Supermarket self service checkouts

[Creepy-Cyclops]

Eh, well, I thought i'd post about this and see what others thoughts are.

There are self-service check-outs in supermarkets were what happens is you scan you're own groceries through and then you pay by either inserting your bank/credit card, your notes and/or your coins. (i'm presuming y'all know about them, but just elaborating on the ones we have just in case).

Well, i've read about them in the past, but they've only started being used here.

Anyway, I went to a different supermarket on Sunday morning, as I decided to get my shopping in early and this particular one was open.

At this supermarket, there were no manned tills in action, just the pay yourself ones.

So, I used it, and here's what I have to do. I need to scan each item through myself. Some of the items I had were kinda scrunched up so I had to unruffle the packets a couple of times in order for the bar code to be recognised, and put all the items in the bag. Then I went to use it to pay, and as my paper notes had been folded in my pocket, it didn't accept them at first. I had to make a point of straightening them out and re-inserting them a couple of times in order for my actual money to be accepted.

So, the whole transaction took about 10 minutes. The minimum wage here is just under £6, so by my logic I should be getting paid about £0.60 for carrying out a job which is normally carried out by the actual supermarket myself.

But I didn't get any money off at all.

Way I see it, how they ring up their charge, be it by bar code, paper adding or w/e, isn't really my concern, and I shouldn't be having to do their job for them, my money should be good enough, at least not with a discount.

I observed these self-checkouts today in another shop when i'd just popped in to by a bottle of water.

Maybe it is just me and I am miserable or something, lol, but I don't get how people seem content to use these things, like it is somehow a good thing helping them.

I'm basically doing the shops job for them, and yet i'm expected to provide myself as free labour.

Makes no sense to me and i'm gonna try avoiding supermarkets that use them.

What are your guys thoughts on them?

Edit: If I got money off for doing this myself, i'd actually consider queueing to use them if they were busy.

[somavision]

Fair point and one that was made when the petrol pump attendants went as well and I'm sure many other things er... car park attendants. Where I am we've had the self serve check-outs for about a year now, they take up less room and as such far more checkouts can be squeezed into a smaller area and once you get used to using them they make small scale shopping (about a basket or so) much quicker. I hardly ever have to queue anymore.

[Cyrano]

Eh, well, I thought i'd post about this and see what others thoughts are.

There are self-service check-outs in supermarkets were what happens is you scan you're own groceries through and then you pay by either inserting your bank/credit card, your notes and/or your coins. (i'm presuming y'all know about them, but just elaborating on the ones we have just in case).

Well, i've read about them in the past, but they've only started being used here.

Anyway, I went to a different supermarket on Sunday morning, as I decided to get my shopping in early and this particular one was open.

At this supermarket, there were no manned tills in action, just the pay yourself ones.

So, I used it, and here's what I have to do. I need to scan each item through myself. Some of the items I had were kinda scrunched up so I had to unruffle the packets a couple of times in order for the bar code to be recognised, and put all the items in the bag. Then I went to use it to pay, and as my paper notes had been folded in my pocket, it didn't accept them at first. I had to make a point of straightening them out and re-inserting them a couple of times in order for my actual money to be accepted.

So, the whole transaction took about 10 minutes. The minimum wage here is just under £6, so by my logic I should be getting paid about £0.60 for carrying out a job which is normally carried out by the actual supermarket myself.

But I didn't get any money off at all.

Way I see it, how they ring up their charge, be it by bar code, paper adding or w/e, isn't really my concern, and I shouldn't be having to do their job for them, my money should be good enough, at least not with a discount.

I observed these self-checkouts today in another shop when i'd just popped in to by a bottle of water.

Maybe it is just me and I am miserable or something, lol, but I don't get how people seem content to use these things, like it is somehow a good thing helping them.

I'm basically doing the shops job for them, and yet i'm expected to provide myself as free labour.

Makes no sense to me and i'm gonna try avoiding supermarkets that use them.

What are your guys thoughts on them?

