To think self checkouts in clothes shops is a step too far

[Comedycook]

Went shopping to get my dd some new clothes today. Noticed H and M had self service checkouts... tills were open too though. Then I went to M&S and tills were only for returns or exchanges and to pay you had to use self service. I tolerate self checkouts in supermarkets but when I am buying clothes, I expect some sort of service. What struck me is that in my local M and S they sell Jaeger...a blouse was £125. I assume their coats would be at least a couple of hundred quid. It really irks me and no way would I spend hundreds of pounds on an item of clothing and have to ring it up a the checkout myself. I think it's really crappy to be honest... anyone else agree?

I think it ruins the experience of shopping, to have no human interaction I may as well buy everything online.

@quivers
I was in Matalan last week, first time in ages. There was a choice between self-scanners and a human. Fortunately there were no queues, so I chose the human.
But I was still asked, on the way out, by an embarrassed-looking girl, to show her my receipt. I suppose she wouldn't have known which payment method I'd chosen.
I could of course have refused if I'd been in a sassy mood, but I didn't want to make her not-very-nice job even worse.

I wouldn't like this in nice clothes shops but I absolutely love the self service tills in Decathlon. You just throw your items into a box and it magically knows what you've put in there. No scanning required.

Eventually they won't need to employ people at all in these shops, it'll all be serve yourself. The supermarkets/clothing stores etc are surely saving a lot of money by having you do the work yourself, perhaps they should be paying the customers to check themselves out since you are now doing work that they previously paid someone to do for you as part of the service.

I am kind of mixed about these machines. The staff in my nearest Marks and Spencer are really lovely and it is nice to chat while paying for items. However the queues are often very long and very slow moving so being able to use the self service is very handy if you are under time pressure.

However I know a lot of people who would struggle(d to use he self service and probably would not buy if they could not be served by someone.

Love decathlons self checkout tills.

There are already stores like this in Asia.

I do love a uniqlo self-checkout. They've been available in Decathlon for years (the same ones where you just put everything in one box and get an instant total). If you want a shopping experience, you should go to an independent local store.

I was referring to your use of the word skivvy when posting about customer service staff
The are not skivvys, they are employees trained to assist customers.

I love them! Once i got my stuff, I just want to pay. No need to interact with a bored person behind the till making “funny” comments on my purchases, or waiting until they have finished their private chat.

Again, it's not me that requires someone to look after them because they are spending lots of money!

@KrisAkabusi do you view all jobs as skivvying or just customer service roles? A lot of jobs involve people doing things for you that you could do yourself. Pouring drinks, making and serving food, taxis, cleaning etc

And you may think it's nice and convenient but wait until they find an ai robot to do your job. Most of us will be out of work but the shareholders will get richer and we won't have to have those pesky social interactions which seem to upset so many

Same. Love the Uniqlo ones.

Yanno, it wasn't hard to see the point that posters making.

personally I like self service. Maybe you should go upmarket if you want the shopping experience OP. It's a sign of the times and it's not going back.

You don't get it do you?
I have no qualms about your opinion that everyone should do things for themselves
But referring to people as skivvys no matter what their job is is downright rude.

I think a jaegar blouse for £125 is upmarket.

I don't think of these people as skivvies at all!!! It's you that requires someone to do things for you when you spend lots of money, not me! It's you that requires someone to put a coat in a bag for you when you are perfectly capable of doing it yourself. And again, it's because you feel you deserve it because in your own words, you are spending a lot of money.

Well lots of people expect different service based on what they're buying. I wouldn't go to Chanel and expect the same customer service experience as I'd get in Primark. Likewise if I was buying a diamond ring, I'd expect a higher standard of service and care than if I was buying a pint of milk.

Like I said, I'm perfectly capable of pouring a glass of wine but I'd be pretty miffed if I was told to get behind the bar and do it myself in a pub.

It's perfect for me. I hate having to speak to someone on a checkout so if I can do it myself, excellent. It makes my experience very positive and while I understand you are not a fan OP, it's been your way as the default for many many years. I suppose if you don't like it you can shop elsewhere, like I have done for many years to avoid having to interact with a human.

I use self-checkouts in Uniqlo and M&S all the time, and I really like them. But in my nearest branches of both those stores there are still staffed checkouts as well, so people can choose which they prefer. I think only having self-checkouts is a bad idea. Not everyone likes them or finds them easy to use. Touchscreens, for example, can be really difficult for some people with impaired vision.

Our Tesco is the same.
Gives me the rage.

Actual Customer Service in retail is abysmal.

Thats hardly the point? I don't think I'm too good to cook a dinner but I will pay extra to go out and have someone else cook it and serve me. I am not to good to clean my house but would love to have someone do it for me. If it's an expensive or luxury item it should include a service element IMO. The store is saving money by not paying staff yet not passing this onto the customer by reducing the price.

Personally I wouldn't shop in a clothes shop that operates self service only.

I agree op - I hate it. In places like Matalan you have to de tag and de hanger the clothes, then there’s not a carrier bag in sight! End up walking out with clothes in hand, while security look at you like you’ve robbed the place on the way out or you are randomly stopped to check your receipt. Just get staff back on tills fgs!

Surely there’s not the volume of sales in a clothing store to justify the need for that many dedicated checkout staff unlike in a supermarket, they still need someone to supervise the self checkout, so they can’t be saving that much money in staffing costs.