I put operations management as a subject because there was no Human Resource Management subject

One of the most important jobs in retailing is the person who takes the customers money, in part because paying for their items is about the last thing customers do before leaving. An efficient and pleasant experience can leave a customer walking out of the store with a smile, and a slow or unpleasant experience can leave a bad taste in the customers mouth. There is also a lot of variation in how checkout operators work. Some are fast and efficient, and others are plodding and never seem to get in a hurry.

Meijer, a family-owned discounting chain, operates 235 huge megastores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Ohio. The company has recently installed a new performance-measurement system for its checkout operators that might potentially revolutionize those jobs. Essentially, the system works like this:

1. Meijer has established minimum baseline performance metrics for the job based on the number of units a person should reasonably be able to scan and bag in a specified amount of time.

2. When a checkout operator scans a customers first item, a timer in the scanning system is activated.

3. This timer runs until a customers last item is scanned.

4. The operators score is adjusted for the kinds of items being purchased (large, bulky items take longer to scan than small, tightly packed ones) and how the customer is paying (checks usually take longer than cash or credit).

5. Each checkout operators score is averaged across an entire shift.

6. The minimum performance expectation at Meijer is 95 percent of the standard. If an operator falls below this standard too many times, the person is either demoted to a lower-paying job or fired.

Interviews with Meijer cashiers suggest mixed results. On the one hand, they all agree that the new system causes them to work faster. On the other hand, they feel more stress. Feedback from customers is also mixed. Some think the new system is great. The Meijer system, developed by Accenture, may be the wave of the future.

1. How would you feel about working under the Meijer system?

2. What other kinds of jobs might be amenable to this sort of performance-measurement technology?

3. What are the pros and cons of a system like this?

4. Personal reflection - What type of performance management techniques do you personally respond well to (well as in, enhance your performance)?