Edit: If I got money off for doing this myself, i'd actually consider queueing to use them if they were busy.

I tried to argue this once, and it was 10 to 1 IN FAVOR of the infernal beasts. The argument was, "Hey they’re quicker than a human clerk."

They aren't, you just think they are because the line is short, but soon, after they dispatch the last of the clerks and the machines grow older, you will see the lines grow at the self-checkout machines, and you will then see your folly.

[FDG]

10 minutes? hire an ESTj to do it faster

i am usually done in 1 minute and a half unless I have more than 40 items

[GallopingQwerty]

Perhaps it's different if one has previously had a job as a store clerk? I can get through a whole cart, scanned and bagged, in less than 5 minutes.

For right now I usually prefer doing it myself to taking the cart load in line, because I'm faster AND I care more about how my groceries are bagged than the clerks there (for example: did you know that if you bag your bread with something wet or frozen your bread will go bad twice as fast?).

And yeah, the thought has crossed my mind that it's weird for them to charge me for doing their work. But I've also noticed that the shelves get restocked a LOT faster now that the clerks are busy doing that instead of bagging peoples' groceries, so... for me it evens out.

[Slacker]

I love the self-check lanes. First, I bring my own bags, and that seems to be an issue for the checkers. Second, they want to put like two items in each bag. I want those bags filled up! And when they had people whose specific job it was to bag, the bagging was done much better, but now I have tomatoes bagged with hard stuff that will squash the tomatoes, and that kind of thing. Since my money paid for the groceries, I'm more careful of them.

And I get through them really quickly.

[Mediator Kam]

i love the lanes, don't have to talk to anyone and leave at my own pace.

[xerx]

I had a job as a cashier so I'm pretty good with these.

[Suz]

Perhaps it's different if one has previously had a job as a store clerk? I can get through a whole cart, scanned and bagged, in less than 5 minutes.

For right now I usually prefer doing it myself to taking the cart load in line, because I'm faster AND I care more about how my groceries are bagged than the clerks there (for example: did you know that if you bag your bread with something wet or frozen your bread will go bad twice as fast?).

And yeah, the thought has crossed my mind that it's weird for them to charge me for doing their work. But I've also noticed that the shelves get restocked a LOT faster now that the clerks are busy doing that instead of bagging peoples' groceries, so... for me it evens out.

I love the self-check lanes. First, I bring my own bags, and that seems to be an issue for the checkers. Second, they want to put like two items in each bag. I want those bags filled up! And when they had people whose specific job it was to bag, the bagging was done much better, but now I have tomatoes bagged with hard stuff that will squash the tomatoes, and that kind of thing. Since my money paid for the groceries, I'm more careful of them.

And I get through them really quickly.

YES!!! Same here and that is why I also like the self-checkout lines. My pet peeve is when the baggers put alll the heavy stuff into one bag and then all the light stuff into the other. But I too am also getting annoyed at the 1-2 items per plastic bag. What happened to environmental consciousness?? And doesn't that defeat the purpose of bagging?

I have also started bringing my own bags; where I am they actually encourage that, so i haven't had probs that way. just the heavy/light issue and squashing incompatibilities. I end up needing to redo everything before I head out the door.

i love the lanes, don't have to talk to anyone and leave at my own pace.

Yeah sometimes I'm in that kind of mood too. But other times, I am in a lazy mood and just want everything taken care of my someone else in the cashier line. Or if i'm on the phone, things can multitask if I go through the cashier line.

The wages issue actually never crossed my mind, but now that you guys mention it, you're right! We should get a discount for using the self-checkout lanes!

[silverchris9]

RARRR... GRRRR... I hate these machines. My dad (LII) says that they were rushed out to the market too soon before they were really perfected technology, and I agree completely. And when supermarkets have the nerve to not have a single real person actually working the check-out lane, so you're *forced* to use those evil self-check-out machines if you want to get your food... great inner rage.

