Current Events > What are your thoughts on self-checkout lines?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Why say you, CE?

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They made shoplifting easier for kleptomaniacs.

If I can avoid people I tend to do so.

Don't mind them, but fuck those people that roll up to one with an overflowing cart thinking it'll be faster.

Unless I've got a ton to groceries or a bunch of produce that needs to be keyed in and weighed, I'll use the self checkout.

It used to be great but as people have become more antisocial and also disrespectful of cashiers they've started clogging up those lines like sheep while the cashier lanes are freed up.

I just do whichever way is fastest idc.

Always opt for them unless I have more than ~10 things to scan, or a nearby cashier's line is shorter than the self-check.

As a customer - I use them if I only have one or two things because it's quicker. If I'm doing a full shop, I go to a proper lane.

As a worker - not a fan. Monitoring / assisting on self serve is boring as hell compared to operating a normal lane.

They are great until you get some tech-illiterate old lady that acts like its a flight control panel and cant figure a god damn thing out about it, so it takes her 4 hours to buy 2 items.

I like them if I only have a few items but I prefer a cashier if I have a lot

Flauros posted...

They are great until you get some tech-illiterate old lady that acts like its a flight control panel and cant figure a god damn thing out about it, so it takes her 4 hours to buy 2 items.

From a workers point of view: This isn't too bad. You can always help them out. What's far more annoying is when some parent (usually a young mother) wants to let their slow-ass kid scan AND bag every single item while the store's busy. Fair enough on wanting to make sure your kid knows how to work it, but do that when the store's not so busy.

Never used one.

Since their employees get paid to do the same thing, do you get a discount for using self-checkout?

please place your item in the bagging area

Kombucha posted...

If I can avoid people I tend to do so.

This, plus I walk to grocery store and back so I like to have everything organized to be as convenient as possible for me, and I only trust myself to do this. Plus I am fast at checking out.

They're ok.

I hate ones that are super sensitive to weight and will freak out if you do/don't bag something.

I like when they have the little handheld scanner. That speeds it up a lot.

Freddie_Mercury posted...

please place your item in the bagging area

Weigh your b a n a n a s.

I'll also note, I find it absolutely hilarious when a customer insists on not using it when they could save a lot of time by doing so. I've often had cases where self serve has been nearly dead but the other lanes have queues 3 or 4 people long, and I'll spot someone only slightly over the 12 items limit and offer to let them use the self serve but they don't want to.

Sometimes this comes from misunderstandings (eg. A lot of customers seem to believe you can't purchase age restricted items on the self checkouts) but like... You're gonna wait around for ages, letting your frozen shit melt more etc, just to make some ego-driven point? I mean it's their call, but yeah, just seems dumb as fuck.

Making me do the job instead of paying someone is peak capitalism

i don't have much luck with using em if i have anything over 4-5 items.

place item in bagging area.
then it doesn't work have to call someone over to fix it.

Trumble posted...

From a workers point of view: This isn't too bad. You can always help them out. What's far more annoying is when some parent (usually a young mother) wants to let their slow-ass kid scan AND bag every single item while the store's busy. Fair enough on wanting to make sure your kid knows how to work it, but do that when the store's not so busy.

unfortunately, in my area they dont like to help. Old ladies struggling and the red help lights are just ignored while the attendant fucks around on their phone or stares into space.

Great for when you have multiple of the same item, or when lemons become bananas.

They are always so much less busy than the clerk lines. In addition I typically go to the store more frequently for smaller trips cause I only live a few blocks away

I use them whenever possible. I rarely have major issues with them.

I ain't trying to bag my own groceries bro...

I rarely use them.

Most of the times I go to the grocery store I buy beer and you can't use the self-checkout for buying alcohol.

I love watching people who don't understand technology struggle with them. You the line with a cashier.

I use them whenever they are an option, and I'm not buying a product that requires an employee to scan (beer or alcohol at the grocery store, spray paint or custom cut wood in a hardware store)

The prices you pay in the items were included for the cashier to check out your items.

But now I pay the same price but have to do the beeping myself.

Self checkout should only make sense if you have to pay a % less.

I honestly like them when I am only getting a couple things. But there's TOO FUCKIN MANY OF THEM in a single store now versus cashiers now. And god forbid you press the wrong thing.

They were quite annoying when they forced you to keep placing shit on a scale, but now most places seem to have done away with that. It's quite quick and easy for the most part now.

Flauros posted...

unfortunately, in my area they dont like to help. Old ladies struggling and the red help lights are just ignored while the attendant fucks around on their phone or stares into space.

Ouch, that's really shit. I do notice that the other staff where I work only tend to help if the customer specifically asks (whereas I make a point of looking out for customers who look like they're having trouble, and offering to help them), but I've never seen them outright ignore it.

