Supermarket Self Check-Out

[GumbyJarvis]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
I *Hate* these things. If I am going to do all the work, I want a discount.


^^This!! Self checkout at a grocery store imo would be the same as going to a restaurant and cooking your own food.

Only way I'll ever use self checkout is if I get a discount on my grocery bill.


this is my theory as well.
somewhat related are buffets, ie cicis and some Asian buffets
I get up, get my food, refill my drink, yet when you pay the receipt always has a spot for "tip"

I'm serving myself both food and drink, you seated me and a busboy took my plates, if anyone deserves the tip, it's the busboy and not the "waitress/waiter"

normally I'll slip the busboy cash, waitress gets nothing.



to avoid lines in WalMart checkout, I'm that guy going out through the garden section which normally doesn't have a line, or the lube express area with a buggy of dinner, oil, beer, and misc other stuff.

I always go in through the garden section or TLE as well. Usually parking is easier and there's not some obnoxious solicitor asking for $$ donations at the door unlike the normal 2 main entrances.

as a kid I washed cars and did bake sales to raise money for my sports team/boy scout/cub scout/church/school club. People these days just don't bother and ask for money. Needless to say, no id never let someone wash my car with dawn, but id probably be more prone to donating to a kid who asks to wash my car for his sports fundraiser, over a kid who just has a bucket asking for money. Which brings up another off topic situation of "what are we teaching our kids just asking for money and not working for it by baking/car washing?"
I've even seen broke down DAV/VFW/LEGION vets washing cars for donations!
don't get me started on salvation army bellringers.

regardless, those automatic machines are a hassle to begin with. Especially if say you have a nonbarcoded item (ie produce) and have to search for it in the "database"

lately I've seen these automated registers in various sizes, one for standing people and one for people on the "WalMart scooters"
those things are for handicapped people that can't stand/walk for long periods, but you know some lazy fat so and so that uses them probably complained about having to stand at the register.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: andrewg
I've used them at Home Depot when buying minimal amounts of stuff and when I'm in a hurry.
My girlfriend and I attempted to use one at a grocery store with a cart full of stuff one time. Never again. Nightmare of confusion. The clerk ended up helping us, and many others. It's a pain in the rear for anything other than basic items. When you start getting into produce and baked goods, etc. it's a whole different ballgame.
The cost of the employees assisting you at a register the regular way is added to the cost of the products anyway....so why not just have them ring you up?


Right! I enjoy standing in a line of 3/4/5 other shoppers with carts full of groceries, with screaming kids, waiting to check out with their food stamp card or whatever you call it today.

All the while I could go to the auto lanes and be on my way before the clerk got the first cart done at the other lane.

Makes perfect sense to me!

I think you missed my explanation.

Ever try a cart full of groceries (including various types of produce, baked goods, and other non-standard bar coded items) in a self-service line? I have...it's slower.

If you are in line with up to 5 people with full carts....it might be best to choose times when they aren't so busy (I avoid Sundays at the grocery store as an example).

 

[threeputtpar]

Here's my take on them:

I like them for the most part, as I can usually bypass all the mouth breathers with their crotch fruit and get out of the store as fast as possible.

The 2 wally marts in town always have a line for the corral of 8 self-checkout scanners, which seems to be different than other's experience. Maybe the populace here thinks they have the skills to go through them, even though they typically don't.

The ones at the Home Depot are now labeled Assisted Checkouts, where the employee will intercept you before you can start to scan and try to pilfer your cart and scan items for you. What's the point then? Maybe it's to scare away the old folks that are frightened by all that new fangled technology?

The Lowes has removed all of them from their store, because the losses via theft have surpassed the cost savings in canning an employee. Go figure, the consumers saved a job or two!

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
I like them for the most part, as I can usually bypass all the mouth breathers with their crotch fruit


That is HILARIOUS!!

I, too, try to avoid the store at peak times. I generally do my grocery shopping around 4:30 on Wed or Thu afternoon. If I walk in and happen to notice long checkout lines i walk right back out and stop in at another time.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: andrewg

I think you missed my explanation.

Ever try a cart full of groceries (including various types of produce, baked goods, and other non-standard bar coded items) in a self-service line? I have...it's slower.

If you are in line with up to 5 people with full carts....it might be best to choose times when they aren't so busy (I avoid Sundays at the grocery store as an example).


No I did not miss your point.

