Supermarket self checkouts

[Orangeblossom78]

I had to ask if it was Ok to use one of these today (M & S) as no-one was using them. One was open out of about 10.

Meantime the guy working nearby was mentioning about 'viral load' being why a local checkout worker had died.

Same in Waitrose the other day. I was the only one using a self scanner and self checkout. I'm not keen to pass on anything to a checkout person

So why do the supermarkets not encourage shoppers through these self checkouts and maybe just have one or two people on tills for customers who for whatever reason can't manage them?

I felt sorry for the poor checkout person who looked onto the newspaper rack with copies of the local paper and headline about the checkout person who had died

less than a metre apart aren't they?

I’ve been using scan as you shop when I go. Seen very few other people doing that though.

I've only been to the proper supermarket once since lockdown and was surprised to see larger queues for the manned check out than there were for the self scan. There were others using the self scan too, but not that many. I thought the same as you op, doesn't seem fair to the checkout people when there's an alternative.

Actually had to go to my local shop today, that's where I've been doing most of my shopping. A man came in and bought a single packet of mints and paid in cash and took change. I think I would have refused to serve him if I'd worked there.

I see, yes they would be less that 2m apart but if every second one was opened they would have been OK...or more than 1 anyway

Snd they could have a person supervising letting one customer through at a time so that would work Ok. I mean that is what they did at Waitrose prior to the lockdown, with the person wiping each machine between customers.

That would still work. Feels like they are not prioritising their staff enough. At Boots they have screens but nothing in M&S or Waitrose between the staff and customers on the tills.

Would also mean the cashiers didn't have to scan through the stuff the customers had been touching as they'd be doing that themselves.

All the supermarkets near me have every other one cordened off to keep to the social distancing guidelines but there are always queues, they're more popular than the manned tills.

OK it must depend where you are then. Ours were always busy before the lockdown, more so than the tills. But now not so. Bit odd.

Our local Sainsbury's has every other one cordoned off. Seems to work well.

I'm thinking to must be because they are for baskets and people are doing more big shops with trolleys. Unless you use the self scanners you can only put baskets through the tills - and not many know how to use them / need a Waitrose card to do so.

Supermarkets here have every other one cordoned off.
Everyone was keeping the correct distance.

i guess it depends on staffing levels then......a supervisor required

with furlough and isolating theres not many staff left!

They open every other one at Lidl and I always opt to use them.

At my local Waitrose you can't have a basket, just a trolley. Every other manned till is open and every other self checkout (they don't take cash).They have screens at the tills.

I think self scan using the app on your phone is the way forward. Less touching of everything. And self scan is very easy to do.

What is the app on the phone, is that for Waitrose? Sounds a good idea. saves them having to clean the scanners etc

I have seen people take large trolleys full to the brim through self checkout tills (Tesco). It was annoying as only 4 tills were open (the others were closed as per distance guidelines) and 2 customers had large trolleys - so you can imagine the queue backlog.

Yes, if you download the App you can do the self scan on your phone at Waitrose. So no scanner touching.

www.waitrose.com/home/about_waitrose/quick_check/quick-check-app.html

Most local supermarkets seem to have alternate or one in three self service checkouts open for social distancing. Seem to be the same split using them as manned tills.
I was really surprised at how much you have to touch them (always use them, but not been concerned at how often I touch things!)
touch I want to finish and pay
touch I do not want to use a store loyalty snooping card. If I did I would have swiped it already
touch No, I do not need to purchase a bag
touch I want pay by card (having touched at the beginning to confirm that I did want to use a card only terminal)
touch I do/don't want a receipt...

I’ve been using scan as you shop when I go
Me too, it means that I am not letting the assistant handle my purchases, less risk for her and me. I noticed in Tesco last week that the person at the self checkout authorised my wine by agreeing that I looked old remotely which is a good idea. There were markings on the floor to show distances. I'm aiming to shop roughly every 10 or 11 days.

Both my local Waitrose and Sainsburys have every other one closed off to keep the distance between customers. Waitrose ones are good.

Sainsburys ones are annoying because you can't bag as you go, and you can't use the screen with gloves on (I was wearing normal ones, not latex or the ones you can use with a mobile, but the Waitrose ones worked).

Both ask you too many questions you have to touch the screen for. Sort it out, shops!

At my local Waitrose you can't have a basket, just a trolley

Someone said this was the case in the Netherlands, too. Why is this, is to force you to keep your distance from people because you are pushing a trolley?

That Waitrose app sounds like a genius idea. I will def be using that

I am walking and can't manage such a lot of shopping from a trolley so get a basket. / use a rucksack...downloading the app was easy and I'll try that next time, thanks.

I know you have to touch the screen but still feel that is better than going through the checkouts and interacting with the staff there. Can use the hand gel after anyway, and they wipe the checkouts as well.

Human contact is the thing that bothers me more, for their sake as much as mine, and the viral load thing