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JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson Wants To Eliminate The Person Standing At The Cash Register

JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson Wants To Eliminate The Person Standing At The Cash Register

JCPenney CEO and former Apple retail guru Ron Johnson is speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, and he revealed a bit of what his strategy is for store checkout.

He wants to eliminate the employees who stand at cash registers and get rid of traditional checkout by the end of 2013.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jcpenney-ceo-ron-johnson-want...




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WoW!! Big Surprise..

Grocery stores have had self checkout for how many years now? Soon the majority of business is going to go automated. Many accepted that years ago. TZM has also been saying that from their start and with good argument why that is. Times are changing and the transition is going to be hell for some..

"I have found that being rich is not about having the most but about needing the least"

What a maroon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Kh7nLplWo

Henry Ford understood that his auto workers needed to be the ones buying Fords. Who's going to be at the checkout buying? Visiting Chinese?

Thanx,

Jason

You can't get clean in a dirty bathtub.

Perhaps Ron Johnson didn't get the memo

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/self-checkou...

Ron Johnson (no, not me, the OTHER Ron Johnson) didn't get the memo that self-checkout is not all its' cracked up to be.

I hope he is successful because I really don't want to spend all my time explaining how I screwed up JC Penny. I already have to answer for my votes in the Senate!!!

To anyone saying that this kills jobs

I invite you to read the book Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It is considered to be a great introduction to Austrian Economics. I'm reading this book right now, and coincidentally just finished a chapter entitled "The Curse of Machinery" in which Hazlitt deals with the fallacy that increased use of technology destroys jobs.

I'm sorry... when I joined

I'm sorry... when I joined the Liberty Movement, I didn't get the memo that says we prescribe to the idea that people are owed jobs. My bad.

JCPenny has every right to get rid of cashiers. If it works, good on them! If people don't like it, they can exercise their free will to shop elsewhere.

I see nothing wrong with this.

It's more convenient for the consumer, more cost-effective for JCPenney, and doesn't infringe on anyone's life, liberty, or property. I guess one drawback could be that a computerized checkout system could crash or glitch up from time to time, but then again, a human cashier is liable to screw up occasionally too.

I don't play, I commission the league.

Is everyone on here clueless? He isn't going to fire anyone or

eliminate jobs you retards.

He's just not going to have them checking people out anymore.

It won't be the near empty store you shop in now. Rather he will staff people (most likely MORE people) to assist you with your purchases and finding what you want. By not making their jobs include checkout which is unnecessary for them to do now because of innovation - they can focus on customer service and make the sale.

And if there is a problem at self-checkout, it is simpler to handle that occasional blip than to be tied to the register instead of keeping the stock on the floor, the displays orderly and neat, and assisting patrons with their decisions and fittings.

I take it most people commenting here, if not all of them didn't read the article or don't know the full story of what the company plans to do.

I think you're clueless...

There is nothing in that article that says "he will staff people (most likely MORE people) to assist you with your purchases and finding what you want. By not making their jobs include checkout which is unnecessary for them to do now because of innovation - they can focus on customer service and make the sale."

When this is a money saving strategy to help save JC Penny - a couple have closed within a 50 mile radius of me and I just googled JC Penny and found nothing about what you said and also pulled up 3 results from yesterday that indicate at least 3 more stores are closing - what makes you think he is going to pay the same workers the same wage he just eliminated to do another job and pay for self checkout stands as well??? Don't be stupid...there is no savings in that.

Besides, they never said they will re-staff people elsewhere in the article. Did you read it???? All it said was, "JCPenney would reinvest those savings in customer service, he says."

This could mean a myraid of things that doesn't involve human interaction.

Maybe customer service could be more automated things, price scanners around the store, technology/equipment that makes the experience of the customer better in general.

If you have a source, Mr. or Mrs. Know-it-all, share it. Dont' make claims that we "don't know the full story of what the company plans to do," and then not share the plans from a legitimate source. Why don't you try that rather than post your douchey comments.

plus the article completely refutes your first line right off

the bat...

it states, "This also suggests that there will be more job cuts, since those workers won't be needed anymore."

I'm defending JC Penny and the market for all you who keep downgrading my comments...just to clarify...I'm just saying this guy is completely wrong and he has accused people of not reading when the whole article never says one thing he mentions, nor do google searches confirm it, nor does it make any financial/economic sense what he's saying.

He's competing against the

He's competing against the internet which has zero cashiers. What do you expect JCP to do? This is the free market. You don't like it? Go shop somewhere else...

how am I being attacked here? I'm defending JC Penny's actions

I didn't complain once about him getting rid of jobs...I could care less. I'm complaining about the guy's statement above...JC Penny needs to get rid of these jobs if it saves them money from going under. That's the market at work...

And it's not even about competeing against a cashierless internet, that's silly...it's about government making it too expensive to employ people through minimum wage laws and other benefits they require companies to have for employees that cost them money. They make it too expensive to hire employees like this for the type of labor they have to offer. This JC Penny stuff is just the market working around those regulations...it's a wonderful thing. I didn't complain once! I'm only mad at govt for policies that lead to this.

This guy above is clueless because JC Penny mentions nothing about saving these jobs by placing them elsewhere, he's completely misinterpreting the article and the market. The market is saying more JC Penny's need to close. There are 3 articles on google from yesterday about more stores closing. You think they're trying to hold on to those jobs like this guy is saying? It's a dumb thought that they would get rid of cashiers to save money by placing them elsewhere...how does that save money???? It's stupid what this guy is saying. Think about it...it makes no sense! "I tell you what I'm going to do as a business owner to save money: I'm going to eliminate cashiers and put in automated checkout systems and then put those employees elsewhere in the company and keep them employed."

