Modeling and Analysis of the Customer Checkout Process with Flexible Servers for a Retail Store

Staff should perform several jobs beside checkout operations during working hours in a retail store. To maintain a high service level, those who are performing other jobs may switch to serve customers when there is a customer waiting queue. In this study, a simulation model of the checkout process with the staff who are cross-trained is constructed to examine the server switching policy. Different scenarios compare system performance under various customer arrival conditions and queuing modes. The simulation model provides a potential decision support tool resolving staffing and queuing arrangement problems in a retail store.