Why Do Some Stores Have Multiple Available Cash Registers But Only Staff 2 At A Time?

[Yavin4]

There's a drug chain store in NYC called Duane Reade. Each store always has about 8 or so cash registers, but they only have two, or maybe three, staffed at any time. I've gone to different locations, different hours of the day, etc., and it's always about 2 or 3 registers that are staffed.

There's one in Grand Central Station that gets crazy busy at 6:00 pm, but there are still unstaffed cash registers. It just drives me nuts. It's giving people false hope that additional staff will open up the other registers.

[TrogL]

1. They buy cheap cash registers

only two or three actually work at any one time.

[Orsino]

2. They build to the capacity they think they might have...

...and can afford to staff sometimes, such as during the Christmas rush. You might see all the registers open very occasionally--or never, particularly if a store has cut staff since opening.

[Kutjara]

3. Target, Wallyworld, and other "big box" stores...

...are also prime offenders in that regard. My local Target has about 30 registers, but I've never seen more than about seven open, and it's usually fewer than that. Grocery stores are another great place to see ranks of empty registers, and the few that are open invariably have customers trying to pay in pennies, producing envelopes of coupons after the final tally, writing a check (and then balancing the checkbook) after everything's rung up and bagged, running back into the store to get some forgotten items, etc, etc.

Of course, many stores are introducing "automatic" scanning stations where you can ring up your purchases yourself, but I think most of those machines are made out of components previously rejected by the novelty toy industry as being too cheap. The only thing they're useful for is target practice.

[SacredCow]

7. Target is THE worst....

I much prefer them to wally world, but you can bet on standing in line forEVER to check out. And they don't even have the self checkout lines (at least the ones here don't).

[raccoon]

4. To save money, having to pay less staff.

If you're in this situation, do what I once did at Kmart. Go get a manager and ask them to open up another line.

[grace0418]

14. I actually called the store from my cell phone while waiting in line at a Home Depot.

I didn't want to get out of the line I'd already been waiting in for 10 minutes, so I called information, got connected to the store, and asked for a manager. Then I told him that I was tired of waiting in line and he needed to come open more registers. It worked.

[underpants]

5. National security

that is all I can say

[LSdemocrat]

6. They're there only for the extreme peak times of the YEAR

Day after Thanksgiving, weekend before Christmas, and that's about it.

[redqueen]

9. Yup...

that's what I was thinking... but I'd think it's for other holidays, too.

[Yavin4]

10. You Should See The Lines At The Grand Central Station Store Every Day

They get really long.

[madinmaryland]

11. I remember that, when I used to commute thru GCT.

Avoided that DR like the plague. They were all that way, though. And incredibly slow.

[DS1]

8. The supermarket in my town has instuted a policy where all registers will have people running them

between 4:30 and 7 pm for the evening rush hour. It really makes a difference, even if there are people just standing around doing nothing at times.

[Jamastiene]

12. It's like that here all the time, except at the beginning

of the month and on the 15th of the month when everyone gets their SSI and SSA checks, then they only have one open. :eyes:

[Tektonik]

13. The Vons (Safeway) near my mom's house opens all of its register right after rush hour

Flocks and flocks of people go in there to shop around 5 and 6PM, and they quickly open their registers when any of the open lines start getting longer than 3 or 4 people.

Linens N Things and I think BB&B both try not to have more than like 3 people in any line (forcing their floor associates to go open a register).

The worst experiences I have had with lines have occurred at Cost Plus World Market, Marshalls, and Ross.

[grace0418]

15. The Trader Joe's near my house will open up more registers even if the lines are only

two or three people deep. There are times when the line are long, but at those times EVERY register is open and they are working as fast as they can. Otherwise I've never had to wait in a line if there was an empty register. Someone always opens it up.