Is scan-and-go worth it right now?

Worth it in high-traffic, large-basket formats, like cash-and-carry and large supermarkets, where the peak line costs abandoned baskets. Not worth it in a small store with a short line, and not worth it anywhere before you have a defined loss criterion.

The math closes when three things are true. The peak-hour line makes customers give up, so there is real gain in removing it. The customer is repeat enough to download the app and trust the flow. And you can measure loss per store before and after, not just queue time.

The exception that sinks the project is the same one Dollar General found in self-checkout. Scan-and-go moves the register into the customer’s hand and opens room for loss, intentional and by error. Whoever implements it watching only experience and the line gets the loss bill the next quarter. The loss criterion per store has to be defined before the first pilot, with a review trigger if loss exceeds the savings.

What you can do this week costs nothing. Time the line at your worst hour and count how many customers drop the basket and leave. That number is the potential gain, and on the other side put your current loss per store. If you do not have the loss-per-store number, that is the problem to solve before the app, not after.

If you are in this decision and want a second read, send me the shape of your case in one sentence, store format and the queue problem. I will reply within a business day with a paragraph: worth it, not worth it, or “worth it, but measure this first”. No calendar, no call.