I can't remember the last time I had a full cart in any big box store. Bothe my wife and I are retired and by this time in my life we have most everything. Just last week I bought the first 2 new pair of pants in likely 15/20 years.

Regarding groceries, seldom purchase any at a box store other than small purchases that aren't available at our local discount grocery. Heck I'm still buying cereal for $ .79 cents a box and milk for $1.00, yes that's not a typo.

None coded items, I make sure I have the little 3 or 4 digit number which Id's the item. Not really hard to do.

 

[raytseng]

For those of you complaining, you've already taken plenty of jobs from the markets by doing your own "shopping".

In the old days, at least from the ancient scrolls I've read, you would just bring your list to the counter, and they fetch the items for you or send the stockboy to your house with your items.
But that was only for the working poor. You'd leave it up to your staff that you employed to stock food for you.


Good thing we're now coming full circle. If you want to provide a job, then get on the internet, and order all your groceries online and provide jobs to those personal shoppers and checkout people and delivery people. Sign up for Fiverr to have people do meaningless tasks for you

sheesh...

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: JamesBond
I'm surprised at the people who think that the self-checkout machine has taken the job of the cashier, when its actually YOU! who have taken the cashiers job.

The machine is the the same.

Congratulations college boy, you've just been promoted to to the position of un-paid cashier/motorized belt.


Fine by me. My "pay" is not having to wait for the marginally-sentient stoner cashier (I swear, they must grow them in vats in the back room) to scan everything...hopefully not scanning anything twice. Then, I get to watch him (or another stoner) bag it, hoping to not get things like sandwich rolls bagged under canned fruit, a bag containing eggs picked up and plopped into the carriage, or (what really sent me into orbit) bagging raw meat with highly-toxic insecticide! I was not joking what I said I would pay a premium to use self-checkout.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: andrewg
I've used them at Home Depot when buying minimal amounts of stuff and when I'm in a hurry.
My girlfriend and I attempted to use one at a grocery store with a cart full of stuff one time. Never again. Nightmare of confusion. The clerk ended up helping us, and many others. It's a pain in the rear for anything other than basic items. When you start getting into produce and baked goods, etc. it's a whole different ballgame.
The cost of the employees assisting you at a register the regular way is added to the cost of the products anyway....so why not just have them ring you up?


Right! I enjoy standing in a line of 3/4/5 other shoppers with carts full of groceries, with screaming kids, waiting to check out with their food stamp card or whatever you call it today.

All the while I could go to the auto lanes and be on my way before the clerk got the first cart done at the other lane.

Makes perfect sense to me!

I think you missed my explanation.

Ever try a cart full of groceries (including various types of produce, baked goods, and other non-standard bar coded items) in a self-service line? I have...it's slower.

If you are in line with up to 5 people with full carts....it might be best to choose times when they aren't so busy (I avoid Sundays at the grocery store as an example).


My wife and I can check out a full grocery cart (last time, it was full to overflowing, almost $200 worth of groceries) faster (usually, much faster) than a regular cashier can do it. If we use Stop & Shop's Scan-It, it doesn't matter: it's a 2-minute checkout, be it 2 items or 2 full carriages.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
My biggest complaint is the jobs you won't see in stores that have self checkout lanes.

If you're that worried about jobs you wouldn't be in these big stores. You'd be supporting local small businesses.

I like the Sam's self checkout. It's the only way to go in Sams these days. I avoid the others.

 

[whip]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I was not joking what I said I would pay a premium to use self-checkout.

So why don't you offer a ten percent "premium" to the stores you use them at?

 

[PandaBear]

Self checkout has been around for a long time here. It was initially not reliable because the item database was frequently with the wrong weight, and was hard to look up produce's item number. In the last couple of years it was pretty good.

Funny our Walmart yanked out all the self check out and replace them with human. I think they realized that their volume is so big that hiring cashiers are faster and result in fewer thefts and lost sales (people can't wait for too long).

 

[GrtArtiste]

Aside from my personal experiences with corporate greed which is why I don't use self-checkout, it's just not practical for me. I generally do my Kroger shopping on Wednesday because seniors get a 5% discount. That tends to bring out all the seniors...almost none who will do SC...therefore they have to have adequate staff at the checkout to handle the load. I rarely have to wait for more than one or two customers in front of me and that doesn't bother me at all. If they ever do have two lines with 3 or more waiting, they will very quickly yank people away from other duties to man the checkouts.

