This week,
Zara launched their self-service checkouts at key locations across the
UK. But do they really result in faster fashion? Vogue's Jessica Diner finds out...
Jessica Diner
When Zara
announced earlier this year that they were to start trialing
self-service checkouts stations in-store, I couldn’t have been more
delighted. Two of my favourite things would be combined: 1. Shopping in
Zara and 2. Being able to be master of my own checkout. Having never
worked in retail when I was younger (I worked in Starbucks, where I was
never allowed to touch the till), the very idea of it was thrilling.
On a recent lunchtime shopping trip, I came across the
self-service droids at the Zara on Oxford Street by chance. All my
teenage checkout dreams were about to come true. But just to be clear,
there has never been much enthusiasm over self-service stations like the
ones found in food halls. I always seem to do it wrong. I scan things
incorrectly, there’s always an “unexpected item in bagging area” and the
red light that flashes embarrassingly, announcing to everyone in the
vicinity that you don’t know what you’re doing. The tech just isn’t fast
or sophisticated enough. I now avoid them at all costs, even if it
means having to wait for longer in the assisted checkout queues.
From start to finish it took me seven minutes (it probably
could have been quicker, but I really relished the process of de-tagging
the security tags). With Zara being the leader in the pack of
high-street fast fashion, it seems only right that transactions should
be swift, speedy and efficient to mirror their production line. As it
stands, the machines are only for checkout. If you want to return
something you will invariably still have to wait in what always seems to
be a ridiculously long queue in the least air-conditioned part of the
store, but this is most definitely a step in the right direction and the
future of offline retail experiences. Oh, and in case you’re interested
in what I actually purchased, I got a skirt, a jumper and a dress. But
that's completely besides the point; the process far surpassed the
actual purchase.
Help Yourself: How Zara Is Elevating The Self-Service Experience
Reviewed by agvibe
on
September 10, 2017
Rating: 5
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