Big Boxes Aim to Speed Up Shopping†

Time-Pressed Customers Get Help Finding Wanted Items; The Self-checkout Debate

Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2007 — The average shopper at a Wal-Mart supercenter spends 21 minutes in the store but finds only seven of the 10 items on his or her shopping list.

As Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, tries to boost flagging sales growth, one key is helping customers find and buy those eighth, ninth and 10th items before they rush off to their kid's soccer game. So the chain is attempting to make its sprawling stores easier to navigate