A Grocery Chain Is Considering the Installation of a Set

question 110

Essay

A grocery chain is considering the installation of a set of 4 self-checkout lanes. The new self-checkout lane setup will replace 2 old cashier lanes that were staffed by a cashier and bagger on each lane. One cashier mans all 4 self-checkouts (answering questions, checking for un-scanned items, taking coupons, etc). Checkout on the new lanes takes 2 minutes (customers bag their own orders) while checkout with the old lanes took only 45 seconds. In addition the electricity costs for both setups are $.05 per checkout while bagging (material) costs are $.1 per checkout with the old system and $.15 for the new system. The new lanes also require $100 in capital costs. Assume that the lanes are always in use for 8 hours per day (1 shift) and that a worker makes $10/hour.
a. How many checkouts did the old system provide in a shift?
b. How many checkouts does the new system provide?
c. What is the multifactor productivity for each system?

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Definitions:

Long-Run Average Cost

The average cost per unit of output where all inputs, including capital, are variable in the long term.

Marginal Cost

The costs entailed in generating an extra unit of a product or service.

Economies of Scale

The reduction in per-unit production costs resulting from an increase in the scale of production.

Service Provider

A company or an individual that offers services to others in exchange for payment, such as telecommunications, utilities, or healthcare.