That said, I use them. They just annoy me a lot. But they've honestly gotten better. They still freak out on me and are inconvenient, but they could be worse, overall.

[Minde]

I'm getting a sense of déjà vu. I think we've had a thread about this before.

In any case, I don't have strong feelings pro or con, although a lack of familiarity with the machinery might compel me to go with a known route, that being a human checker-outer. But no principles of mine are necessarily violated when I use the self-check-out at grocery stores.

Recently my local library got these new machines that not only allow you to check out materials that are in the library but also items that are on hold (whereas before you had to check out the held items from a person). They've begun tagging the items with chips so all you have to do is enter your card info and then wave the items over a sensor. Now that I kind of do have a problem with as I think having a chip embedded in the materials I take home could lead to some sort of invasion of privacy. But, eh, I'm not sure what I'd do about it, if anything, and if it's even that big a deal...

[jessica129]

My favorite thing in the world is when people go thru self checkouts with 2 carts full. I mean seriously, wtf. But that's usually at walmart where the average shopper doesn't have much of an IQ. I haven't used a regular cashier in like..a year.

[Galen]

My only real problem with those self-checkout lanes is that they always ask me to "place the item in the bagging area," and it never understands when it's actually placed. So sometimes to skip that I have to hit "I do not want to bag this item," but then that sometimes warrants "please wait for further assistance" and I just get more confused.

[Bardia]

My only real problem with those self-checkout lanes is that they always ask me to "place the item in the bagging area," and it never understands when it's actually placed. So sometimes to skip that I have to hit "I do not want to bag this item," but then that sometimes warrants "please wait for further assistance" and I just get more confused.

This is why I hate them! This always happens to me. "please place the item in the bagging area" I already did you just aren't reading it you stupid machine! Then after clicking I don't want to bag it several times I have to wait 5 minutes for someone to come over and type some code in so I can keep scanning stuff. I hate them. They always give me trouble.

[Suz]

and the price to boot

That's where Trader Joe's comes in handy!

[thePirate]

Eh, well, I thought i'd post about this and see what others thoughts are.

There are self-service check-outs in supermarkets were what happens is you scan you're own groceries through and then you pay by either inserting your bank/credit card, your notes and/or your coins. (i'm presuming y'all know about them, but just elaborating on the ones we have just in case).

Well, i've read about them in the past, but they've only started being used here.

Anyway, I went to a different supermarket on Sunday morning, as I decided to get my shopping in early and this particular one was open.

At this supermarket, there were no manned tills in action, just the pay yourself ones.

So, I used it, and here's what I have to do. I need to scan each item through myself. Some of the items I had were kinda scrunched up so I had to unruffle the packets a couple of times in order for the bar code to be recognised, and put all the items in the bag. Then I went to use it to pay, and as my paper notes had been folded in my pocket, it didn't accept them at first. I had to make a point of straightening them out and re-inserting them a couple of times in order for my actual money to be accepted.

So, the whole transaction took about 10 minutes. The minimum wage here is just under £6, so by my logic I should be getting paid about £0.60 for carrying out a job which is normally carried out by the actual supermarket myself.

But I didn't get any money off at all.

Way I see it, how they ring up their charge, be it by bar code, paper adding or w/e, isn't really my concern, and I shouldn't be having to do their job for them, my money should be good enough, at least not with a discount.

I observed these self-checkouts today in another shop when i'd just popped in to by a bottle of water.

Maybe it is just me and I am miserable or something, lol, but I don't get how people seem content to use these things, like it is somehow a good thing helping them.

I'm basically doing the shops job for them, and yet i'm expected to provide myself as free labour.

Makes no sense to me and i'm gonna try avoiding supermarkets that use them.

What are your guys thoughts on them?

Edit: If I got money off for doing this myself, i'd actually consider queueing to use them if they were busy.

lol, Im personally whatever about them but these are my ESTj dads sentiments pretty much, hahaha.

He got so pissed off at this concept, I think it might have boggled his mind or something - we promptly went to another lane. He was raging though