News Japanese companies urged to allow seated cashiers

[thomas]

I'm unsure about the US, but cashiers are usually seated in Europe. I would assume it's considered impolite for store personnel to be seated in Japan. That's about to change:

In Japan, it's common to see cashiers on their feet at checkout counters. Still, a new initiative by a recruitment firm is prompting businesses to reevaluate this custom to reduce worker exhaustion and boost morale. Mynavi Corporation provides uniquely crafted seats to incentivise companies to reconsider the long-standing expectation that retail staff remain standing throughout their shifts. Belc Co, a grocery store chain, is questioning the conventional belief that cashiers should be upright by implementing seating options at several locations near Tokyo, starting in March.

An online survey of 300 employers conducted by Mynavi showed 20 percent barred their part-time workers from sitting when attending to customers, while 24.3 percent said they did not set a clear rule but workers still stood. Only 23.3 percent allowed their workers to sit. A survey of 300 part-time workers, meanwhile, showed that standing negatively affects the quality of work, impacting concentration and motivation. As for why employers did not allow workers to sit, 33.8 percent said it was to prevent giving customers a bad impression, while 25.6 percent answered "just because" without stating a reason. The requirement to stand during shifts also affected hiring, according to the poll, with 19.7 percent of employers saying they had seen part-time workers quit due to physical factors stemming from standing during work. Over half of part-time workers also said they would be more motivated to work if they were allowed to sit. Nearly 80 percent of the employers and part-time workers said they would not mind being served by seated shop attendants.

Japanese companies urged to OK seated cashiers to spur job motivation - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- While cashiers standing at their registers may be the norm in Japan, a campaign launched by a staffing agency is encouraging Japanese

mainichi.jp

Japanese companies urged to OK seated cashiers to spur job motivation

While cashiers standing at their registers may be the norm in Japan, a campaign launched by a staffing agency is encouraging Japanese companies to reconsider the practice to ease employees' fatigue and improve their motivation.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Not sure about the rest of the US , but cashiers here in Maine all stand unless they are handicapped which is rare. I had no idea they did in Europe .

 

[mdchachi]

I don't think I've ever seen a seated cashier. Although now that you mention it the cashier at Aldi's has a seat. But I guess it makes sense given that Aldi's isn't a U.S. chain. The bigger trend here is to do away with cashiers altogether.

 

[Petaris]

Most places I have been in the US the cashiers stand. I have seen seats for some who need them but it's not common. Other than at Aldi like @mdchachi mentioned. Also as he mentioned, they are getting pretty rare here with most stores utilizing "self checkouts", which should be eliminated in my opinion. I hate those things and was sad to see them at Daiso last year when we were in Japan.

 

[thomas]

Self-checkout is getting more common in Japan, too. Most Aeon supermarkets here offer cash or CC self-checkout. Our local supermarket has ten self-checkout registers and only two "real" レジ. OK Store, another large chain, resists the trend and has only (standing) cashiers.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Walmart near me usually only has one register open if we are lucky. Any money they save by that is eaten up by the 10 workers helping people figure out how to work the self checkout machines and the 5 more people at the door checking to see if anything was missed or stolen. Ours also seems to have workers who walk up and down the aisles looking lost and doing nothing?? I now take my business elsewhere.

 

[thomas]

It's been less than two months since the option to sit was first introduced at Don Quijote's flashy Asakusa Branch in Tokyo's Taito Ward in early April; the intent was to reduce the burden on workers and prevent turnover. The employee in her 40s has spent most of her eight-hour shifts standing. Repeating that five days a week for five years, it's no wonder she deals with back and toe pain on top of having to stretch at home. Even with cushioned floor mats intended to ease fatigue and foot pain, employee complaints about standing for up to eight hours persisted. The branch introduced chairs on a trial basis at its tax-free counters and is considering expanding them to other areas. Manager Akio Hanai mentioned that employees are happy with the chairs, and there have been no customer complaints. He emphasized the need to improve the working environment to retain workers, especially considering the tight labour market.

As of May, Don Quijote, which operates more than 600 stores nationwide, was conducting trials at 11 locations, primarily in the Tokyo and Nagoya regions.

Read more:

Workers stand up for the right to sit down at their retail jobs | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[salyavin]

So happy that option is being introduced a little, I hope it spreads. I don't feel people need to do some kind of endurance test just to be a cashier.