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posted by
martyb
on Sunday September 18 2016, @04:56PM
from the slowest-line-is-the-one-I'm-in dept.
from the slowest-line-is-the-one-I'm-in dept.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports on a former math teacher who claims to solved the question "Which checkout line up will be fastest?"
In a nutshell he has concluded that the number of people in the lineup is more important than the number of items a person has in their cart.
The critical factor, he says, is the average of 41 seconds that it takes a shopper to pay the cashier and engage in idle chit chat.
So a long line of people in the Express line, with two or three items each, will actual move slower than the checkout with one guy with a full shopping cart.
YMMV.
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Efficiencies in Supermarket Checkout Lines
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No self-made man ever did such a good job that some woman didn't
want to make some alterations.
-- Kim Hubbard
(Score: 3, Interesting) by wonkey_monkey on Sunday September 18 2016, @07:32PM
This is way too simplistic a view to warrant a news article. He hasn't "solved" anything.
Yes, you should allow for a semi-fixed amount of term per individual. But it's not absolutely fixed, and nor is it always going to outweigh the number of items.
The guy says it takes around 3 seconds to scan an item. Therefore, just 14 items is equivalant to an another "chitchat/pay" session.
So if there are two people in the express line with, say, 5 items each, and one person in another line who has 28 items, you're not going to be better off in the second line.
So a long line of people in the Express line, with two or three items each, will actual move slower than the checkout with one guy with a full shopping cart.
Might. The word is "might".
And in the twenty seconds it's taken to you to run the numbers and work out which line to join, someone else has joined the express line. Nice work, dummy.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 19 2016, @04:10AM
He mentioned coupons, checks (cheques), and cellphones.
I'll add 1 more variable: Produce
On a typical shopping trip, most of my stuff will be fresh fruits and vegetables.
If the other line has somebody with an equal number of items--but those are packaged stuff, you probably don't want to get behind me.
With produce, the cashier has to make sure it's on the scale right then punch in the code for each item.
...and the other day, I saw a rookie who didn't even know what yellow squash is and had to ask a veteran.
I saw somewhere that there's a laser gizmo that can put UPCs on produce.
Anybody seen that stuff in a store?
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday September 19 2016, @05:27PM
Growing up, most supermarkets had automatic scales (with an attendant nearby) to print a barcode for your produce in the produce aisle. Seal the bag, print, stick it on.
I'm not sure how many people tried to cheat, and how often the cashier would catch them, but the concept lasted long enough to believe the loss was worth the time savings.