I like self checkout as an option, almost everywhere.
I DON'T like REQUIRED self checkout.
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I like self checkout as an option, almost everywhere.
I DON'T like REQUIRED self checkout.
This really is it. I managed a grocery store for years, and the problem these companies have is thinking that the self checkout can replace too many cashiers. Note that it can take the place of 1 or 2, but really, the boon of the self checkout is to really function as the best express lane ever. It should take the heat off your normal cashiers and provide an option best suited for quick purchases under 10 items.
But what ends up happening is schedulers drop their usual front end down from 4 cashiers to 1 and a self checkout host and completely nullify any gains their customers would have gotten from the enhanced service options. People really do like self checkouts but resent the hell out of being forced to use them as a blatant cash grab.
I will put one other mistake in there, is self checkouts with too many prompts. I avoid using self checkout at a few stores because the minimum number of prompts is higher than 3.
Good: scanning starts the process, select done AT MOST asks for how many bags, then payment type, swipe and pay (optional email receipt on pin pad).
Bad: Cant' start till you tap start, asks for member ship card up front, asks if you want to donate, scan, asks if you want to use your rewards, asks for number of bags, also would you like an email receipt?
You missed incessant “place your item in the bagging area” and failing/requiring “assistance” if you scan too fast.
Last time I was at a Target with only self checkout I went to customer service and had them scan me out.
I stopped shopping at a local grocery store because the damn self checkout made you scan everything and place it on the stupid scale. I couldn’t put my own personal bag there as it would upset the whole system. It ended up wasting more of my time. If they want self checkout to be used more they need to understand someone isn’t stealing and paying at the same time. Sure something might get missed on accident, but I’m not scanning $100 in groceries to steal some arbitrary amount.
Also, Home Depot took self checkout to the extreme and it sucks ass for it.
Same. I'm purchasing 2 small things and there's a line with the creepy incel cashier? Yep self checkout FTW. I have an entire cart full of stuff and the store doesn't even have a cashier? FML.
O green peppers are 99 cents each but red and yellow are 1.29? That's so weird all these peppers I'm buying are green.
Fuck you, I'm the cashier now.
Bill Burr: "what're you gonna do? cut my hours?"
Also
Oh, something didnt scan and you walked out without paying for it?
Enjoy your broken spine as cops appear in full swat outfit and tackle you to the ground and beat you with clubs because you are shocked and arent immediately calm and compliant.
At Costco it's great minus the membership checks. Thanks this was a quick process, now let me stop and take my card out so you can see I'm not stealing deals.
Walmart, fuck you hire more cashier's why am I waiting 10 minutes to checkout at self checkout when you have 50 closed fucking lanes!
Walmart, fuck you hire more cashier's why am I waiting 10 minutes to checkout at self checkout when you have 50 closed fucking lanes!
I straight up said this the last time I was there to one of the managers watching the self checkout after I heard them complaining about the long ass line. Maybe if you actually turned the other 20 lanes on instead of only having 3 the lines would go by quicker, ya dumbasses.
I have no sympathy for companies losing money due to theft at self-checkout, it's a cost saving measure that's bitten them in the ass.
They also suck for alcohol, or anything that doesn't have a barcode, as mentioned in the story. I never buy either of those products at self checkout.
That said, I really liked the opportunity to not have to socialize with someone
Ha,, I once got booted from a Safeway in my early 20's when I was trying to buy beers and the lady who was supposed to be verifying ID was shooting the shit w her coworker. She clearly saw the thing flashing, but wanted to finish her story. I tried waving at her to no avail. She had a very I'll get to you in a minute vibe, but she clearly wasn't talking about work stuff. I had worked at a Lucky previously and they used the same self checkout system system. I knew I just needed to type my bday on their terminal to get it to sell, so I went n did it lol. Hey, self check out amirite? I figured fuck it, I'll do that part too I guess.
She finally noticed like right before I paid and took my beers and wouldn't let me pay. I was like here's my ID, I've been waiting like 5 minutes to show you. Manager showed up told me to leave, and never come back, it was a whole thing. Granted, I was 100% being a young , dumb prick, but I was annoyed with the lady not doing her job, and wasting my time. Having been on the other side of that terminal before, knowing how easy it was to do, I was super annoyed that she wasn't even acknowledging me trying to get her attention. Fun times lol.
Self checkout is useful when you only want a few things. Much faster.
If you're getting a full trolley, you'd need a barcode scanner to take round the shop with you. If you don't have that, it's faster to go with a manned checkout.
Remember kids, if you see someone shoplifting or switching the barcodes at your big-box self-checkout: No you didn't.
Preach!
I'm lucky enough to not need to take the risks involved in order to get by, but I'll be damned if I'm going to fuck over someone that may be unluckier than me. Idgaf what it is, I'm fucking sergeant Schultz.
My grandmother snitch on some poor bastard stealing crystal light at walmart. If someones stealing fucking crystal light from walmart theyre clearly in way worse than I am.
