4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief
I do believe that an opportunity exists. The unmet need is universal self-checkout lines. Any business with a register would have a need for this. The reason being is that if all registers were self-checkout then the store could allocate more employees to stocking or reduce the cost of employment by firing inefficient workers. Although this requires someone to check receipts at the exit, but this cost is minuscule compared to the amount the store would be saving. This is a need that has existed, and certain corporations have begun their stride towards it. I am 80% sure that this opportunity exists. The prototypical customer would be an owner or manager of a store with a register within it.
Due to a wide personal network, my father has a few friends that own their own stores. I spoke with a 7-11 owner and from my interview with him one of the key concerns is labor productivity. He has had this need ever since he opened this business. As of right now, to counter the lack of productivity from his employees he spends more time at the store. I learned that workers are indolent because regardless of the amount of effort they work the employees understand they will get paid. I also learned that in the short run the costs of the self-checkout machines could be costly to some businesses. Although, in the long run it would be more cost effective.
Another prototypical consumer I interviewed with was a manager at a Walmart. One of the problems he comes across is that during certain times of the day the lines get excessively long. He understands this problem exists because this is usually the only time most employed customers can purchase their groceries. Most customers work nine to five jobs which causes traffic during those times leading to the busier times at Walmart to be six to eight. This has been occurring consistently ever since he began working there. I learned that work hours have an impact on when consumers purchase their groceries and that universal self-checkout lines would be more efficient. I found it surprising that Walmart uses self-checkout lines and still opts to keep mainly registers with workers.
The last person I interviewed was a McDonald’s manager. The main problem he comes across is the line that accumulates in the drive thru and because of this the line inside would build up as well. From his experience, the reason why this happens is the workers cannot meet the needs of the customers at a fast rate. I learned that a few McDonald’s have begun to implement the self-checkout machine. However, if they were to force dine in customers to use self-checkout lines they could focus on working on the drive thru line making it more efficient. It was surprising to me that some people still choose to order with an employee even though there is a self-checkout machine.
My original opportunity is still the same as it was in the beginning of my journey. I believe that my first opportunity can apply to all industries that use a register. Entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback if it creates a more efficient and cost saving benefit. There are instances where a firm won’t realize that there was an opportunity.
Due to a wide personal network, my father has a few friends that own their own stores. I spoke with a 7-11 owner and from my interview with him one of the key concerns is labor productivity. He has had this need ever since he opened this business. As of right now, to counter the lack of productivity from his employees he spends more time at the store. I learned that workers are indolent because regardless of the amount of effort they work the employees understand they will get paid. I also learned that in the short run the costs of the self-checkout machines could be costly to some businesses. Although, in the long run it would be more cost effective.
Another prototypical consumer I interviewed with was a manager at a Walmart. One of the problems he comes across is that during certain times of the day the lines get excessively long. He understands this problem exists because this is usually the only time most employed customers can purchase their groceries. Most customers work nine to five jobs which causes traffic during those times leading to the busier times at Walmart to be six to eight. This has been occurring consistently ever since he began working there. I learned that work hours have an impact on when consumers purchase their groceries and that universal self-checkout lines would be more efficient. I found it surprising that Walmart uses self-checkout lines and still opts to keep mainly registers with workers.
The last person I interviewed was a McDonald’s manager. The main problem he comes across is the line that accumulates in the drive thru and because of this the line inside would build up as well. From his experience, the reason why this happens is the workers cannot meet the needs of the customers at a fast rate. I learned that a few McDonald’s have begun to implement the self-checkout machine. However, if they were to force dine in customers to use self-checkout lines they could focus on working on the drive thru line making it more efficient. It was surprising to me that some people still choose to order with an employee even though there is a self-checkout machine.
My original opportunity is still the same as it was in the beginning of my journey. I believe that my first opportunity can apply to all industries that use a register. Entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback if it creates a more efficient and cost saving benefit. There are instances where a firm won’t realize that there was an opportunity.
Hi Felipe, I enjoyed reading your post! I think your interviews were interesting and really gave insight to your opportunity. I have noticed places like Walmart do especially well with self checkout lines. There is a Walmart in Gainesville that has switched to only self checkout lines and lines seem to be much shorter. I just think the main problems arise when there is not enough employees to help people who do not understand how to work the self checkout or need assistance with their purchase.
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