The "red help lights" thing is also really amusing to me because I've only once seen someone actually use the call for help button. Usually they just call out to me (or whoever's on there) instead.

Whatever gets me outta the store faster.

If I'm buying like, 3 things, its fantastic and I can just go in and out - especially if I'm in like a big place like a grocery store or something and can feel like its not worth either of our time to sit in line for my Peanut Butter and pack of Mentos or whatever.

If I'm buying more than like, 4 things? or need something more complicated than a really quick jaunt down an aisle I already know where I'm going and don't want to be there any longer than necessary.

Flauros posted...

unfortunately, in my area they dont like to help. Old ladies struggling and the red help lights are just ignored while the attendant fucks around on their phone or stares into space.

the one at the store I go to is usually even more attentive than she needs to be. Like I put my bag in the bagging area and the thing derped out at me and she came over to help even though I just removed the bag and everything was fine.

FigureOfSpeech posted...

the one at the store I go to is usually even more attentive than she needs to be. Like I put my bag in the bagging area and the thing derped out at me and she came over to help even though I just removed the bag and everything was fine.

Lmao yeah that's how I am pretty much. Somewhat because 9 times out of 10 it's a situation where either the customer doesn't know what to do (or can't do it themself due to what the checkout will / won't allow), or it's a case where they would solve it in a suboptimal way.

I'll also add that your case falls under the latter - if a customer pops their own bag in that area and the system complains about it, instead of them having to take it away (and then bag things later rather than putting items straight in), we can just override it so the system accepts the bag being there. (With that being said, one issue here that really bugs me is that the system insists on waiting 5-10 seconds before it gives us the option to do this. >_>)

I use them about 95% of the time.

Awesome, I'm in and out in no time. I don't have to wait for some slow fucking old granny on the edge of life to take 20 minutes to check out 2 items

I usually go to the store to pick up a few items, and I'll use the self check out. It's so easy to do. People act like it's rocket science, but it's not. If you're competent you'll be in and out in no time. I only go to a cashier lane if I'm doing a big shopping trip.

Trumble posted...

Lmao yeah that's how I am pretty much. Somewhat because 9 times out of 10 it's a situation where either the customer doesn't know what to do (or can't do it themself due to what the checkout will / won't allow), or it's a case where they would solve it in a suboptimal way.

I'll also add that your case falls under the latter - if a customer pops their own bag in that area and the system complains about it, instead of them having to take it away (and then bag things later rather than putting items straight in), we can just override it so the system accepts the bag being there. (With that being said, one issue here that really bugs me is that the system insists on waiting 5-10 seconds before it gives us the option to do this. >_>)

yeah normally I wouldn't care and wouldn't bother trying to put my bag there, but I was rushing because they were close to closing for the night and I didn't want to hold them up if something happened that made it take longer.

*buys something very lightweight like a pack of gum and puts it in the bag*
"PLEASE PLACE YOUR ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA"
*moves bag around to hopefully make the sensor detect there's something in there*
"UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA"
"REMOVE ITEM FROM THE BAGGING AREA"
"HELP IS ON THE WAY"

littlebro07 posted...

*buys something very lightweight like a pack of gum and puts it in the bag*
"PLEASE PLACE YOUR ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA"
*moves bag around to hopefully make the sensor detect there's something in there*
"UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA"
"REMOVE ITEM FROM THE BAGGING AREA"
"HELP IS ON THE WAY"

Omg yes. This is so fucking annoying. Even more so because many light items are set so it doesn't actually wait to confirm they're in the bagging area (so it can be dealt with), but there's a few recurringly problematic ones which aren't flagged to work this way for whatever reason.

Cobra1010 posted...

The prices you pay in the items were included for the cashier to check out your items.

But now I pay the same price but have to do the beeping myself.

Self checkout should only make sense if you have to pay a % less.

Oh I'm sure stores calculated how much money would be saved by eliminating cashiers (even accounting for increased shoplifting)

I'll use them for the odd occasion I only need a few things. Most of the time I shop though it's for a few weeks and I have a full cart so no. I have zero sympathy though for anyone who comes up behind my full cart with a couple items when I'm in the only regular checkout aisle and there are 8 self checkout aisles sitting there empty (our local Walmart is like this all the time).

I only use self-checkout... Partly because I work nights at a grocery store so they're all that's open... Also I know how to work them so I can fix them when they fuck up...

Even when I shop during the day though, I only use self-checkout...

googs19 posted...

Unless I've got a ton to groceries or a bunch of produce that needs to be keyed in and weighed, I'll use the self checkout.

This. I only use staffed checkouts if I have a big or complex cart.

At Walmart they have people "helping" you which is basically them watching you scan. Then the old woman at the door wants to see your receipt to make sure you scanned everything.