15 Years of the Convertible Lane: How Pan-Oston Built the Industry Standard

Published by Pan-Oston | June 10, 2026

Fifteen years ago, a new kind of checkout lane went live at Sam’s Club locations across the country. At first glance, it looked like a standard checkout lane. But underneath the hardware was a decade of development, a new way of thinking about retail flexibility, and the beginning of what would become one of the most significant product categories in Pan-Oston’s history.

In 2026, we’re marking the 15th anniversary of the first-generation Pan-Oston Convertible Lane and looking back at the journey that made it possible.

‍

First, What is a Convertible Lane?

A Convertible Lane is a checkout with two operating modes: full-service and self-checkout.

On first appearance, it looks like a standard checkout lane, and it can operate as such. But it is actually something much more capable.

What makes the Convertible Lane unique is the combination of a custom point-of-sale (POS) mount, rotating scanner scale, customer-facing POS equipment, receipt printer, and bagging area. These features allow the Convertible Lane to operate as a true self-checkout.

For retailers, the lane's value is in its flexibility: fewer idle lanes, better use of floor space, the ability to switch modes on demand, and a checkout experience that can adjust to the flow of the day.

Busy traffic? Staff the lane with a cashier and flow customers quickly through your front-end. Slower traffic? Switch the lane to self-checkout mode and allow customers to check themselves out.

‍

The benefit is clear: All Lanes Open, All the Time.

Where it Started: the 1990s through 2009

Pan-Oston’s work on convertible checkout technology didn’t begin in 2011. The concept goes back to the 1990s, when the company began exploring how checkout infrastructure could be made more adaptable.

That foundation led to two key milestones in the years before the Convertible Lane officially launched:

• In 2008, Pan-Oston developed the Auto Attendant, a fixture that could be rotated to function either as a cashstand or a self-checkout payment terminal. It was a modular step toward a lane that could do more than one job.

• In 2009, Pan-Oston developed Cash Handling Lanes with embedded cash and coin recycling equipment, which eliminated the time, labor, and expense of traditional cash handling processes. Pan-Oston was also the first company to deploy a banknote recycler (BNR) in the retail environment, a distinction that underscored the company’s history of bringing new checkout technology to the front-end before anyone else.

‍

2011: The First Generation Launches at Sam’s Club

In 2011, Pan-Oston combined the capabilities of the Auto Attendant and the Cash Handling Lane into a single, integrated solution — the first-generation Convertible Lane — and deployed it across Sam’s Club locations.

“All Lanes Open, All the Time” became the motto for this product, and it wasn't just a marketing line. It reflected what the product actually delivered. No lanes had to be switched off or left unused when cashiers weren’t available.

For the first time, retailers gained flexibility they didn’t have before, and shoppers had more checkouts consistently available.

This launch didn’t come from nowhere. It was the result of years of internal development, real-world testing, and a manufacturing team that knew how to bring a product from concept to the sales floor.

‍

Building on the Foundation: 2015 & 2020

The years following the Sam’s Club launch demonstrated what a strong product platform can support when the right partners are involved.

• In 2015, Ahold brought Pan-Oston into a collaborative development project alongside Toshiba, Retail Business Services, and Pomeroy to jointly develop and integrate a Convertible Lane with software optimization and mode-change features. That kind of multi-partner integration requires a manufacturer that knows how to work across complex environments.

• In 2020, Weis Markets launched their own Pan-Oston Convertible Lane, adding another major grocery retailer to a growing list of customers who saw the value in front-end flexibility.

‍

The Numbers Behind the Milestone

Fifteen years in, the scale of what Pan-Oston has built in the Convertible Lane space is worth putting plainly:‍

Over 52 convertible lane styles developed & 5,500+ units shipped to retailers across the country.

Those numbers represent real stores, real installs, and real operational experience. They represent the difference between a company that has designed a convertible lane and a company that has manufactured, integrated, and supported thousands of them.

‍

What 15 Years Actually Means

It’s easy to talk about a track record. It’s harder to build one.

The Convertible Lane market is getting more attention these days, and that’s a good thing for retailers who need flexible checkout solutions. But experience in this space isn’t something that can be gathered quickly. Knowing how to design for a specific footprint, integrate hardware across multi-vendor ecosystems, support a lane after it’s live, and iterate through 52 different configurations — that knowledge lives in the people and processes Pan-Oston has built over more than two decades of development.

We’re proud of what the Convertible Lane has become, and we’re grateful for the retailers who trusted us to build it with them.

Here’s to the next 15.

‍

‍Interested in learning more about Pan-Oston’s convertible lane solutions? Connect with our team.