OT: To scan or not to scan (was: OT - Re: Program templates as Object)

..    On  16.12.04
wrote  spamblocker-robert@wagner.net (Robert Wagner)
on  /COMP/LANG/COBOL
in  5nj1s0drr89v26g34oi3niav3pdbabqi3s@4ax.com
about  Re: OT - Re: Program templates as Object Classes

 

RW> Bzzzt, wrong. No store has 100% scan rate. I've seen some as low as
RW> 70%. If a checker can punch .99 Grocery, you've lost control of
RW> inventory.

The most successful retailer in Germany, Aldi (www.aldi.com, stores
in 14 countries, including such faraway places like USA and
Australia), didn't use scanning cash-registers until the change to the
Euro as cash was introduced, a few years ago.

The people working at the cash were just faster typing in the
prices than scanning in a barcode. Sure, as a discounter, Aldi has a
limited assortment, so the cashiers would not have to remember that
many different prices.

The prices were even set so as to facilitate keying in the price on
the numeric keypad.

Only when they had to change all prices from DEM to EUR at the rate
of 1.95583 DEM/EUR, they capitulated before the task of finding new
prices which were a) profitable; b) inciting the customer to buy; c)
easy to key in; d) easy to memorize; e) retraining all cashiers to
memorizes all prices at once, and the two brothers Albrecht finally
moved toward using scanning cash-registers. It was like a revolution.


Yours,
Lüko Willms                                     http://www.willms-edv.de
/--------- L.WILLMS@jpberlin.de -- Alle Rechte vorbehalten --

Der Amerikaner, der den Kolumbus zuerst entdeckte, machte eine böse Entdecku
ng. -G.C.Lichtenberg