Why Woolworths Cashiers Make Pick n Pay Look Like They're Still Using an Abacus: How AI Could Actually Save South African Service (No, Really)
Have you ever noticed the difference between cashiers at Woolworths versus those at Pick n Pay or Checkers? It's like comparing a Formula 1 pit crew to someone trying to parallel park for the first time. One scans your items with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker whilst making pleasant conversation about the weather, and the other... well, let's just say you have time to contemplate your life choices whilst waiting for them to figure out the PLU code for bananas. We've all seen the skits - love them!
But here's the plot twist that nobody saw coming: artificial intelligence might actually be the hero South African service desperately needs. And no, I'm not talking about replacing our beloved (if occasionally glacial) cashiers with robots. I'm talking about something far more revolutionary—actually making service...good and marvelously different.
The Great South African Service Mystery: A National Treasure of Mediocrity, Perhaps, A National Sport
Let's be honest for a moment. South African service ethic has become something of a national joke. We've all been there—standing in a queue at Pick n Pay [read Home Affairs, Traffic Dpt...] whilst the cashier moves with sa sense low urgency while bantering in vernac, wondering if Woolworths staff undergo some sort of secret training programme involving Swiss finishing schools and military precision.
The statistics paint an equally thrilling picture. 71 percent of respondents say their organizations regularly use gen AI in at least one business function, up from 65 percent in early 2024. Meanwhile, at your local Checkers, they're still trying.
1. AI Agents: Because Someone Has to Care About Customer Service
Here's a radical thought: what if my Pick n Pay cashier had an AI assistant that actually reminded them to smile? Or better yet, handled all the boring bits so they could focus on not treating customers like inconveniences?
Workers at nearly 70% of Fortune 500 companies already use Microsoft 365 Copilot to tackle plenty of repetitive and mundane tasks. Meanwhile, our local supermarkets are still mastering the ancient art of "having enough staff during peak hours". Revolutionary concept, I know.
The hospitality industry is already catching on. Turnover rates reached an all-time high of 75%, making restaurant employee retention the biggest challenge. Perhaps if Pick n Pay implemented AI scheduling that actually gave workers decent shifts, they wouldn't all be moonlighting at Woolies?
2. Smart Service Systems: When Machines Care More Than Humans
Picture this: You walk into your Checkers, and an AI system has already noted you buy gluten-free products, suggests where to find them (because good luck finding anything in their layout), and ensures checkout takes less than your annual leave allowance.
Hospitality firms are using a combination of kitchen automation, robotics, IoT and AI software to power a new generation of smart kitchens that can greatly increase the quality, efficiency and consistency of food service operations. But sure, let's keep having humans manually weigh every. single. vegetable. at. the. till. Because efficiency is overrated.
The cherry on this inefficiency sundae? After the Emirati-UK restaurant chain Pinza! adopted Supy's AI-powered inventory solution, they eliminated days of manual data aggregation and saw an 18% drop in ingredient wastage. Imagine if Pick n Pay could reduce waste by 18%!
3. The Personalisation Revolution: Remember When Service Was Personal?
AI consolidates customer data across multiple touchpoints—chat, email, voice, and social media—into a 360-degree customer profile. This means AI could remember you prefer packets (not that Pick n Pay ever has any), whilst their human cashiers can't remember to greet you despite seeing you every week for five years. True story.
Woolies seem to have cracked this code already—their staff somehow remember your name, your dog's birthday, and that you prefer your groceries packed in a specific order. Pick n Pay staff? They're still figuring out that eggs shouldn't go under the watermelon.
4. The Augmented Workforce: Making Mediocrity Magnificent
Here's where it gets interesting. An AI-augmented workforce describes an environment where employees use AI to reduce repetitive tasks, improve quality, drive innovation, increase productivity, and complete tasks faster.
Imagine—just imagine—Pick n Pay cashiers with AI assistance that:
- Automatically identifies produce (no more "Is this a courgette or a mielie or what is this thing for?" debates)
- Suggests upsells that make sense (not trying to sell biltong to vegetarians)
- Processes payments faster than the current geological timescale
- Actually knows where things are in the store
Revolutionary? Only in South Africa, where the bar for service is currently somewhere near the Earth's core.
5. Breaking Language Barriers: Because "I Don't Speak English" Isn't Customer Service
Picture the power of a drive-thru operation that can accommodate visitors in their native tongue while relaying orders seamlessly to workers speaking an entirely different language.
In a country with 11 official languages, you'd think this would be a priority. But no, we're still playing charades at the deli counter, hoping that wild gesticulation will somehow communicate "thinly sliced". Amen.
6. The Human Premium: When Robots Become the Warm Option
Here's the ultimate irony: "AI has the potential to create a golden age for hospitality – an age of SuperHuman Hospitality™".
Currently, a self-checkout machine provides a warmer interaction than most human cashiers at competitors. "Unexpected item in bagging area" has more personality than "Neeeext" mumbled whilst avoiding eye contact.
When AI handles the mundane tasks, humans can focus on being...human. Novel concept for some establishments, but we live in hope.
The Uncomfortable Truth: It's Not the Workers, It's the System
Let's be fair for a moment (painful as it may be). The average Pick n Pay or Checkers cashier isn't inherently inferior to their Woolies counterpart. They're probably paid less, trained less, and managed by systems that would make our local traffic department look efficient.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts new technologies will disrupt 85 million jobs globally between 2020 and 2025—and create 97 million new job roles. Perhaps instead of fearing job losses, South African retailers should focus on using AI to make existing jobs less soul-crushing.
The South African Service Revolution: Coming Soon™ (Maybe)
Here's the thing: South Africa doesn't need robots serving your groceries. It needs AI systems that can:
- Train staff properly (I know, radical thought)
- Schedule shifts that don't require workers to sell a kidney for transport
- Handle inventory so products are actually in stock
- Process transactions faster than continental drift
- Remember customer preferences beyond "plastic or paper"?
The technology exists. Other countries are using it. Woolies apparently got the memo. The question is: will Pick n Pay and Checkers join the 21st century, or will they continue operating like it's 1995 and customer service is optional?
The Bottom Line: Even AI Can't Fix Everything
While AI offers remarkable solutions, it can't fix institutional indifference to customer service. It can't make management care about training. It can't force companies to pay living wages. But it CAN make the current disaster slightly less disastrous, and in South African retail, that's practically a miracle.
So next time you're standing in a Pick n Pay queue, watching the cashier scan items with the enthusiasm of someone attending their own "after-tears", remember: there's an AI solution for this. Whether anyone will bother implementing it before the heat death of the universe is another question entirely.
At least Woolies will still be there, scanning your items with a smile, probably run entirely by AI assistants by then, still somehow making Pick n Pay look like they're operating with an abacus. Neeeeeext.