Originally published in 2020, updated in 2025.
Grocery Store Chain Reduces Checkout Times with Mystery Shopping Insights
The Challenge
A regional grocery chain was seeing longer-than-normal checkout times, frustrating customers and risking lost sales. Traditional metrics weren’t pinpointing the real bottlenecks—staffing, equipment, or process—and leadership lacked actionable, store-level data.
The Objective
Partner with Confero to:
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Measure actual checkout experiences end to end
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Identify specific drivers of delays (staffing, equipment, bagging, process)
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Give leaders data-backed recommendations to cut wait times
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Establish ongoing monitoring to sustain improvements
Our Approach
Confero designed a focused checkout evaluation using mystery shoppers:
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Targeted Surveys: Questions tied delays to root causes (staffing levels, POS or belt issues, bagging assistance, lane management).
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Firsthand Observation: Shoppers completed real purchases, timing each step and documenting conditions.
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Six-Month Analytics: Aggregated hundreds of shops to surface patterns and recurring pain points.
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Action-Oriented Reporting: Clear findings + recommendations for quick operational wins and longer-term fixes.
The Results
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Faster Checkout: Implemented changes produced noticeably shorter waits.
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Higher Satisfaction: Post-visit feedback improved as lines moved faster.
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Sales Lift: Reduced friction at checkout helped recover at-risk revenue.
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Sustained Gains: An ongoing evaluation cadence kept performance on track.
The Success
By turning real customer observations into store-level actions, the chain removed hidden bottlenecks, improved the guest experience, and strengthened the bottom line—without guesswork.
Key Takeaway
Confero helps grocery and retail brands improve throughput and service with mystery shopping, targeted surveys, and actionable analytics—so teams can fix what matters and grow sales.
👉 Contact Confero to learn how checkout evaluations can boost satisfaction and profitability.
👉 Contact Confero to uncover operational bottlenecks and speed up the customer journey.
