Nowadays, managing a supermarket is very much like walking a tightrope. The consumer makes high demands and at the same time expects these to be met at a sharp price.

One of the problems in supermarkets is waiting in line at the checkout desk in a supermarket, which scores high on the list of inconveniences to many consumers.

This review describes a study of the operating processes of the store and the organization of the workforce in order to solve the problem of waiting time in supermarkets. Videotape recordings were made of all activities at the checkout desk. These tapes are analyzed with The Observer to establish average handling times and the time a customer spends at the desk. 

[full paper]