Lawson to introduce self-checkout at 14,000 c-stores
The Japanese convenience retailer is coming up with measures to tackle the lack of labour force available.
Japan suffers from a troubling shortage of labour with the convenience store sector specially affected. That is why major Japanese retailer Lawson Inc. will introduce self-checkout systems at all of its 14,000 stores by October, reports the Japan Times.
The convenience store chain will trial the opening of stores with self-checkout and no staff from midnight until 5AM. Difficulties in finding staff for its stores has pushed Lawson to trial the new format in two sites.
In the latter stage of the process customers will eventually be able to open the store’s doors using their smartphone, choose their items and pay at the self-checkout machines. Alcohol and cigarettes will not be available.
In December, Lawson said it was equipping 1,000 stores with a system allowing customers to pay for products by scanning the barcode with their smartphones.
As of the end of last year, Lawson had 14,574 stores in Japan and 2,165 abroad, most of them in China.
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