Guy at Lidl trying to make me use self check out

Poor guy. He's probably new. Been nagged at by management to get people to use self service and now being nagged at by customers.

If you go to the loo there, you'll probably see their staff board with action of the week - ask more customers to use the SS tills!

Company pressure and annoying yeah. Not his fault though he wants to keep his job. Let him go.

Must be a real hassle for those who are affronted by the existence of self-service tills and ‘automation’ when they can only get money from the bank at limited times because they won’t use the ATMs fhat replaced bank tellers 40+ years ago.

Never fall for the "I'll help you", no they bloody won't. I gave in once with toddler DS in a mood and a trolley full and I was on the verge anyway. She literally walked off the second I got to the self checkout and I couldn't face starting the queue again. Toddler started crying, checkout kept getting the weights wrong. I just left it there and left.

They don't have the staff to properly support the self checkout.

I agree. She said no thank you, that should be the end of it, he shouldn’t have kept on about it.

I prefer to use a staffed checkout with a large shop but I wish our Lidl had a self service till.

The chap on the till here is mostly surly, snappy and just downright rude. Not with blokes I’ve noticed. And not with the young women.

Overheard him trying to be billybigbollocks with one of the young members of staff. He was describing something he’d been to see which was full of ‘sexual overtones, phallic symbolism with nods to onanism’ and other such tosh and that it would take someone of a certain mind and intelligence to understand.

Creepy as well as rude.

I like self-checkouts but would not scan a full large trolley myself on one. I only physically go to the store for top up shops anyway as our weekly shop is pretty big and we have it delivered.

He should ask once

You said no

He leaves it.

You are the customer!

I hate self checkouts and won’t use them. If there is no alternative I always ask for help and get the staff member to do it for me. I am very absent minded at times and don’t ever want to be accused of not scanning something through, so won’t put myself in that situation.

He needs to take no for an answer.

Really do not get the hate for self service tills. I would always use them by preference. I mean, why wouldn't you? It's so much quicker.

I don't think it is quicker. But anyway, I'm never in a rush. And it completely changes the relationship with the staff from them being a friendly assistant to one where there is a thinly-veiled suspicion that you are stealing things or somehow trying to play the system and they're there to keep an eye on you while alarms and lights go off and you're shouted at by an automated voice.

So bollocks to that, if I can't be trusted not to put unexpected items in the bagging area then they can do the scanning for me thanks very much and I'll just pay!

They had a customer in front of them who needed to buy a trolley load of food. That's what the checkout assistant needed to get done. The customer is not interested in what else the member of staff might have to do.

I don't know why they were trying to get you to.use the self checkout with a full trolley load. The manned checkout is much quicker when you have a lot of stuff. They should have kept one open.

Really do not get the hate for self service tills. I would always use them by preference. I mean, why wouldn't you? It's so much quicker.

Actually, best of all is smart scan. We always use this in Sainsburys and I honestly can't imagine how tedious it would be to have to go back to the old days of going through a manned check out. Well I can imagine it, that's why I don't want to do it.

Had similar in Aldi. Don't like it. Remember when they were introduced it was all promises that there will always be tills available. Yeah right.

He was politely implying to you that the staff had other things they needed to get done. Not saying it's right, just saying that staff have too much to do in the time they have.

I don't like self service and don't use them. In my local Aldi on one evening visit I was told there was no alternative and I had to use it. I complained later and was told if ever it happened again, to say no and they would open a till. Since then I've been in twice where I've been asked if I want to use self service, declined and I've immediately been told they will open a till for me. So whatever got passed on, they did listen to me and change their approach on this.

I'm pleased as I simply won't keep shopping somewhere I have to use self service. For all of you who find it 'weird' you do what you like, but others should still get the choice!

I don't like them so I don't use them.
I've given up on shops where it's the only option.

Maybe it's weird, maybe not.

I hear ya. I hate this automating of everything. It's really hard on those of us with disabilities.

I am not going anywhere near those fucking self-service tills. If they won't open a proper till they can put the items in my abandoned trolley back on the shelves themselves. That is all!

My local Aldi always had 12 manned checkouts, and no self service ones. Last year they got 8 self service ones, but fortunately, they only took away 2 manned checkouts.

So that's not too bad. At least they still have 10 manned checkouts, and the option to use one of the 8 self service ones.

I would never go a self service checkout with a high trolley full of stuff though. Only ever a manned one.

Can we PLEASE use the word "staffed" rather than "manned".

He looked at you weirdly because he's unable to comprehend the fact that you're juggling several different responsibilities ie your child and your shopping. All he sees is the fact that self service might be quicker - for all he knows you might also have a disability which makes self service difficult. Or you might be a recently reformed shop lifter determined to stay on the straight and narrow and unable to trust yourself with self service. He presumably doesn't have any of these issues so you shouldn't either. If you'd only allow him to explain how easy things are.

my local Aldi doesn’t have manned tills. It’s great though. They now have 25 self service instead of 4 manned tills and they have 6 employees to help. If someone clearly can’t do it themselves they scan and pack for people.

much better than my local Waitrose where the people helping self scan are nowhere to be found

He was just explaining to you how he’d address your concerns when you rebutted him. He probably would have helped you pack etc.

YANBU @Earlynightthen I think the odd self service checkout here and there has its place, but I deeply resent the fact that some supermarkets are trying to have the self checkouts outnumber the manned ones. (And some are succeeding.) Bloody Morrisons in my local town annoy me. 8 normal tills (was 20 when I moved here over a decade ago!) and 16 bloody self service ones. So they have twice the amount of self service ones. Also, they often only have 2-3 manned checkouts with someone at them.

Obviously trying to encourage people to use the self service. WHY? That's what I'd like to know. There's no advantage for me/the customer, as three quarters of the time, a shop assistant has to come and put a code in for something that won't go through. Either because it's an 'over 25' item, or it's too light and isn't registering on the scale! OR the barcode is damaged, obscured, or has a crease in it.

So yeah, there is NO advantage to me. And I can't see how it gives any advantage to the normal, minimum-pay shop staff. It's a foregone conclusion that many will end up losing their jobs if self service checkouts become 'the norm.'

DH refuses point blank to use the self service checkouts, and says 'I pay for a service, I want it!' Also, it's ridiculous that they want people to go through a self service checkout with a trolley full of stuff!