 

[supton]

I've used some, and they seem decent today. I dislike having to wait for help when I buy booze tho. Kinda defeats the purpose. I generally shop in the off hours, as I hate lines. But yeah, Walmart seems to have the slowest cashiers...

Interesting thought about how these self check out things "steal" jobs. But to counter that, all DIY efforts "steal" jobs too. Even a lowly oil change.

But that brings up a question. I (and most anyone else) can ring up groceries. And change oil. Am I really stealing anything from anyone else when I can do it myself? Or was I not paying extra before when I paid someone else to do it?

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: supton
I've used some, and they seem decent today. I dislike having to wait for help when I buy booze tho. Kinda defeats the purpose. I generally shop in the off hours, as I hate lines. But yeah, Walmart seems to have the slowest cashiers...

Interesting thought about how these self check out things "steal" jobs. But to counter that, all DIY efforts "steal" jobs too. Even a lowly oil change.

But that brings up a question. I (and most anyone else) can ring up groceries. And change oil. Am I really stealing anything from anyone else when I can do it myself? Or was I not paying extra before when I paid someone else to do it?


Very true. Anytime a person looks for the cheapest option or lowest bidder that is potentially "stealing" jobs.

Very true with basically anything that's DIY. Rather than say hiring my yard to get mowed, I do it myself to save money while also "stealing" jobs from the local mowing guy.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: supton
I've used some, and they seem decent today. I dislike having to wait for help when I buy booze tho. Kinda defeats the purpose. I generally shop in the off hours, as I hate lines. But yeah, Walmart seems to have the slowest cashiers...

Interesting thought about how these self check out things "steal" jobs. But to counter that, all DIY efforts "steal" jobs too. Even a lowly oil change.

But that brings up a question. I (and most anyone else) can ring up groceries. And change oil. Am I really stealing anything from anyone else when I can do it myself? Or was I not paying extra before when I paid someone else to do it?


Good Point!

 

[javacontour]

Exactly. The same folks who take the jobs of folks at their local quick lube or corner garage complain about taking jobs of check out clerks.

If they really want to create jobs, stop changing your own oil or doing your own repairs, car, home, etc. Imagine all the jobs you will create.

Until there is a no EBT, NO CHECKS, etc line, I will choose the check out option that best meets my needs at the time.

I try to avoid self check out when I have alcohol or other items like spay paint that require override.
Originally Posted By: JamesBond
I'm surprised at the people who think that the self-checkout machine has taken the job of the cashier, when its actually YOU! who have taken the cashiers job.

The machine is the the same.

Congratulations college boy, you've just been promoted to to the position of un-paid cashier/motorized belt.

 

[artificialist]

I use them in my local Wal-Mart, but that is only because I am in and out of the store more quickly when compared to waiting for a cashier. Often when a computer error happens at a checkout lane, it takes 2 or 3 people to solve the error, while in the self checkout, the one employee is authorized to solve the computer error. My nearest Home Depot and Lowes have the same thing.

My uncle once insisted on waiting in line for the cashier while the self checkout was wide open. I said "Think of that new truck you want. You would pay the price of a Rolls Royce to get it if machines weren't replacing people."

Also, when machines are introduced, new jobs are eventually created using the surplus labor of the old jobs. When mechanical harvesters replaced manual farm labor, did 90% or so of the people stay unemployed? Obviously not.

Back in 2000, the local Winn Dixie used self checkouts, but it ended up taking more time to checkout than waiting in a long line because those machines were so error prone.

Mechanization has another benefit. When goods can be produced locally at a cheaper price, companies might be less likely to open a factory offshore.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I am waiting for Smart Shopping carts which *knows* every item you drop it in. You then just walk out the store without having to empty your cart at the checkout counter

There is small little problem of loading and unloading the vehicle but I am sure we could come with removable baskets in the car idea which customers can take home and return back on their next trip. Supermarket already knows where you live, so don't think of not returning the baskets!


You actually think that would work in the inner city, ie; Ferguson, MO.

LOL im from St. Louis, IT WILL NOT WORK in the "inner" city.

 

[linkbelt]

I will not use self check out! If I wanted to work for walmart, etc, I would apply for a job.
I don't shop at home depot anymore because they try to force customers to use self check out.
Lowe's is much better.
A walmart manager tried to get me and two other customers to move over to self check out, no one would go. Manager walked away in a huff.

 

[Garak]

Just a question for Canadians in this thread. Our American friends have mentioned Walmarts with self serve checkout. I've never seen such a thing in this province. How about elsewhere in Canada?