Zlati Meyer

Detroit Free Press



Some supermarket chains are trying to bring peace to what was supposed to be the fastest checkout line.

They are relaxing rules governing what had been that dictatorial “X items or less” rule. They are adding the word "about" to the signs.

Two big chains, Kroger and Food Lion, say they have express lanes that now say "about 15 items” and “about 12 items,” respectively in several hundred stores collectively.

"Customers, along with associates checking people out, were asking, 'Do you have 15 items or less?,' " Kroger spokeswoman Rachel Hurst says. "It’s more of a guideline than being specific ...We don’t want to turn you down for having 16 items instead of 15."

There's some sound business reasoning at work as well. Supermarkets aim to increase how much consumers buy per visit, so capping how many items shoppers can put in their baskets or carts means those who want an in-and-out trip to the supermarket might curtail what they buy to be eligible to use an express checkout lane.

Fewer items being sold means less revenue for the store. The average sale per customer transaction is $29.90, according to the most recent data released by the Food Marketing Institute, a food retail trade association based in Arlington, Va.

"If you are limiting yourself to 15, that means the 16th or 17th item, you're not buying that on purpose,” Emily Moscato, assistant professor of food marketing at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, said. “Supermarkets aren’t happy with that. Their goal is to sell you more."

For consumers, express lanes offer what Moscato calls “a perception of control." Shoppers believe it’s a faster line and expect fewer surprises, like someone up front with an overflowing cart.

Charges aren't just coming to the express line. SpartanNash, a Michigan-based grocery chain, used to mandate a minimum number of items to use the self-checkout area. Now, that limit is gone, said spokeswoman Meredith Gremel.

"We have removed the item count from the vast majority of our stores and signs now read — Self check out," spokeswoman Meredith Gremel said in an email. "Our self check out lanes are primarily used by customers with a minimal number of purchases so we decided to eliminate the number of items restriction."

But other big chains prefer their traditional ways.

Safeway’s express lanes are labeled “12 items or fewer” or “15 items or fewer,” depending what geographic area they’re in, said spokeswoman Teena Massingill. Costco and Aldi don’t have express lanes, the companies said.

At the Kroger in Birmingham, Mich., the shoppers in the new "about 15 items" didn't pay much attention to the new signs.

"I saw I didn't have too many items. I'm aware of that and I didn't think I was ruining someone's night. I'm not putting anyone out," said Amy Emmett, a dance studio owner from Birmingham, who had exactly 15 items. "I always took it as a suggestion. I always thought, they're not counting."

Rick Mannausa of Beverly Hills, Mich., also was in line. He was buying 20 items.

"It's a great idea," he said. "People who obey the rules all the time can follow rules all the time. I think it's more casual." Besides, he added "I'm an attorney, who can talk my way out of it."

Follow Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer

Eight ways to speed through supermarket checkout

•Shop on weekdays, not weekends.

•Go to the store during work hours, when fewer people are there.

•Use a manned checkout lane. The cashiers are faster than you are.

•Don't pick a line based on how many people are in it. Instead, pick the queue which has shoppers with the fewest items in their baskets or carriages.

•Don't buy items that don't have PLUs or price look-up codes, like produce.

•Skip frozen items, because ice can make it harder for the scanner to read. That might require your flagging down a store employee to help, which will slow you down.

•Choose items which have the bar codes on flat surfaces. They're easier for the scanners to read.

•Don't bother trying to figure out which people in which lanes will be slow at checkout. You never know who will whip out a stack of coupons or will pay with a check.

Source: Detroit Free Press research