People 'slamming' Sainsburies for having to scan till receipt to leave self service

[cakeorwine]

What's the issue?
Been to loads of supermarkets abroad and this is standard practice, Not complicated.

I guess it's to stop theft. i presume you can exit elsewhere if you haven't actually brought anything but it is just a way of ensuring people don't try and sneak through without paying for stuff.

I felt forced to use scan and shop at mine. I go at a relatively quiet time but even so there are long queues for the few manned checkouts that are open; they used to have big self checkouts where you could take a trolley but they were rarely open and have now been removed. The other self checkouts are cheek by jowl and basket sized; so even a small trolley full is difficult as it gets in the way and you can't get much in the bagging area.

On the other hand I do now prefer to scan and shop. So much quicker.

This was introduced weeks ago at my local Sainsbury’s and it’s no bother at all to scan the receipt. This is a complete non-problem imo.

I was in Sainsburys yesterday I didn't have to do that

I saw the thread in Trending and thought that it would be about people slamming Sainsbury's for pulling an online offer on Champagne - £13.50 a bottle for 6 bottles of Piper Heidseick. I bought 12 for delivery on Monday only to get an email the following day saying it was a mistake and it is in fact £36 a bottle. Gah.
They'd have been reasonable for that. For having to scan their receipt? Not so much.

It's OK abroad but a bit annoying that you literally can't leave the shop without buying something (or presumably finding someone to ask nicely to let you out - not necessarily easy in a foreign country where you don't speak the language though). If you go into the shop looking for one particular thing and they don't have it you end up making a purchase you don't actually want.

Not aimed at Sainsburys but I saw this the other day and it made me smirk

I prefer Sainsbury’s self checkout system to Tesco which seems to want to do a “random check” before I pay every single time I use scan as you shop.

As I’ve got a baby with me it’s easier to do scan and shop for just a few items, but there are never any staff around to do said check. After waiting a few minutes this week I just walked out without my (couple) of groceries, it wasn’t worth the hassle.

Me neither. We don't have that in our store. Must be only the dodgy ones.

I did a scan and go the other week, paid for about £250 worth of shopping and the alarm still set off on me.. the lady came over and checked all the clothes I had for tags as that’s what she assumed had set off the alarm - it wasn’t until she picked up the pair of £3.75 pants that I threw in the trolley as a ‘maybe’ and forgot to scan that I realised 😅

to make it worse I thought If I own up to it while it’s in her hands checking it I would loo guilty and be arrested for stealing.. then she put them back in and said “your ok, there’s no tags. Have a nice day” and at that point ehe panic set in further because I thought.. how can I own up to it now she’ll wonder why I didn’t say anything in the first place. So I just left.. stealing a £3.75 pair of pants🥲 it’s a first for me, I hope I don’t get a taste for it and become a serial stealer 😂😂

At my local one it’s only the self scanning till area where you need to scan receipt to get out - I.e where you’ve gone round the shop scanning items yourself with the widget. No receipt scan needed anywhere else to get out (eg the self service skills where you haven’t gone round with the widget or the normal tills if that makes sense).

I love shopping with the widget, so much quicker and more convenient. I also love the word widget, so it’s a win-win.

Widget, widget, widget.

I don’t know we use two and the one that has it is maintained to higher standard

How would it stop theft?
It just slows you down when you've been through checkout & sometimes choose to not get a receipt. Then you're standing there like a plumb with people judging you!

*Plum (Yes, I am)

Standard in Italy. Surprised it's not standard everywhere. What's not to stop people just walking out?

There's usually an "exit without purchasing" exit.

Costco check receipts on way out, always strikes me as abit pointless but I assume they have certain things they’re looking for.

Doesn’t make it a good thing. It’s difficult if you haven’t bought anything, or you’re there with several people and all need to get through the barrier in time. It’s annoying when the receipt doesn’t scan properly and you have to wait for someone to come and let you out.

Bingo!

When there is only self service then it’s the whole shop and you have to wait for someone else to exit and sneak through with them if you’re not buying anything. You are literally stopped from leaving the shop without making a purchase l. Just because it is in other countries doesn’t mean people there like it or it doesn’t cause problems

I haven't seen this either here or abroad, but can't really see a problem with it. Anything to reduce theft seems like a good idea to me as it keeps prices down for the rest of us.

Some people really can't cope with change though (through no fault of their own) so there will always be a level of moaning when things do change.

So you think that there will be shops that are just self service - and that the only way to exit will be through a barrier that you have to show a receipt to? So if you aren't buying anything, you will have to sneak through with someone else?

I am sure that won't be the case - and that the designers would have thought this situation through

Everything is about keeping costs down. Yet prices keep increasing. Keeping costs down is a bullshit excuse. Supermarkets make huge profits.

Me when trying to get food that's gluten free. Or when I've gone all the way round and actually found things, the nine checkouts only have two staff and four out of eight self checkouts have the red lights, so there's suddenly thirty people waiting in an area designed for no more than ten (and they've added shite on the ends to reduce the space even more) and I'm debating whether I'm going to be able to wait that long in pain, whether I'll faint, freak out or just be unable to make it into work the following day because my back will properly go.

Of course, there is a way that they could ensure all items are scanned and paid for without creating a potential crush hazard. Bringing back staffed checkouts.

The issue is no warning. So you put away all the shopping and receipt only to have to rummage for it again and queue to leave. Rather defeats the time saving benefit. Not sure it overcomes theft either as if you have not scanned an item how would it know?