Give me your money

I swung by Uniqlo today to pick up a few things.  Uniqlo is the Japanese version of Old Navy.  It sells clothes and accessories at an affordable price.  I know them best for their HEATTEC (heat technology) line that is thin clothing that keeps you warm in the winter.  They also have a summer version called AIRism that keeps you cool in the summer.

After finding what I needed, I went over to the cash registers.  Except, the line of cash registers that were there the last time I visited the store were not there.  Instead there was a new checkout area meant for self service. 

I froze for a moment, saying a little prayer that I would make it through this hurdle unscathed.  The Uniqlo employee called me forward and pointed me towards a machine. 

Sitting in front of me was a large white cabinet with an iPad, card reader, a few slots, and a shelf.  Lucky for me, all the signs were in both Japanese and English.  In times like these, I often think of those people who live here that don't speak or read Japanese or English.  Their daily struggles are so much more than mine. 

The first thing I did was glance at the iPad.  There was a button in the top right of the screen with a globe.  I pressed it and it offered to switch the language to English.  I breathed a sigh of relief and pressed it.  This wasn't going to be as much of a challenge as I thought.

I took my four items and laid them on the shelf under the "Please place items of basket here" sign.  Immediately, all four items appeared on the iPad screen.  One item was on clearance and the price was listed correctly.  Another item was still on its hanger, but that didn't matter. 

The system asked me if the list was correct, including the number of items and prices.  Everything looked fine to me, so I confirmed the purchase.  Just like at the grocery store, I could choose to pay with cash or card.  I picked cash and inserted my money into the correct slots below.  It gave me a receipt and my change. 

Behind me was a shelf with plastic bags.  Since I bring my own, I didn't need one.

There was one cash register at the end of the row, I'm sure to help those that needed assistance.

The system was neat, but I am not completely sold on it.  On the one hand, the new system of self-checkout was efficient and easy to figure out.  But on the other hand, it takes away from the personal experience of shopping in a store.  I might as well buy what I need online. 

I walked away from the store deep in thought.  I was thinking about how amazing technology was, yet it doesn't improve my experience.  Instead, I'm left wishing for the days of interaction with a person.