Albertsons ditches self-checkout in favor of human contact

1. The presence of self-service checkout lanes and or service employees are part of the physical surroundings in Albertson’s store atmosphere, or environment.

a) Using the Typology of Service Environments in Fig. 13-2, describe where Albertsons would be positioned within the grid.

A typical shopping trip to Albertsons is relatively short in duration and may serve both utilitarian and hedonic motives. Consumers require food, but they may also enjoy the shopping experience and the feelings they associate with the service. Thus, the average Albertson’s shopping trip is most likely in the top row, center cell of the typology.

b) Does having more human contact and fewer self-checkout lanes influence Albertsons’ position?

Having more human contact could satisfy social needs and influence customers’ behavior by transforming the service environment into a social surrounding. Therefore, this increased social aspect may lead to more hedonic, social motives being satisfied. Albertsons’ with more human contact may shift their position on the typology to the right (toward the hedonic end of the spectrum).

2. Chapter 17 discusses the relationship between involvement, sales personnel, and the likelihood of self-service. Cashiers are a basic form of sales personnel. Describe Albertsons service environment in terms of involvement and the appropriateness of sales personnel versus self-service.

According to the text, self-service is predominant in low-involvement purchases, and the likelihood of a salesperson increases as involvement increases. Grocery shopping can be a routine and low-involvement activity, like buying milk, or a highly involving activity, such as planning a holiday meal. Cashiers who are knowledgeable about food and cooking can build rapport with customers and are especially helpful for the