That's really not limited to France though. I've seen the same at Tesco, Waitrose and Saintsbury in the UK, in several chains in China, in a bunch of Germany as well (Aldi?), and in Australia (Whoolworths, Coles...). Ikea has had that for a while as well. So has Metro all over the world, obviously.
I have been using self-service checkouts for more than a decade in most countries. I'd be surprised if that was considered news.
Amazon Go and instant payment systems are a different topic entirely though.
Also, "very fast" is debatable: it's often broken, and some items are subject to different buying conditions and can't be purchased via these self-service checkout lanes, like alcohol, or "luxury" items with high margins, like razor blades.
Quite often, if given the choice of an almost empty till queue or a self-service line, I'll pick the almost empty till queue. It's often more efficient.
Self-service is great for 24/7 supermarkets though. I remember really huge Tesco stores in the UK that are but where you can shop at 3AM and use the self-service. Most employees at this time of night are the stock management people, and there's only one or 2 cashiers left (and security, obviously). The rest is self-service. For that scenario, it's indeed convenient.
With the handheld ones (first picture) you just scan the products and put them into your bag when you pick them up at the store aisle. To pay, scan a special barcode at the checkout and put your card into the machine.
No need to rebag your stuff, shows you your current total to pay at all times, and it's simple enough that I've never seen it out of order. Oh, and there's no risk of getting stuck behind that family that apparently wants to get the whole year's food shopping out of the way.
I have been using self-service checkouts for more than a decade in most countries. I'd be surprised if that was considered news.
Amazon Go and instant payment systems are a different topic entirely though.
Also, "very fast" is debatable: it's often broken, and some items are subject to different buying conditions and can't be purchased via these self-service checkout lanes, like alcohol, or "luxury" items with high margins, like razor blades.
Quite often, if given the choice of an almost empty till queue or a self-service line, I'll pick the almost empty till queue. It's often more efficient.
Self-service is great for 24/7 supermarkets though. I remember really huge Tesco stores in the UK that are but where you can shop at 3AM and use the self-service. Most employees at this time of night are the stock management people, and there's only one or 2 cashiers left (and security, obviously). The rest is self-service. For that scenario, it's indeed convenient.