Self-service is better service. This is especially the case when it comes to self-serve checkouts. Yes, they can reduce labour costs. So too can they ease line congestion. But what is often overlooked is the ability for self-serve checkouts to alleviate the awkwardness felt by purchasing embarrassing products.

Products that may be perceived to be embarrassing include condoms, pregnancy testers and adult magazines. Yet without self-serve checkouts a customer has to rely on a range of coping strategies in order to reduce embarrassment. One such coping strategy is purchasing other “non-embarrassing” products in addition to the embarrassing product/s. Current understanding is that customers do this not to distract the register staff and take away attention from the embarrassing product, but rather to balance out the shopping basket in order to portray, on the whole, a more desirable image.

What is important for managers, however, is knowing just what sort of products a customer typically buys to mitigate the unease. Contrary to what may appear true, these products are chosen with care and not randomly. For instance, a person buying antidiuretic tablets would not choose to combine this purchase with new underwear, as to do so would portray a negative image that would only exacerbate the felt embarrassment. In each context, products need to be neutral in nature. With this knowledge in mind, it is the responsibility of store managers to not only position potentially embarrassing products in more secluded areas where there are few onlookers, but also to position such products in areas where more “normal” products are readily available.