"Good faith principle"

To reduce waiting times, Migros experimented in the 1960s with «do-it-yourself» check-outs, where customers could ring up their own purchases. This kind of shopping didn’t return until 2011 as part of a pilot project with «self-scanning».

With the introduction of self-service, Migros hopes to avoid the problem of long waits at the counter. But they soon discover that they cannot. In its successful branches and during peak times, long queues form in front of the checkouts and people still have to wait. An additional problem is that during the boom, personnel are scarcer and more expensive. In October 1965, Migros starts an experiment which is watched throughout Europe: A ”self service checkout“ trial.
In a Migros branch in Wollishofen, Zurich, 14 checkouts are installed for the customers to enter the goods themselves. When the customers are finished, they go to the final checkout and pay the total sum registered. By the end of the year, according to Migros, two-thirds of customers enter the goods themselves “as a matter of course” and take “great pleasure” in their shopping experience.
One of the drawbacks of the system is the ‘inventory deficiencies’. These become so significant that spot checks are introduced. Although there is some suspicion of theft, Migros carefully explains that it is not clear whether the differences are due to “dishonesty, careless entry of the goods, or other factors”. In any case, the newly introduced checks have a positive effect. In the following year, Migros introduces ‘continual monitoring’ and for the first time confirms that this “impressive” system has its disadvantages. After four years, the experiment is quietly discontinued.
In 2011, the idea of self-entry is reintroduced under the name ‘Subito’. In a pilot project in various branches, customers can scan and checkout their purchases without having to queue at a checkout.