Edeka’s Netto is testing hybrid checkouts that can be used both as regular cash registers and as self-checkouts in some newly opened and reopened stores. This was first reported by Supermarktblog. The hybrid checkouts have been developed by Netto in cooperation with shop fitting specialist Kesseböhmer. The software for the checkouts was supplied by technology provider GK. According to both The Retail Optimiser and Supermarkt Blog, Netto intends to use the hybrid checkouts instead of the self-checkout terminals it has used until now. After a successful test phase, the discounter, which is part of Edeka, plans to roll out the hybrid checkouts in selected stores, where they will completely replace the conventional self-checkouts.
Kesseböhmer’s hardware is a combination of self-service checkouts and standard cash registers with a conveyor belt. The screen, scanner and printer are mounted on a turntable that can be rotated 180 degrees to face the customer. Staff can change the checkout mode on a login screen. Shoppers can scan their items as usual using the Datalogic scanner, loose fruit and vegetables as well as bakery products must be selected using a separate button on the screen. At the hybrid checkouts, customers can make cashless payments only and also receive a digital receipt.
According to Supermarktblog, one cash register in a Netto store that has already been converted runs permanently in self-checkout mode and is only be used as a conventional checkout in exceptional cases. The discounter has no plans to introduce hybrid checkouts across the board. For Netto, this SCO method is a more cost-effective option than regular self-checkouts. Edeka’s discounter wants to use the hybrid checkout to save on equipment and space in its stores.
Challenge of theft protection at the hybrid checkout
It is no longer a secret that self-checkout theft has become a massive problem. Almost all retailers have implemented some form of anti-theft solution, whether it is entrance barriers or AI-based technologies. Even though Netto seems to have found a more cost-effective option for the self-checkout process, the question of theft prevention at self-checkout remains, especially as the hybrid checkout solution does not include a checkout scale.
Back in April 2023, the discounter tested the solution from Austrian provider Checklens to reduce shrinkage at self-checkouts, as reported by The Retail Optimiser. The camera, which records the items brought to the SCO by the customer, is attached to regular self-checkout terminals above the checkout system. Checklens and all other providers of anti-theft solutions for SCOs work with traditional self-checkout terminals to integrate their AI-based cameras. However, applying such fixed camera-based solutions to hybrid checkouts is likely to pose an additional challenge.
