The war against long lineups

Once upon a time, long lineups were a fact of life. Shoppers just had to deal.

But today, shoppers have more options of where to buy. And retailers who allow lines to build to anaconda-like lengths do so at their peril.

No wonder that retailers are doing everything in their power to keep lines short.

The American grocery chain Kroger, for instance, has installed infrared cameras that track the number of customers in the store by measuring body heat. Software linked to the cameras can tell store managers how many cash registers they need to have open–now and a few minutes from now.

The technology has reduced customer wait times to 26 seconds.

Kroger isn’t alone. Retailers like Walmart and restaurant chains like McDonalds are waging war on long lineups too, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some of their methods rely on technology. Others are common-sense approaches that deploy staff more efficiently.

Read the story here.