Raspberry sorbet, dahlias, or animal feed whenever it suits you

We know it from roadside stalls and farm shops; when we pick up an item, we naturally also pay for it. It’s a matter of honesty and trust.

Now, self-service shops are also gaining ground in the cities.

In recent years, for example, several flower shops have started leaving plants and flowers outside the store around the clock, so you can buy a pot of dahlias or lavender to take home even outside opening hours.

In Ringe on Midtfyn, there is a self-service shop with dog food and snacks for four-legged friends, and for those who might fancy an ice cream, no matter what time it is, there is good news in Skt. Klemens in southern Odense.

Kohavegaard Ice Cream Dairy opened another self-service ice cream kiosk about a month ago, where the cold goods are available outside normal opening hours.

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> This season is absolutely exceptional; we simply can’t keep up –

> neither with restocking nor making ice cream!

> Johnny Nielsen, co-owner of Kohavegaard Ice Cream Dairy

Johnny Nielsen, co-owner of Kohavegaard Ice Cream Dairy, says they have had good experiences with self-service ice cream kiosks in Assens, and with the latest addition in Skt. Klemens, sales have been really brisk this summer.

- This season is absolutely exceptional. We simply can’t keep up, neither with restocking nor making ice cream. We are actually in deficit right now, says Johnny Nielsen.

Ice cream in abundance and in many varieties. Kohavegaard Ice Cream Dairy has just opened a self-service ice cream kiosk in Skt. Klemens, in southern Odense (Photo: © Lisa Thumø, DR Fyn)

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Pros and cons

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According to Johnny Nielsen, the big advantage of the self-service ice cream kiosks is that they save a lot in wage costs. There is naturally a risk that people take more than they pay for, he says.

- The downside is, of course, that people can take more than they should, but so far we can’t see that people have taken more than they paid for.

Therefore, he also expects they will expand with more self-service ice cream kiosks next season.

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Trust and honesty – and profit

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According to Søren Askegaard, professor in Consumer Studies at SDU, the concept of self-service shops is fundamentally about trust, and it is deeply ingrained in us Danes that we do not cheat, even though we could.

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> It’s also a reflection that there is a business model in this; that

> labor is perceived as very expensive, and if you can save on staff costs,

> then it can tolerate a certain amount of shrinkage.

> Søren Askegaard, Professor in Consumer Studies at SDU

Mutual trust is actually a particular characteristic of us in the Nordic countries.

But that alone is not what makes the concept economically successful. It is also about labor being relatively expensive here.

- If you save on staff costs, then it can tolerate a certain amount of shrinkage, says Professor Søren Askegaard.

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