To wonder why people hate the self check outs at supermarkets

[Mumto123monkeys]

It’s driving me a bit mad....people moaning.
I don’t get what’s wrong with them, I’ve heard ‘why would I use them, I don’t work hear’. But surely it shortens the que...

Also ‘I like to speak to people, not a machine’ ok....it’s not difficult to strike up a convo in most places...
and loads of others! Personally, I can’t see the issue! I use both, I prefer self serve-scan as you shop too, if it’s available! It’s much quicker, and the kids love it so helps keep them happy!
I know they can be glitchy, but some shops have got them really good!

They're not quicker, because a) i’m slower at scanning than somebody who works there. I don’t know which side of the packaging the barcode is on, for a start. Or the codes for fresh fruit and veg

This. I grew up and out of wanting to play shops.

I am a disloyal shopper ie go to a variety of supermarkets and most of of the self scan machines I encounter when I reluctantly do so are still operating on the original free dispensation of plastic bags basis. If you take your own ( as we are urged to do) then there is either nowhere to rest the bag while you put things in after putting them on the bagging area or the machine won’t recognise the weight of your bag or there is no facility to zero the weight of an existing bag with things already in. Gah.

Things don’t always scan properly for a till operator, either - they have to either enter the number manually, or try and straighten out a creased code or look up whatever it is meant to be but isn’t but I don’t see anyone blaming them for the fault.

I wont use them because I have no intention of giving big business a reason to cut jobs that I hope one day my children (and any luck, grand children) can possibly have.

Yes generally if I self scan I have to put things onto the weighing part, and then when I have paid pack them. It is a total pain.

So, everyone who’s saying the self service tills aren’t costing jobs, why are supermarkets installing them? They must be covering the cost somewhere, if it’s not in reduced staff where’s the cost saving coming from?

Of course it costs jobs. It is about saving money.

I’m not sure why people find them so difficult to use!! I think itsoften stubbornness, and an un-willingness to accept change.....

Perhaps you are devoid of empathy.

• They are near impossible to use if you have one of a range of disabilities
• there are never enough staff to supervise because the whole purpose of them is to reduce staffing, especially trained staffing
• every chain has a different system
• the checkout scales and scanners frequently do not work correctly (poor callibration, dirt on the scanners etc)
• many items require you to wait for a member of staff
• ask for help as a disabled person and you get a hostile look and a long wait to find someone
• listening to charmers like the OP whining at the checkout blocker waiting for assistance
• watching the trained member of staff use them evidences the problems with the kit (about which they complain as well)
• that despite all the documented problems with shoddily implemented self checkout many city centre stores do not offer an alternative human checkout

I could go on. It is perfectly possibly to implement better self checkout solutions but its more expensive. The quality of the self service solutions is often an indicator of how companies really regard their 'customers'.

One of my highlights of this was in the ever delightless WHSmiths at T5 Heathrow where I was struggling to manage the self checkout with a walking stick and baggage. I foolishly asked for help from the idiot wearing the customer service badge and was told "its self service" with rolling eyes and he then fucked off.

I left the stuff on top of the scanner and fucked off to a store with human beings.

Oh god it’s another one of those threads
OP why don’t people like...
150 people because....
OP ignores the 150 reasons and decides everyone else in the world except them is just stubborn

Apparently they (not decathlon but techy people generally) are working on magic trolleys that do the same, you just put the items in there's no need to check out because it knows what's in there

Nothing magic, usually RFID tags which don't need to be removed from a trolley to be detected. They will become more common when a tagging system is cheap enough to put on low value items and all items can be labelled reliably.

Doesn't address the problems with all the items needing someone to supervise your purchase of ibuprofen though!

I can only speak for the supermarket I worked at but it was becoming more process heavy and we just moved resources from tolls to shop floor and backstage. I can honestly say there have been no job losses at all and the self serve tills have been in about 3 years.

Because they are eradicating jobs for people.

Ffs not tolls tills

Me: puts item in bagging area

Machine: "please place item in the bagging area"

Me: takes item out bagging area and puts it back in

Machine: "item removed from bagging area. Please replace item in the bagging area"

Me: does same thing

Machine: "unidentified item in bagging area"

Me: Huff

Machine: "please scan next item or select payment method"

Me: scans next item

Machine:

Me:

Machine: "please wait for assistance"

Me: screaming internally.

FFS MN!!! Why dont spaces between lines show when posting using the app!!! Now my post makes no sense!!

They are ridiculous they need an assistant if there is anything age or safety restricted and obviously the dreaded unexpected item in bagging area! Our new large poundland tries to force you to use them by just not putting anyone on the till but last time I used the self scan I needed an assistant 4 times for less than 10 items. What is the point?

Bianca that made me laugh, so true at times :)

I love them. Use them all the time and never had a problem

@BullBullBull It probably depends what you are buying. Try buying a newspaper or anything else very light where the weight will vary day to day. The checkouts rarely cope with that.
And it always makes me realise just how many items are age restricted. As I have to get approval yet again.

I didn't understand the fuss about the self serve tills, until I moved back to the UK.
The ones here are always yelling about the bagging area. this never came up once in all the years I used them in Belgium. I could pack the items straight in to my bag at my feet with no issues.
I don't understand why we can't have those machines here.

The Waitrose ones are good because they don't have the scales so you can easily use your own bag, but don't take cash which is annoying.

I don't like the new-ish exclamation mark which comes up in the Sainsburys ones telling you to put your stuff in the bagging area after you've already done it.

My husband won’t use them as he sees it as taking jobs from people.

So he doesn't use cash machines, "pay at the pump" petrol stations, ticket machines at railway stations, unattended car parks, etc etc?

@rivier I am guessing we have cheaper ones here? Because it is all about saving money and they don't invest in decent technology here.

It’s actually really irritating and entitled.

It may be irritating, to you, but how on earth can it be entitled, *SemperIdem?

@Kazzyhoward Why ask that? Some people do not want to use self service check outs because frankly it does take jobs AND is of no real benefit to the customer.
Cash machines are of a clear benefit to the customer and I have never ever had one go wrong.
Generally most people will overcome any ethical dilemma if it clearly benefits them. But if it doesn't, then the ethical dilemma comes to the fore.
That is psychology 101. You can berate people all you want, but it is the same for any new technology.

Sorry @Ukelou, I’m not buying that. No business would invest £££££ in tech unless they could recoup the cost elsewhere. The only logical way to do it is by reducing staff.

£1 T-Shirts, self service tills.....it's a slippery slope.