It makes no sense what this guy is saying...that saves absolutely no money! In fact in spends more and puts JC Penny in further financial trouble.

Read everything in context next time.

And why don't you scroll down through all my other comments in defense of JC Penny.

Not a bad plan. JC Penny is

Not a bad plan. JC Penny is already facing hard troubles. They must consolidate and reorganize to conserve capital. Many people enjoy self check out anyway because it is in many cases faster. However, this should most definitely benefit other stores with people because some do prefer face to face interactions with others. I personally wouldn't care.

Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto. - T. Jefferson rЭVO˩ution

"Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” - BASTIAT

You still get the face to face interaction. Now, instead of the

limited supply of clerks tied to a register and occasionally being on the sales floor, their main duty will be to assist you on the sales floor and occasionally handle a checkout problem.

JC Penny might be my new favorite store.

Yeah I understand, I am just

Yeah I understand, I am just saying some will choose to use a store with people who assist them directly with checking out because some people do get confused with self checkout systems and prefer someone else do it for them.

I always like Pennys and still do

Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto. - T. Jefferson rЭVO˩ution

"Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” - BASTIAT

Smarter Idea is to eliminate CEO Ron Johnson's Job/Save Jobs

CEO's get paid bouque( lots of) money. Some get paid 2-3 million a year. Get rid of that job and then there is plenty of money to keep others employed. There were hardly any CEO jobs till the 70's or 80"s. I think someone came up with the idea of CEO's to destroy US companies. CEO's are paid to do very dirty work, and then to look the other way. They also are paid big money to not tell about dirty deals and doings. Many CEO's have so much extra money they do not know what to do with it all, so they do drugs, prostitues and sell their souls. Time to get rid of such vulture type jobs.

Oh that's right, CEO's are

Oh that's right, CEO's are there to make the company money. That's terrible, how dare they make sure the company makes profit and manages the entire company. They have only worked their way up proving that they are loyal and dedicated to the company to earn that position and money.

Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto. - T. Jefferson rЭVO˩ution

"Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” - BASTIAT

Thanks for the uninformed

Thanks for the uninformed opinion.

beaucoup not bouque.

And see my other comments about keeping employees.

good idea.. they go do that

good idea.. they go do that and I'll start a store next door where you get normal friendly service. Everybody happy.

Freedom Broadcasting Network - independent grassroots network
www.fbn.tv

A faceless checkout...

...makes it one less person to spread the message of liberty to! And I have spoken to MANY cashiers about it over the years!

I'm boycotting any store that

I'm boycotting any store that replaces people with self checkout.

Please read

Please read Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt, specifically the chapter "The Curse of Machinery." This book is recommended by Ron Paul himself in Revolution: A Manifesto. In the chapter I mentioned, "The Curse of Machinery," Hazlitt deals with the fallacy that increasing use of technology destroys jobs.

Even if it is merely moving those people to the sales floor?

Even if it means hiring MORE people overall?

Your absolutism seems a little short sighted and counterproductive to me.

Who are you to declare the only way to do retail is your way?

Let's make a bet - you start a department store and run it the old fashioned way and NEVER change it from that.

Every other business gets to innovate.

Call me when you're out of business because you failed to innovate and you can't afford to employe anyone and all your former workers are now happier with better pay at JC Penny.

why are you so mad at the free market?

It's the market working around regulations/laws that are making it increasingly expensive to hire employees so they create automated systems to save money in the long run...

boycott government....not JC Penny's...it's not their fault.

Get rid of the filthy rich CEO's.

They are vultures. Your job is NEXT ! Let the free market rein you in too.

maybe the free market will...

eliminate my job...it's always a possibility. Companies need to do what they need to in order to survive. So if the CEO of JC Penny's turns the company around, why should he not be rewarded for doing so and why shouldn't the shareholders make big profits for taking the risk of funding the company with their own money...especially in JC Penny's rough financial times. They deserve all the more for the risk. And guess what? the CEO doesn't get to choose how much he makes, the shareholders decide how much he gets to make. So blaming a CEO of JC Penny for being filthy rich, when his salary is based on shareholders and what they see fit, is silly. If he turns it around, I'm sure they'll give him a big bonus.

Your anger towards CEO's stem from the crises and bonuses given out in the midst of the crisis by big banking firms, which would have never happened if gov't wasn't involved in backing the financial industry. Nonetheless, the 1st people that get their money back when any company fails are the investors. It's the market.

why is everyone hating the free market on here today??? It's ridiculous...we sound like a bunch of Obama voters. Let's just get gov't involved and limit the amount of money CEO's get! *baby cry* Let's get gov't to force companies to keep minimum wage paying jobs when they can't afford it! *baby cry*

stop being silly

Prepare for a lifetime of

Prepare for a lifetime of boycotts. With the massive reduction in population and the massive increase in retirees, the only solution to our coming dearth of adequately trained doctors, drivers, nurses and pilots will be robotics working with artificial intelligence systems. Why else do you think Google has been developing self-driving cars and the Japanese and Koreans are developing nurse-bots?

Boy, you are a hard core Blue Republican or a populist!

Read some books about economics and technology.
If we follow your knee-jerk, short-term vision of life (unfortunately shared by many who have graduated American schools), we should all go to manual agriculture where labor was always needed (for pennies.)

Just think of all the jobs we

Just think of all the jobs we could create if we outlawed bulldozers and power tools. Was it Milton Friedman who visited China and watched a large construction project where many workers wielded shovels? He asked why they didn't use bulldozers. He was told because of all the people they had to put to work. So he asked why they didn't use spoons.

Anyone who thinks we should have more cashiers really needs to think about it. Who wants their son or daughter to grow up to be a cashier? Nothing wrong with honest work, but it is not a job to aspire to.

Sooo

No online shopping for you then I take it?

Eric Hoffer