At the start of the year, Carrefour installed three “blah blah blah checkouts” in its hypermarkets in Toulouse. Customers who wish can chat with the cashier.
“Yes to take the time to chat with you”. On one of the boxes of the Carrefour hypermarket in Labège, signs display this message. They indicate the “blah blah blah box”, – a concept inspired by the Netherlands – which changes location every day. Installed for two weeks, this slow checkout allows customers who wish to cut the fat end with the cashier. Two other supermarkets in the group offer this initiative.
Jérôme Bassi, head of customer relations at Carrefour Labège, explains: “We had to install this cash register in 2020. Unfortunately, the health crisis delayed its deployment”. The “blah blah blah checkout” is appreciated by customers, both retired and young. “The first feedback is extremely positive. Customers and hostesses appreciate this new concept. To officiate at this checkout, you have to be a volunteer. The hostesses ask for more they like to be there because the ‘bla bla bla checkout’ is a guarantee of contact with customers, which is the essence of their job”, continues Jérôme Bassi.
“The goal is customer satisfaction”
This initiative should enable hypermarkets to bring people back to checkouts following having automated them. “We are aware that our customers have different needs. This is why we offer different solutions. Some like to save time, others take it. This new offer allows us to fulfill our objective a little more, the customer satisfaction”, defends the customer relations manager at Carrefour Labège.
In the waiting line, Isabelle, 65, welcomes the initiative. “It’s a very good idea. I hope it will gain notoriety. I’m not very happy when I see automatic checkouts spreading in every store. This system is the opposite of what has been done in recent years.
The Toulousaine did not “even realize that she was in a slow checkout”. Like her, many customers place their purchases on the treadmill without realizing that they are at the “blah blah ”. Jérôme Bassi recognizes that the display is a little light. “We will do our best to make it more visible”, he assures.
This slow fund where discussions are legion is destined to continue. The Carrefour de Labège remains attentive to feedback from its customers. Whether they are made with the cashier, who lays them down on paper in a notebook, or on the little papers slipped into the suggestion box.
What are the topics covered?
There are as many discussions as there are customers. At the “blah blah blah checkout” at Carrefour Labège, customers like to pour out their hearts when it comes to checkout. Evelyne (see her portrait on the right) continues the discussions happily. The topic of conversation that comes up regularly is the concept. “People like to understand this special fund. They find the initiative superb, ”says the cashier. Time, this great subject of discussion to break the ice between two strangers, is also often put on the carpet. The items that customers buy also serve as a trigger for the exchange. “We are also entering the time of the presidential elections. Some clients talk to me regarding politics. Others confide in me their fed up with the mask, ”smiles Évelyne.
