to think Sainsbury's are really taking the piss?

[BuggerLumpsAnnoyed]

Basically, our local sainsbury's had taken loads of the normal tills out and replace them with a few more God forsaken self service machines. Now, personal feelings of hatred aside, they haven't increased the staff manning them, so, where there were four machines and one member of staff attending to them, there are now 8, and still one memeber of staff.

It really bloody takes the piss IMO. One poor sod, basically doing the job of 8 checkout assistants, as the things never fucking work, while everybody looks pissed off with their stupid light going off.

And if it wasn't bad enough, to get your car parking money back (one of those "you buy a ticket and its refunded in store" ones) you have to physically give it to said poor sod, who refunds you out of their bum bag, no option on the stupid till!

Right. Sorry for the rant. No, it doesn't get more interesting.

"something unexpected in the bagging area" repeated again and again drives me nuts. Yes, I know, where else can I put my umbrella, handbag, other bag, etc.

The Sainsburys machines bug me because they insist on you putting your own bag down on the scales if you don't want one of theirs

I've never had that? And if I'm only buying one or two things, quite often I don't bother with a bag at all.

I buy online, charming Tesco employees turn up and put the groceries in my kitchen.

I avoid them like the plague - they're guaranteed to have me fuming. If I'm going to be treat rudely while shopping I'd prefer it was an actual human 😁

Our local Co-op has removed the self service checkouts!!!

SticktheDM what I detested most about Waitrose self service machines was that all of them in the little Waitrose AND big Waitrose always had card only options, nothing for cash and cards... It was almost like they wanted you to spend more money on your card!

What was great too (I think morrisons and Asda self service machines still do them) was the option of cash back in M&S self service machines. Then the bastards stopped that. Very convenient and handy for me and one more reason I don't go to M&S foodhall so much anymore.

I recently went in a Sainsburys where they hid all the bags and so when you finished in the self checkout and entered the number you wanted you had to flag down an attendant to hand the bags over to you. Of course there were only a couple of people working there for loads of machines. Ridiculous.

I love the self scanners at Tesco, never have to queue to use them it's great.

If you complain I think they return it to what it was.

In sainsbos Wimbledon they made a lot of the aisles redundant and tried to get a lot of the shop self serve tills. This worked until I think the customers complained and lo and behold sainsbos opened new aisles for checkout staff manned tills still had self serve ones but not as many.

Our Boots is now self service only, which on principle I don't mind but their machines are a load of shite. I get unreasonably angry as every time, without fail, regardless of what I'm buying it doesn't believe I've put the item in the bag. Only one staff member for 12 self service tills and said staff member also has to hand out bags, and tidy up the shelves nearby.

I don't really have an issue with supermarkets as I shop online, no interaction required and I can get the shop done while watching TV...just substitutes to get frothy about

I seem to be instant death to these bloody self service tills. It's mutual loathing at first sight and as for B&Q.....I hate going there but forced to as doing up the house and it's the only DIY store near us other than a crappy Homebase

Last time i went to sainsburys i put my bag on as instructed and then the machine said "unexpected item in the bagging area" and then refused to work

The assistant came to the till next to me as that lady had the same problem

Then he said "its because your bag has something in it and is too heavy"

So it wants me to empty my bag of everything i have bought in boots and marks, put the sainsburys stuff in and then repack the bag with the stuff from boots and marks? Stupid sodding machine

Get used to self service tills.

You want cheap prices, the company wants maximum profit, the only way to do that is to stop having those inconvenient humans about. You don't have to pay a self service till sick pay/maternity pay or any kind of pay.

Presumably it's better for the world if you have checkout operators out of work rather than contributing to society?

I don't feel cheap prices are an advantage of self service - the shops will charge what the market will stand and lower costs will just mean they make more money. I do like them because they're often quicker and I can put my loose change in them.

This is the main reason I now have my groceries delivered.

As much as people love to loathe the big supermarkets, a lot of them are seeing their profits falling - they need to make changes like self service machines to try and save cash, but also customers want things quickly and they don't want to queue. When you can take the space of two staffed tills and install 6 quick self serve tills, in principal it works (although a lot of the machines need refining!). And yes more machines means losing some staff, but better that then them crippling under like woolworths etc because they don't move with the times and all staff losing their jobs.

My local Morrison's has moved its less than 10 items away from self check out...Apparently enough people weren't using the self check out.. I assume thats because they don''t want to !!

I hate self scanners, they never work and it always takes me longer to purchase my shopping.

However another negative effect I have noticed is if I use the staffed till the till staff always make conversation now and in that slightly stilted way that gives me the inkling that they've been told that customers using the till want to be talked to. Well I don't - I just want to buy my shopping as quickly and conveniently as possible.

Click and collect is my saviour - happy to chat to the person at that as not already frazzled from going round the shop.

The M&S ones wind me up, demanding to know: "have you swiped your Sparks card?" No I haven't got one because even your staff say they're crap!

I HATE the self-checkout, I haven't successfully used one without needing help, not ever. Every time I say I won't do it again, and when I do give in, it fucks up. AGAIN.

There was a Morrison's one that enraged me so much I just dumped my basket on the floor and stormed out because I was so pissed off!

I just won't use them now, I would rather queue.

if I use the staffed till the till staff always make conversation now and in that slightly stilted way that gives me the inkling that they've been told that customers using the till want to be talked to

Everyone should shop at Aldi Staff there earn their slightly higher than average wages, and then some. They manage to scan everything at lightning speed, while still behaving in a pleasant manner - and without the spurious 'conversation'.

A headline I saw recently said that UK food prices have actually fallen thanks to Aldi & Lidl. The supermarkets trying to compete by removing human staff have completely missed the point!

Oh yes Garlicshake - I went to our local Aldi a few months ago and was very impressed by the shop assistant's scanning speed.

I know that at Waitress there are customers who genuinely value that conversation, but I just find it excruciating particularly when I'm asked "Having a nice day?" or "got much else on today?" . General chit chat about the weather I can just about cope with.

I always get the unexpected item in bagging area, usually because my coat has knocked it, or DC has touched it, I avoid with avengance. Even when there are queues at staffed tills.

I bloody loved Publix when we lived there.