There are all kinds of holiday shoppers:
- The over-achiever, who managed to finish Christmas shopping in April AND got each gift for 75% off.
- The uber-organized, who has color-coded spreadsheets and lists full of names, gift ideas, stores, and prices.
- The mobile shopper, who shops in pajamas and has everything arrive at the doorstep a few days later.
- The Black Friday Enthusiast, who leaves Thanksgiving dinner early to go stand in line for the best deals.
- The procrastinator, who searches the basement for the perfect “re-gift” at 10 PM on Christmas Eve.
And then there’s me.
I have the goal of finishing Christmas shopping early and scoring great prices…but then I wait until November.
I start making lists…but then I run out of ideas.
I love shopping online…but it just isn’t the same as experiencing the excitement of holiday shopping.
I consider shopping for great deals on Black Friday…but then decide that having a second (and third) piece of pie is a better idea.
I get 90% of my shopping done by December 1st…but forget about the other 10% until December 24th.
Long story short, holiday shopping is not my favorite. It’s just too stressful! But I do thank my lucky stars that I wasn’t forced to brave the retail scene before barcodes and barcode scanners were invented. Can you imagine what today’s malls and shopping centers would be like without barcode scanners?
No barcodes scanners = long and S. L. O. W. checkout lines
This forces stores to hire more employees, which would create the need for more checkout counters, which would cost more, which would raise the prices of each item on our shopping lists.
Think about it.
Each item would have to be entered by hand-typing a product code. Oops, was that a 3 or an 8? You’d better start over, because one wrong digit could mean the difference between a $400 necklace and a $4 key chain.
Barcodes and barcode scanners have certainly made a huge impact on shopping!
And now, mobile POS has taken things a step further, enabling store employees to check-out customers right on the sales floor. With just a handheld mobile device, mobile printer, and appropriate software, customers don’t have to worry about waiting in lines. My colleague, Elyse, can attest to that. Read about her experience at Victoria’s Secret. Plus, without the need for bulky checkout counters, there is additional space available for product displays — and customer comfort. If you’re like me, you despise constantly bumping elbows with other customers while shopping!
Yes, you can always revert to online shopping, but why miss out completely on the sights, sounds, smells and general excitement of holiday shopping? I’m looking forward to seeing which retailers are taking that next step toward customer service with mobile POS!
Happy Holidays!
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About the Author:
Carmella Giancursio is L-Tron’s Public Relations Specialist & Content Editor. When she’s not working, spending time with her husband, or taking care of her 3 young kids, she can be found in the kitchen, channeling her Italian heritage!