Arlie Mimbela

When Cheryl Bush goes grocery shopping, she picks out her own items, from the fruits and vegetables she wants to the type of laundry detergent she buys.

So when she is ready to pay for those groceries, the Hixson resident said she prefers to do it on her own at the self-checkout.

“I am more in control of what I’m paying,” Mrs. Bush said as she and husband, Joe, went through the self-checkout at the new Super Bi-Lo on Hixson Pike. “I can be more aware of my checkout.”

Self-service technology has evolved greatly since the first ATMs began operating the United States in the early 1970s.

As Americans continue to demand faster service and more convenience from businesses, companies are introducing newer ways for consumers to get what they need immediately and on their own terms.

Staff Photo by John Rawlston-- Amerka (CQ) Faires, left, and Curtis Williams browse through DVDs available for rental at the Redbox vending machine at the Kangaroo store on Brainerd Road at Belvoir Avenue. Customers can rent DVDs for a dollar and return them to the machine by 9 p.m. the next day.

Many of the self-service technologies are even easier to use than computers, said David L. Drain, executive director of the Self-Service & Kiosk Association, based in Louisville, Ky.

“We are looking for ways to save time and take control,” Mr. Drain said. “If I can avoid a long line by buying tickets at a movie theater kiosk or scanning my own groceries, I’m going to do it.”

There seems to be no shortage of services that consumers can do without a clerk, from printing photos and getting a car wash to buying an iPod and even renting a DVD.

But not everyone is ready to give up personal service.

Sue Rucker, of Hixson, said automated services such as a self-checkout at the grocery store are not for her.

“I had it keep telling me to do it over, and after a few times of going through that, I just gave up,” she said.

Still, Redbox, an automated DVD rental system, allows customers to rent movies — even new releases — from a vending machine just as they would buy a Coke or a bag of chips.

Like most automated payment methods, Redbox requires customers use a credit or debit card for the transaction. The process of renting a DVD through a Redbox machine, found locally inside Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Kangaroo convenience stores, is as simple as touching the screen, swiping a card and takes less than 60 seconds, according to the company.

“Americans are more comfortable than ever with automated transactions,” said Gary Lancina, vice president of marketing for Redbox. “Consumers are busier than ever, and quick, automated transactions such as Redbox offer them added convenience.”

AT&T stores in Chattanooga have had self-payment kiosks for the past 10 years, said Arlie Mimbela, area retail sales manager for AT&T. The kiosk looks similar to an ATM and guides customers through paying their cell phone bill, and allows them to do it without having to wait for someone to help them at a register.

At the AT&T store on Gunbarrel Road, the kiosk allows employees to focus on helping customers who have questions or are setting up new accounts. Mr. Mimbela said that task can require an associate to work with one customer for 30 or 45 minutes.

“We don’t want someone to have to wait behind that customer to pay their bill,” he said.

Even stores like Home Depot have implemented self-checkout systems to help customers who often come from their homes in the middle of a project and need to get in and out quickly, said Sarah Molinari, spokeswoman for Home Depot.

Like AT&T, the home improvement chain put in self-checkouts as a way to free up its employees to help customers who need help with lumber or in the garden center, Ms. Molinari said.

“With our environment, it’s very unique for us to have technology like this,” she said.