Most supermarkets these days are constantly looking for ways to speed up the checkout process, and for good reason -- with time being such a valuable commodity, many customers feel pressured to pack their groceries and pay as quickly as possible, so they don't hold up the line.
如今,大多数超市都在不断寻找加快结账过程的方法,这是有充分理由的--时间也是一种宝贵的商品,因此许多顾客感到有压力,必须打包好商品,尽快付款,这样他们就不会让排队时间变长了。
Unfortunately, some people just can't be that fast, because of age, disabilities, or even being pregnant.
遗憾的是,由于年龄、残疾,甚至怀孕,有些人就是不能那么快。
Some of these individuals are often left feeling guilty about moving too slowly, so much so that they avoid going to the supermarket altogether.
这些个体中的一些人经常因为行动太慢而感到内疚,以至于他们干脆就不去超市。
One supermarket in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture seems to have solved the problem with an extra-slow checkout register, where people can spend more than 20 minutes without feeling pressured in any way.
而日本福冈县的一家超市似乎用一个“超慢收银台”就解决了这个问题,在这里人们即使耗时超过20分钟,也不会感受到任何压力。
The experimental register has become so popular that the supermarket credits its implementation for a 10 percent increase in sales.
这个试验性的收银台非常受欢迎,以至于这家超市的销售额增长了10%。
The extra-slow checkout was proposed by Ms. Abe Nana from the Alzheimer's Disease Support Center in Fukuoka Prefecture, who knew how frustrated and embarrassed elderly shoppers were with being rushed in line.
这种“超慢收银台”是由福冈县阿尔茨海默病支持中心的安倍奈奈女士提出的,她很了解老年购物者在排队时被催促的那种沮丧和尴尬的心情。
She proposed a tailor-made solution -- a checkout where shoppers could count their money in peace, bag groceries at their own pace, and even chat with the cashier if they wanted to.
她提出了一个量身定制的解决方案--在一个特殊的收银台,购物者可以安心数钱,按照自己的节奏打包商品,如果他们愿意,甚至还可以和收银员聊天。
The special checkout has made quite an impact on the supermarket's bottom line.
这个特殊的收银台对该超市的利润产生了相当大的影响。
Some customers shop here on a regular basis now because they are no longer forced to experience the anxiety of having to be fast to not hold up the line, and sales have increased by about 10 percent.
一些顾客现在定期在这里购物,因为他们不必再为了不让队伍停滞而被迫加快速度购物,也不会再为此感到焦虑,该超市的销售额也增长了约10%。
It's unclear if the company plans to implement the extra-slow checkout at other locations, but online reactions suggest that there is definitely a demand for it.
目前尚不清楚该公司是否计划在其他超市也推出这种“超慢收银台”,但从线上的反馈来看,这种需求是绝对存在的。