To too quickly lose my rag with self-service check outs?

[Liltzero]

Just had a nasty run in with the self service check outs in the Sainsburys Local. Damn thing kept complaining about "unexpected items in the bagging area"

Nobody around to help and the one lady serving at the proper till just suggesting to the long queue that they use the self service tills!

I still think that most people would prefer to be served quickly by a human being, so to my mind this proliferation of Self service tills shows a disregard of customer service in favour of increased profits by the shops, grrrrrr

For example there is always a long queue for the served tills in WHSmith whilst a poor shop assistant attempts to encourage the queuers to use the self service tills. Nobody shifts,

Rant over.....

YANBU, they can be the work of the devil.

I don't like them. Yet I continue to use them in the hope that one time they might work.

The trick is to open the bag before packing. Many times I've been met with an infuriating voice because I've scanned but not bagged quickly enough because I can't get the bag open in time.

Or! What you've put in the bag is too light for it to register. So annoying. Yet every time I go back.

I am only any good at using them if I am buying 1 item. Otherwise it starts muttering at me about unwanted items and such like. I find them okay if I have dp with me because he will handle the bagging bit while I do the scanning.

However, with how much we pay for bloody food these days, I expect to be able to be served by a person.

It may save the retailers money but it's fucking up the economy and taking away jobs.

'Unexpected item in bagging area'- yes, a bag of bloody shopping!! not that unexpected surely.

And don't get me started on WH Smith self service. One and only time I tried to use them, I scanned in my purchases, only to find it would not let me pay for it using a gift voucher. Had to queue up all over again for a proper till. Never again. YA sooo NBU

I've only used WHSmith ones once. The scanner was placed in such a way as to make it impossible to scan the files I was buying.

I hate them but use them to let DD play shops

oh, they do that to me. last time i snapped 'yes, it's me!' because my arm was still putting the item in the bag.
i have to have a row with that bloody woman every time i go. she's so patronising. 'thankyou for using the fast lane'. fuck off, bitch, its after 9pm and there are no real checkouts open.

I love them. Hate supermarkets in general, have no wish to speak to anyone and plug my ipod into my ears. I get infuriated by slow people doddering about without a clue how to use them -if you can't use them, queue up and free them up for people with common sense. It's not that bloody hard and they're self explanatory. You open the bag before you start, and then use one hand to get stuff out your basket and pass it to the other to scan and bag which at the same time frees up the first hand to get the next item out of the basket. It's one fluid movement and both hands are working at the same time.

What bedmonster said

I think I love you bedmonster! don't use them if you don't like them!
I love them, especially near the end of the month when all I have is a bag of change, tescos are very good at accepting all my loose change crap.

This happened to me yesterday in Tesco and when someone finally came to help she said, and I quote, 'Oooh Sally self service is in a bad mood today, she keeps doing this'

Sally Self Service Can Fuck Off.

I think lots of people don't use the self service tills because it's the loss of at least one job.

Bedmonster, it is all very well saying it is a fluid movement if you are using a basket, what if you have a trolley ? It is much more difficult, and as the OP pointed out sometimes you have to use them with a trolley as there are no human check-outs open or there are long queues so the shops are directing you to the self service.

As a rule I like them. Enjoy all the beeping.

However, yesterday I was caught in a surreal loop where it kept saying there was an unexpected item after putting in my scanned sandwich, and every time I moved it it kept asking me to return the item. Odd.

Never use self service , hate them, alway's go to till's were they put your stuff through thay's what they get paid for , why should i put my own stuff through. Hate it when they alway's ask if you want to go to self service .

Bedmonster - ha ha ha you have obviously not seen me using a self service checkout. one flid movement!! I think not - more like an octopus trying to paint his toenails without smudging one. I'm a reasonably intelligent woman but very unco-ordinated and get yself in a pickle. However if I don't keep using them I'll never get the hang of it will I? I try not to use them if there is a queue but then there will be a queue at the manned checkout as well and I tie myself in knots there as well trying to unpack,pack,find my purse and chat to the checkout person all at once

I quite like them, infact usually when I'm scanning I think I'd be a great check out assistant

I love self service tills! I hate making small talk with checkout people.
On the Sainsbury's ones if it says unexpected item in bagging area just hit the "I'm using my own bag" button and it will stop.

I hate them too - we need people to have jobs in this day and age. Similarly I do eveything possible to avoid the self service machines in all our local libraries (which Manchester council are in the process of closing down).

Expat I don't know anyone who doesn't use them for moral reasons. Also, the 3 majoy supermarkets closest to me are advertising for staff. All of them.

Stanley you can do the same with a trolley. It really just takes a bit of thought. If you use 2 hands you can be getting stuff out of it, scanning and bagging each item in less than 2 seconds.

And as I tend to go during the daytime, my local supermarkets all have checkouts open, so people do have the option. and STILL choose to get in my fucking way

Needto no you won't, so practise to your hearts content, just not near me

You may have guessed i'm not the worlds most tolerant or patient person

I am slow person doddering about

I was persuaded to use one once by a monster woman in Sainsburys.

They are not designed with me in mind.

That is all.

When I am told by a machine, 'Unexpected object in the bagging area,' I say very loudly, 'How dare you, that's me!' (Am Thespian). This usually brings a member of staff, sharpish. I suspect these machines save very little if anything, taking into account repairs and servicing. (Open to being proved wrong if there are any MNers who work for supermarket companies and have evidence)

I love self service checkouts, mainly because like a small child I enjoy playing shops . DH and I play who can scan things just by placing them near the scanner too .
At least in Sainsburys if you have a trolley of stuff you can put bags you have scanned into the trolley, it just asks you if you have moved them. In waitrose the nice assistant stands by their control panel thing and as soon as something is a problem they fix it from their panel. Mind you, have spotted their scan and shop things in ours, anyone know if they are as fun as they sound? leaves thread to do some work and get a life