, before returning to the scale to retrieve the item for bagging. Not only was this a time-consuming process, but we also felt that it meant our staff had to disengage from the customer by turning away each time they weighed an item.” The decreased productivity and customer service created by this situation spurred JC’s Supermarket to start looking for a different solution.
The Solution
Among the contenders was the Magellan™ 9800i scanner/scale from Datalogic. After consulting with Datalogic certified business partner CBE and trying out the Magellan 9800i scanner/scale, JC’s Supermarket decided to implement the new electronic point-of-sale solution. “The key business driver for upgrading our existing system was the potential to build a better rapport with our customers,” Savage explained. The Magellan 9800i scanner/scales allowed staff to weigh items on the same scanner used to checkout products. In this manner, the staff never lost contact with the customer and productivity increased because there was no need to turn around. The integrated All-Weighs™ scale platter, with ScaleSentry™ loss prevention technology, provides more precise weighing results than conventional systems and reduces losses from oversized items that extend beyond the weighing surface causing inaccurate weight.
This scanner-scale was also the first in the industry to use imaging technology exclusively for six-sided omnidirectional bar code reading. The large, intuitive scan volume made it easier for users to quickly read items regardless of where the bar code was on the item. It also allowed the cashiers at JC Supermarket to focus more on fast, excellent customer service.
The Results
“The most significant benefit that we have seen is the increase in speed at the point-of-sale. Also, since implementing the new scanners with integrated scales, our staff has been able to devote more time to the customer, building relationships and increasing eye contact. I’ve even seen staff helping customers pack their shopping as a result. We’ve also been able to reduce the number of checkout lanes in store from 21 to 18, freeing up more staff to help with replenishment and customer service on the shop floor. All in all, the system has added to our flexibility and has enabled our business to thrive,” concluded Savage.
Customer: JC’s Supermarket
Industry: Retail
Application: POS Checkout
Country: Ireland
Datalogic Product: Magellan 9800i scanner/scale
Datalogic Partner: CBE
