...to think 'self-service' checkouts are the work of the Devil?

[Terpsichore]

I bloody hate them.

Have just gone into a (big) M & S food hall and had to use the self-service checkout in desperation because of huge lunchtime queues at the 3 tills that were open. 'Do you want to use your own bag?' asks the robot-woman (actually, she shrieks it at the top of her smug robot voice)
Me (thinks): Yes, I do
Robot: 'Please put your bag in the bagging area'.
Me (thinks) I've just done it, you stupid woman
Robot (shrieks even louder): 'Unauthorised object in bagging area. Please confirm you are using your own bag'
Me (thinks):
Robot: 'Please press button to confirm you are using your own bag...!!' etc etc
So it goes on, with robot insisting that my bag is an unauthorised object and me pressing button again and again. Finally manage to pay and get out in state of great discombobulation.

Go into bank to pay in cheques. Have to use 'self service paying-in' machine which takes delight in spitting cheque back out again so you have to enlist hovering member of staff to help. No real people behind counter any more.

Go into Boots. No real people at cash-desks but row of hideous 'self-service' machines plus obligatory hovering staff-member. Wait behind queue of people to pay real money to a real person instead.

Gaaaaaah! I know there's a credit-crunch but how I detest the way big chains are making US into their unofficial (and, naturally, unpaid) staff!

[southeastastra]

i quite like them, but always snigger when i hear the 'bagging' area.

[EyeballsintheSky]

Staffing issues aside, I love them, because I can buy loads of chocolate and cake and no one will say 'are you having a party?'

Of course they also may be the reason I've piled on shedloads

And no one else likes them so there's never much of a queue.

[MitchyInge]

yanbu

I only like QuickCheck, all other self-service things are nightmarish

[ExtraFancy]

LOL at your description. I had similar trouble with the one in B&Q - why are the robot voices so bloody loud?

[Bibelots]

YABU I much prefer them. The robot voice is annoying, but nothing to the actual mad women who are our local checkout assistants. At least the robot voice does not scare the children.

[EyeballsintheSky]

But never loud enough to attract the disinterested teenager lurking, when it shouts of 'please wait for assistance'

[Terpsichore]

The problem for me is that, more often than not, they just don't work. There's some problem or other, and you have call over the unfortunate person who's on 'help the idiots trying to make the self-service tills work' duty.

And I have a deep hatred of the corporate principle behind it which is that big supermarkets and shops can see a way to make us poor fools do the jobs they should be employing people to do.

And I'm not a technophobe - I think I'm pretty clued-up with using touch-screens and what-have-you, so what's it like for anyone who doesn't regularly use computers, mobile phones etc? For example, my elderly mum would be totally flummoxed by them (they haven't got to her part of the world yet, fortunately).

I stand by my hatred!

[claireybee]

I usually use the buggy basket for most of my shopping so it annoys me that I have to put all my shopping into the bagging area then pick it up bit by bit to put it in the buggy while robot woman say "please take your items, please take your items" over and over again.

[clumsymum]

DS ADORES the self service checkouts in our huge Boots store. He's nearly 10, and just loves all the faffing about, waving things over the scanner, putting everything into seperate bags (if I let him get away with it, which I don't), and all the business with the vouchers (he loves the boots points machines too).

I only go into Boots rarely, often with a list of things I want. If he's with me it'll take us about 20 mins to find the things to buy, and easily 1/2 an hour to do the self-scanning thing and pay.

If I'm on my own, I never use them. If poss, I'll take my basket over to one of the cosmetics counters and get them to do it, so I don't have to snake down the roped off area (which I truly detest).

[BadgersArse]

I aodre them
i love the scanning thing
now i have scanned AND used a floor polishing machine all i have lft to do in life is get my hands on teh Deli ham slicing machine

[JoesMummy09]

I think there should be some sort of check-out proficiency test before other people are allowed to use them.

Never forget the time someone scanned all their shopping through and then said "I'm just going to get some cash out... I'll be back in a minute" There were 12 people queuing behind him and only 3 of the 6 machines working.

Tesco on Kensington High Street has to be seen to be belived. There are more staff "helping" than there are working self-service check-outs.

If people don't know how to use them they should stick to the ordinary check-outs!

[janeite]

YANBU - they are horrible. And they will be used to justify staff reduncies soon enough.

[janeite]

redundancies even

[BadgersArse]

but thats a bit liek being opposed to elietricity because the lamp lighters will eb out of a job SHURELY

[carocaro]

I do love them and like to get my own back when they are particularly stupid by getting my DS's to lean on and off the bagging area thus creating robot confusion and they don't know quite what to say!

[yama]

YANBU re getting angry over the own bag being an unauthorised item. The snidey Tesco man suggested I put my bag on the floor and then transfer items into it.

Not not good for my back Mr Snidey Tesco Man.

[yama]

YANBU re getting angry over the own bag being an unauthorised item. The snidey Tesco man suggested I put my bag on the floor and then transfer items into it.

Not not good for my back Mr Snidey Tesco Man.

[famishedass]

they're brilliant because they take all sorts of coupons the sales assistants would refuse

[BadgersArse]

lets talk ham slicers

[yama]

Sorry - got impatient.

Probably my blood boiling due to the memory of Snidey Tesco Man.

[squatchette]

Oh I hate them too mainly the Asda ones .They always tell me i'm unauthorised placing something in the bagging area when there's F.A there.
A few weeks ago I was using one whilst holding dd3 in one arm (she's 10 months).I put through a bottle of wine and it said I.D needed so the women comes over and asks me to show her some (am 30 btw)as i'm rummaging in my bag with baby wriggling away I dropped the bloody wine bottle and it smashed all over the floor.
You always use them thinking it will be faster but it seems to have a grudge against me so ends up taking ages AND needing a real person to sort it's stupid mistakes out.I felt like kicking the thing after the vino incident!

[squatchette]

its sorry!

[melmog]

Ya definately nbu to use the word discombobulate. I love it! Going to try and fit it into my daily vocabulary from now on.

[janeite]

I have said on here before that I'm a Luddite - rage against the machines and all that (well except coffee makers, obviously....and trains - they can stay)!