Self-Checkout Migros 1965: Long before scanners, touchscreens and AI came to define the checkout area, Migros launched an experiment that was decades ahead of its time.
The Rolling Stones top the charts, computers fill entire rooms – and Switzerland’s leading retailer launches the Self-Checkout Migros 1965 project at its Zurich-Wollishofen store, an experiment that is far ahead of its time: Customers are expected to register their purchases themselves. Not by scanning, mind you, but by typing – on a mechanical keypad. These are known as self-register desks. And all of this takes place beneath a sign that serves both as a guiding principle and a statement of hope: “Trust for trust”.
Self-Checkout Migros 1965: A pioneering experiment
The idea is as simple as it is bold. Shopping takes place as usual in the supermarket’s shopfloor. But instead of joining the checkout queue afterwards, customers independently add up their purchases at one of the self-register desks. With the receipt generated there, they proceed to the payment counter, where only the total amount is collected. No intermediate checks, no spot checks. The Self-Checkout Migros 1965 experiment was based entirely on trust and on customers manually registering their purchases.
From today’s perspective, this may seem almost naïve – from the perspective of the time, it was visionary. Migros installed no fewer than 14 self-register desks in its Zurich-Wollishofen store. The project attracted attention across Europe, was closely followed by the media and viewed with curiosity. A true real-world laboratory for retail. Or perhaps the first “future store” of its era – depending on how one looks at it. Anyone wishing to “visit” this laboratory is recommended to watch two videos from 1965:
SRF video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rAXEy2szyU
HR video: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/hr-retro-oder-der-markt/neue-wege-in-der-selbstbedienung/hr/NTNkMzQzNzktN2Q3NS00NDA5LWI4NTEtYWQwZjIyODc2YTYw
Also highly interesting is Migros’ retrospective on its 100-year history (https://corporate.migros.ch/de/ueber-uns/unsere-geschichte/timeline). The timeline begins in the founding year of 1925. The year 1965 includes a dedicated entry on the self-register desks (https://corporate.migros.ch/de/ueber-uns/unsere-geschichte/timeline/vertrauen-gegen-vertrauen).
„Housewives, shop – shop“
The tone of the era sounds unusual today, almost charming. In the above mentioned Swiss television report (SRF) – see first video link – the system is described as a “new sport for the housewife.” Customers are asked whether they have the “courage” to type in their purchases themselves. The answers are refreshingly honest:
- “I don’t have time – it takes too long!”
- “You need to get used to it first.”
- “Of course it’s faster!”
Between scepticism, curiosity and genuine enthusiasm, a familiar pattern already emerges – one that we still see at self-checkout systems more than 60 years later: Acceptance is not automatic; it depends heavily on the situation.
Migros-Director Wolbold: Surprisingly modern
Particularly striking are the statements made by Migros director Wolbold in a 1965 report by German public television (HR) – see second video link above. His motivations sound astonishingly contemporary:
- Avoiding congestion at checkouts
- Speeding up the purchasing process
- Acute staff shortages in retail
- Hopes of reducing personnel costs
Reading this list, one could easily assume it comes from an interview in 2025 rather than 1965.
The early figures are equally impressive. Within a short time, 67% of customers are using the new system – and not just younger shoppers. On the contrary, Wolbold explicitly highlights the strong participation of older women, including customers in their seventies and eighties. At first glance, the experiment works.
Then comes a sentence that, in hindsight, becomes central to the entire story:
“We naturally hope that it will also succeed financially – that the trust we place in our customers will truly be rewarded.”
The critical point: Inventory discrepancies
This is where the quiet but decisive turning point begins. As elegant as the concept is, reality in the store reveals a downside: Significant inventory discrepancies.
Migros initially remains cautious in its interpretation. It avoids directly accusing customers of dishonesty. Perhaps it is careless typing. Perhaps other factors are at play. But the figures are clear enough to force action:
- At first, random spot checks are introduced
- Later, permanent checks of all purchases
At this point, the concept defeats its own purpose. What remains of the hoped-for acceleration at the checkout when everything must be checked again in the end?
The honest answer: Nothing.
From the Self-Checkout Migros 1965 to modern up-to-date SCO-Systems
Fast-forward to the present. Self-checkout systems (SCOs) are now an integral part of modern supermarkets. The objectives are exactly the same as in 1965:
- Higher checkout speed
- Fewer queues
- Relief in times of staff shortages
- Reduced personnel costs
And the core problem remains unchanged:
As soon as customers are responsible for registering items themselves, inventory discrepancies increase.
The difference between 1965 and today lies not in human behaviour – but in technology.
Trust alone is not enough – then or now
My personal conclusion is therefore clear: The Self-Checkout Migros 1965 experiment demonstrates impressively that technological progress alone is not sufficient when human factors are underestimated. The appeal of “Trust for trust” was sympathetic, courageous and well intentioned. However, it was neither then nor now followed without exception by all customers. Not out of malice, but rather due to a combination of carelessness, overload, time pressure – and yes, also deliberate manipulation.
Today, one thing is clear: Retail can no longer function without SCO.
And equally clear: It cannot function without measures to prevent “registration inaccuracies”.
The key difference compared with 1965 is this:
Retailers today are no longer relying on mechanical keys and hope, but on a powerful set of fraud-prevention tools, including, among others:
- AI-based systems for product recognition
- AI-based systems for analysing customer behaviour at SCO
- EAS systems and security labels as well as locks / seals for theft-prone product groups
- Control scales
- Integration with item-specific data from the POS system for plausibility checks
- Electronically controlled exit gates
- Monitoring of customer movement patterns within the SCO zone
The above list is by no means complete. But it shows that while the SCO zone at Migros in 1965 was an experiment with an uncertain outcome, six decades of technological development have turned the basic idea into a manageable system.
Respect for the pioneers
What remains is great respect for Migros. In 1965, the company dared to attempt something that was decades ahead of its time. Without a blueprint. Without digital safety nets. And with genuine entrepreneurial risk.
Put differently:
The world’s first SCO did not appear at EuroShop in 1990 (see https://dr-rainer-eckert.de/en/check-robot-the-worlds-first-self-checkout-from-1990/) – but already in 1965 in Zurich-Wollishofen.
Once upon a time in Switzerland…
Last but not least, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the archive of the Migros Cooperative Federation, Zurich, as well as the archive of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), Zurich, for their support and for granting permission to use historical image material.
Rights notice:
The use of photographs from Migros and screenshots from the original 1965 SRF video is made with the kind permission of the respective rights holders. All rights to the image and video material remain with the original authors. Any further use – in whole or in part, for commercial or non-commercial purposes – is not permitted without explicit consent.