I worked at a supermarket in a wealthy area for years - no one stole more than the wealthy old crones from the retirement village next around the corner.
No they aren't they are gonna lean in even harder what a dumbass story. One time fixed cost will always win over paying people in perpetuity
Yeah I have trouble believing this. They just remodeled the Walmart near me and I bet there's 60 self checkout machines. There's like maybe 3-5 normal checkout lines in between the self checkout.
I saw a grocery store put in the best self checkout lanes I've seen, then take them out a couple years later because their customers didn't like them.
Things be weird sometimes.
My favorite is still having them closed when low staffed because they still need a person dedicated to helping them.
Just amazing how much trouble management goes to to make experiences for customers worse
unexpected item in the bagging area. place items in the bagging area. unexpected item in the bagging area.
In my experience, self-checkout started with the weight sensors, rather than adding them later. I've noticed some stores have a system now without the weight thing, which probably cuts down on confusing and time-consuming error situations, but it makes it seem chaotic. My parents use them in the most fucked up way - leave everything in the cart, scan stuff, bag it, then put it in the cart, and I'm just WHAT? Aren't they going to accuse you of stealing? Some walmarts aggressively pursue claims of theft from self checkout, like in the case of this lady who was awarded 2.1 million after being accused of stealing, which she said was not true. This article details the story of a lady who said she was arrested after not scanning things by accident, and the article notes "Sixty-two other people were cited and released by police at the same Tucson Walmart between January 2021 and April 2022."
During the civil trial, which lasted about three weeks, the judge criticized Walmart for the “intentional loss” of the security camera footage, according to court records. The judge, James T. Patterson, said that the court would advise the jury that the videotapes “were destroyed by the defendants with the intent” to deprive the plaintiff of the benefit of seeing them “and that the jury therefore is to presume that the content of the missing videos would be adverse” to the defendants.
Walmart also is starting to use 'AI' to detect self checkout theft, which I'm sure will be foolproof and work out great.
And if you're wondering which item causes the most problems, it's milk. O'Herlihy explains, "People find it hard to scan milk ... Sometimes they get frustrated and they just don't scan it."
What?
Anyway, I'm sure they love not paying employees to do this, but it seems like more trouble than it's worth.
From Tucson here: Walmart in town is pretty sketchy compared to the other places. We had someone light the chemical isle on fire on Christmas Eve that burnt down half the entire store lmao. Walmart sold itself as a low price retailer for so long that only low income people go there and with that there’s theft and then the classism of hiring armed guards during their high crime periods.
At my Walmart the employees don’t stop people from stealing food. They told me as much.
I believe it's policy at Walmart for the regular staff to not prevent theft at all. Loss prevention handles that. They'll build a case without pursuing at first, and then being down the hammer.
Honestly, can you blame them?
Electronics, luxury items, other “nice to haves” maybe. But who wants to be the reason someone goes hungry?
Not to mention, they are getting paid dogshit wages.
Jokes on them, I shoplift at the staffed checkout too.
Walmarts's self checkout is the only one in my area that doesn't frustrate the hell out of me. I've stopped going to certain other stores simply because I don't like their self checkout systems.
Don’t get it. Sam’s and BJs both have scanning apps on the phone. Most amazing tech ever! Costco… HURRY UP! Also, Sam’s and Bjs don’t check my card because I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT THE CARD ANYWAYS… Costco!!
As long as shrink stays below what they save by removing cashiers they will stay. It may be location specific removals at high shrink stores.
The only reason for Costco to do this would be theft prevention or to make sure members are the only ones using their cards.
Our Costco checks your member ID before you can use the self checkout.
Literally the opposite is happening. Look at any busy store: self checkout can handle like 10 people, compared to registers which are significantly less at any given time. Registers account for much less business, and corporations are going to try and get by the minimal amount of employees as possible to function. Handling physical cash also adds more complexity with tills having to be deposited, audited, and withdrawn daily.
Replace them with “no chit chat” lanes. I’m just buying some pasta, I don’t want to talk to you.
I avoid self-checkout as often as possible. In my mind, that’s taking a job away from a physical person, it’s a cost-savings for the retailer, but customers never see any benefit from it. I choose the person checkout everytime as my little bit of solidarity with my fellow humans.
I don't use self checkouts because I hate trying to get those fucking bags open.
Also give cashiers chairs.
yeeeeah. They'll have to hire people to work the checkout lanes in that case... which means paying enough to compete with other employers who offer more. Case in point, here it's like 12/hr here to work in a grocery, vs 16/hr at Amazon. But even if they do this, people will still shoplift. Self checkout didn't create the problem, it rather treats everyone like a suspect.
The grocery I go to never has more than one staffed checkout lane at any time, typically a very long line of people too old, too stubborn, or with too many items to do it themselves. During the day it's 8 or 16 self-checkout lanes (minus broke ones), and they close in the evening, so everyone is forced to use the slow staffed checkout.