to hate self service tills

[thewooster]

I know they have their uses and sometimes I have used them when desperate but I'm so clumsy and useless with the damn things.

Today I went to Poundland and they have removed the manned tills apart from one and replaced with self service. One grumpy assistant (and I dont blame her for being grumpy) was sorting out the same old problem with customers and I pondered whether to wait in the massive queue at the manned till or go self service.

I opted for self service because I needed to get the bus quickly and oh my god I messed it up by scanning my item twice and then I put my quids in and it wouldn't accept one. Grumpy assistant had to come over twice to help me.

I got really stressed out and it's happened to me in Sainsburys too where I keep putting unexplained items in the bagging area - is it me?

I know self service is the future but can't they keep a few more manned tills for people like me? I suppose it saves money but I actually put some items back on the shelf in WH Smith because of their self service till.

@wasonthelist don't hate the machine - it's just doing its job grin

But it isn't They have one job - and they can't do it. Also I often wish to buy stuff like drink and other stuff that requires authorisation - which without fail takes longer than at the human checkout. Also youse are all miserable gits not wanting to face/talk to a human - why? When did we all start hating human interaction so much?

@wasonthelist - because it's annoying and fake chat. I speak to my friends and family, even if the person at checkout was the most interesting person in the world, them mumbling hello thank you do you have a voucher bla bla i can save myself time and do it myself. I'm just not interested / don't care. Basically. And I hate the obligation to have to speak to someone I don't know - kind of just let me get my stuff and get out please. Mundane. And I don't have time. I appreciate some people do not feel like this though.

Thanks uselavender I genuinely didn't realise people feel this way. It's interesting. I love exchanging a few words with people I don't know - you'd hate me if I bumped into you in a shop/train etc :)

@wasonthelist my mum is like you - lots of people are like you and I think it's a nice quality. Just not me. Maybe they need to keep same number of staff and machines so best of both worlds / options!

My local supermarket has just installed them, they arrived last week. I HATE them. My first item scanned itself twice and I had figure out how to cancel one. The next item was a tub with the barcode on a bend, wouldn't scan. Next item was wine - it told me to get help. So I packed up my basket again and queued up at a manned one.
And to add insult to injury, they have taken out the cafe to make space for these. I loved the cafe

Apologise if been said but the Tesco 'all your club card points add up'

What a fucking statement of the bloody obvious. Gives me the rage every time I hear it.

I hate the things.

Most can't seem to cope with you using your own bag (as we are all encouraged to do) or no bag, as a pp pointed out. And they can't cope with light things. I end up doing this elaborate throw down dance where I repeatedly chuck the item at the scale from an increasing distance in an attempt to get it to register.

My happiest moment with self service tills was when some kind soul on here told me how to make Tesco's go silent!

Me and two of the staff in the local Waitrose have been experimenting to see if we can make theirs shut up too. We haven't found a method yet although taking a sledgehammer to the whole row has been considered. I mean if we customers find the voices stating the obvious tedious it must be far worse for the staff stuck on nearby manned checkouts

I would put stuff back rather than use one ever again. EVERY single time I use one it goes wrong and I stand watching the manned queue I would have been I finish faster than me. And the M&S food store I sometimes use for some lunch NEVER has carrier bags at the self serve tills. Winds me up irrationally so it's better for my sanity I don't use them

And don't get me started on the girl in Nat West who walks the queue trying to get you to use the self service machine instead of the cashier. If I wanted to use the self serve machine I'd have stood in that queue. Grrrrrr

I work in a Supermarket. We can't keep the manned tills busy enough, especially on a Sunday.

Oops! I mean they are super busy. Our customers like manned tills.

I would love it if you could select a voice on the start screen... thinking pierce brosnan instead of the angry woman who accuses me of putting unexpected items in the bagging area!

I like them because you can steal bags. Apart from asda where a worker keeps hold of them.

I agree, OP, hate them sooooooo fucking much, they give me road rage symptoms

My experience is that No Customer in USA uses them, and there is no staff member around, which is painful if you do have any problems you're in for a long wait for someone to come help. Otherwise, great place to get rid of $5 in pennies.

I see loads of people using them in the USA. But when I was back in the UK I was astonished how many self-service tills they have, and that in some stores they just didn't have any manned (or womanned?) tills at all.

I used to work on them.. and I wouldn't ever use them for my own shopping!!

I actually enjoyed working on them though as it was so easy.. just push a button and swipe your barcode normally!

I personally didn't mind going to sort the problems, as it was usually very simple. It looks a lot more complicated than it actually is!

@BeAlert, do you see staff at the self-serve tills? My experience is a dirty bagging area in the corner of the store, no customers nearby & no staff in sight (the registers with people working on them are behind a visual barrier).

there should be someone lurking for id etc on age restricted sales

not only that but self service is high crime area...lots of forgetting to scan items goes on!!

They are ok. Just warn the assistant that you will be requiring their assistance shortly as you head towards one. Never use if in a hurry, it may be a machine but like a baby it can tell when you are stressed. If you do not have a bag and don't want one, just play "let's pretend" and put your items on the correct area each time, pretending you are putting the items in a bag. I like to think I am filling a Fortnam & Mason bag myself. Always have a spare piece of paper ready for when it doesn't acknowledge your coupon. Waitrose ones are best but sadly I can't shop there often.

they always take longer than queuing (yes, I've compared queues)

They are the spawn of Satan. Avoid!

Love them, in my small Tesco there is only one queue for both manned tills and self-service and I always let people go in front of me if the manned till comes up first.

I don't use a bag till finished so drop everything directly onto bagging area then pack once I've paid. Also a much better experience once I realised YOU CAN TURN OFF THE VOICE.

I think that deserves capitals because it's life-changing!

Talking of voices, the most annoying ones ime are in B&Q where the female voice chirps, "don't forget your receipt" before the bloody thing has even printed. I have told her to sod off more than once.

My husband hates them and refuses to use them, going on a rant to the staff about 'how the service industry just ain't what it used to be!' Every fucking time we have a staff member suggesting we use one!

Personally, I don't mind them WHEN THEY WORK! Pisses me right off when I have to get an assistant because it doesn't recognise an item, or doesn't recognise the weight of something very light in weight, or when I get an item that needs an assistant to verify you are over 18 (even throat sweets need that bizarrely!)

But I don't mind them, because it means I don't have to talk to anyone. My husband doesn't get out much, and sometimes has full length conversations about fuckall with the woman serving (whether she wants it or not!) I prefer to pay for my stuff, quickly say 'hi' to the person serving, and then leave!