self checkout, opinions

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Many of our local retailers have self checkout, CVS, walmart, lowes and the depot, a few others. With that, there are usually a few employees standing around watching customers ring up their own stuff which I feel is counter productive. With the retailers that have self check out, there are fewer people working the registers. Personally, I cant stand this, if I wanted to ring up my own groceries I would get a part time job. I feel if Im paying for merchandise I should also have service and support from the company. With self check out half of the experience is gone. Now, if self check out would be for 5 items or less, thats a different story. I wouldent have to wait on Martha buying a months worth of groceries while writing a check as im buying oil and a few filters.

What do you think about self check out?
 
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They're fine & time saving when they work properly. Walmart is doing a good job of keeping a representative near by should help be needed or to override the system for whatever the reason.
 
I don't like it. The personnel standing around are there to make sure you don't bag something you didn't scan.WM is getting really bad about it, too. maybe 2 registers open, 6-8 carts in line, and a long wait.
 
Originally Posted by Propflux01
I don't like it. The personnel standing around are there to make sure you don't bag something you didn't scan.WM is getting really bad about it, too. maybe 2 registers open, 6-8 carts in line, and a long wait.


My point exactly, open more self check out and reduce staff so much you end up spending more time in the store. Oddly enough that walmart has 50 registers and usually two open.
 
Self checkout has been going on for years. The next step is now scan as you pick either by using your smartphone or a scanner the store provides.

Scan the item you pull off the shelf, place it in your own reusable bag in your cart. For stuff that needs weighing, scales are setup to process that part.
 
Only good if you have a few items (under 10), otherwise it's easier to go to a checker.

It's a way for a company to save money at your expense. They wouldn't be doing it if they didn't receive a gain.
 
Originally Posted by MParr
I don't like them at all.


Me either. It's a cost cutting measure - they have to pay less checkers - at the expense of the consumer....us, who are now working for them.

I almost always go to the human checkout.
 
I used to be in the segment that says self-checkout puts people out of work. However, I've recently changed my thinking. In short time span in '19, (a) I was charged more at checkout for an item than the listed price; or (b) checkout gal rang up a single item twice, causing me to swallow the second price ... or make another trip back to Walmart to get my $6.99 back; or (c) checker rang up organic bananas instead of regular price, etc.

Heck with it. I go through self-checkout 90 percent of time now at WM and Kroger and Home Depot. If I get overcharged, it's my fault.
 
As long as they work well, they're fine. If they could sell all of the lottery tickets at convenience stores with them, rather than occupying a clerk while the line of customers lengthens, that would be genuine progress.
 
They dont have my self checkout that i want yet.

I want a conveyor belt that goes thru a magic box and scans and bags all my groceries and puts them in a cart.

I want a badge or something that allows me to bypass the door guy so that they dont have to re-scan my stuff.


There needs to be a special line somewhere for the check writers.. and the people that always have to look at the receipt and find an error.

Until then im trying to do my bulk shopping at ALDI... its low tech and no thinking.
 
Nobody likes them but they ain't goin anywhere. Coming hard on the heels of it we the subjugated prisoners of Neuyorkistan are in for yet another and more horrifying scenario, no more plastic bags. Not such a big thing in itself but add that to self checkout and early in the month when the EBT cards reload I predict one of 2 things. A fun show if you have the time or lots of frayed nerves as the Beverly Hillbillies ( not the funny ones) empty the overstuffed carts . It will be a horror show that rivals the boat launch special olympics on a holiday weekend.
 
I like them. They are really fast, like 20 seconds for one or two items even with a points card. Once you remember the numbers for the non-barcoded stuff you buy you are golden.

I never pay for anything with cash anyway.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
They dont have my self checkout that i want yet.

I want a badge or something that allows me to bypass the door guy so that they dont have to re-scan my stuff.


I always make eye contact and say "Have a nice day" before they have a chance to speak and just walk past them.
 
They are the bi product of naturally raising or govt forced higher wages. If the person costs too much, the machine gets the job. One cashier can patrol 4-6 checkouts now.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
The next step is now scan as you pick either by using your smartphone or a scanner the store provides.

I've used this system at Kroger a few times. The first time, I was extra cautious about getting items and scanning them. Kept worrying that I'd miss an item or if I bought (6) yogurts, I only scanned (5). We also did this on a "full" grocery trip, you know, the cart filled to the brim. Downside of this was it took far, far too long to sort and bag things when we were done that we could have went through a manned checkout just as fast if no faster. Later, Kroger started providing "scan and go" bags that people doing this could use - you bag your groceries as you go. This was much, much better this way. Last time I used it, their system flagged me and the "watcher" person at the self-checkout had to, this is the phrase he used, "need to check that the self-scanner handheld gun is working properly". I laughed at him and said "I know what you're doing, you're making sure I didn't steal anything" and he just smiled. They can't say anything different, of course. A more recent time I went, the handheld-scanners were gone and I asked about them. They got rid of them because people were stealing too much stuff. You mean they didn't factor this into the whole idea of implementing them anyway ??? Not sure if they took them away on a store-by-store basis or not though.
 
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