Self-checkouts (SCOs), also known as assisted checkouts (ACOs) or self-service checkouts, are machines that provide a mechanism for customers to complete their own transaction from a retailer without needing a traditional staffed checkout. When using SCOs, customers scan item barcodes before paying for their total shop without needing one-to-one staff assistance. Self-checkouts are used mainly in supermarkets, although they are not uncommon in department or convenience stores. Most self-checkout areas are supervised by at least one staff member, often assisting customers process transactions, correcting prices, or otherwise providing service.
NCR Corporation model of self-service checkouts and fast-lane at a Sainsbury's store.
NCR Corporation model of self-service checkout at an IKEA store.
A self-service checkout at a Tesco store in Poland; a barcode scanner is in the glass below the display screen; below this is a flat metal plate on which produce may be weighed; a bank card PIN pad is to the right of the display screen; and to the right is the bagging area
"Scan It" kiosk at Giant Food store.
A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limited in the range of merchandise than a hypermarket or big-box market. In everyday United States usage, however, "grocery store" is often used to mean "supermarket".
Astor Market in New York, one predecessor of the modern supermarket, operated from 1915 to 1917.
A supermarket in Sweden, 1941
Consumers shopping for produce and fruit, 2012
S-market store with 24/7 service in Klaukkala, Finland, 2022
