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?

That’s asking for people to nick stuff 🤣

I couldn't care less about the service aspect but it does worry me about how many jobs are being cut. How are people going to earn money if everything becomes self service and run by robots.

This was exactly how wilkos self serve tills were (RIP), just a till with a scanner and you have to work out how to do it yourself. The sort of thing you did once because a member of staff told you to and then instantly regretted and never did it again.

What I want is someone to scan my goods and take my payment...yes I expect a thank you, just as I then say thank you when they hand them to me. Just general day to day politeness and some sort of service.

It’s the law to charge for bags, not sure what Liberty do to get round that but it’s a dodge. We should all bring our own bags (and be grown up enough not to need to prance round showing everyone where we shop hahah!)
In regards to food shopping we can’t afford to pay farmers fairly for food, so cuts have to come somewhere. The actual cost of lots of food is more than we are willing to pay.

Many of these chains will go under if we don’t roll with the punches, so those who wish that will very likely get their wish. Retailers are just trying to manage spiralling costs in any way they can to stay afloat. You might not like it but …

I don’t mind self service tills that work properly, and don’t repeatedly stop working for no reason. But my main objection is the space. In the supermarket yesterday there were only 2 staffed tills, and a section with about 10 self-service tills. They were close together, covering a small area. It would be impossible to scan a trolley-full of food, there wasn’t space for trolleys. How is this meant to work?

Primark give you a bag still. They are paper...I think paper ones can be free? I might be wrong

I own a shop in a town and a large number of elderly customers do enjoy a good natter. It may be that they only can get out and about 1 day a week and be the only time they get to interact with other people.

im always more than happy to oblige in having a chat. It’s part of my job. I enjoy it. It’s lovely building relationships with people and them remembering your name/discussions you have.

it’s not about providing social care. For me, it’s simply about being friendly and caring about my customers.

Sorry but you sound like an elderly snob. What’s wrong with self checkout? Or is it that you need someone serving you to stroke your ego? Personally, if I’m shopping the checkout ‘experience’ is the least important part. I just want to get that nice new item home and enjoy wearing it. Really couldn’t care less how I pay for it.

So you expect more fawning and bowing and scraping (from someone who is earning minimum wage) the more money you spend? You realise that sounds awfully elitist, right?

Dont think its anything to do with the value of an item its about about losing a bit more of persomal service and contact. For many the cashier may be only person they speak to that day.

It's easier just to buy it all online, much more choice, no horrible changing room. I have M&S very near me so easy returns when I pop in for food shopping, I also get free nominated day delivery with my credit card.

We found this for the first time in H and M, even teen DD pointed our they aren't even properly designed self checkouts they've literally just turned the screens round from the counter. Yes you have to take any security tags off. And no member of staff to be seen.
It's obviously a cost cutting exercise and I guess a cost-benefit analysis is that risking a few items being shop lifted is cheaper than employing more staff. But then puts pressure on the staff that remain.

I feel sorry for staff where there are self checkouts in any situation, as not only are they usually manning a till themselves or doing another task but have to be "on hand" for numerous self checkouts. Even if you are confident using them, there's often a glitch. My sister recently went to an airport where the screens had no instructions at all so a member of staff had to literally rush round helping everyone. Same in our local post office there is one guy who has to rush round going to collect parcels, helping customers use self checkout, and assist at the counter!

@RedRiverShore4 Out of curiosity, when you state categorically that it’s “easier just to buy it all online”, are you aware that most people don’t live near M&S, so making returns isn’t necessarily easy? Your post makes it sound as if the rest of us are doing it all wrong!

I think it's fine if you just want underwear or a t-shirt etc but not so great for a larger item or if you have multiple items.

And if it has a security tag on and you have to call someone over, where's the benefit, that's like having to hang around in a supermarket when you want a bottle of wine. And if they let you take your own off, that's just stupid - why bother having them at all?

I'm sure shops must do well from the amount of stuff bought online that doesn't fit/isn't right and people either can't be bothered or the returns policy is complicated or faffy/the drop off points are inconvenient etc, so they end up keeping an item they don't want....but buy something else as well

In M&S you can still go up to the counter to pay, even at the ones that are self serve. It’s usually next to the self serve tills and you can pay there. They don’t advertise it, but you can.

Booths (northern supermarket) has just announced it’s getting rid of most of its self service tills and replacing with manned tills.

I’m so surprised that people don’t expect friendly shop assistants on this thread. I don’t see them as peasants at all, but aren’t they the representatives of that particular company? Imho they should be professional and being friendly is part of that. I’ve worked in a furniture/curtain shop (no commission) as my second job in the evenings and already got there when I probably had a shit day at my first job and just after a broken down relationship. I knew that it was my duty to be courteous and nice to people shopping there.

I don't expect bowing and scraping. I expect someone to serve me like they always have done in shops. And yes, i rarely buy myself expensive clothing and if I do I expect there to be more service than I get if I pop into the garage for a pint of milk.

I won't use any self service, whether at tescos, the bank, a restaurant or shop. The staff don't seem to realise it is doing them out of jobs. They are literally trained to ask if you need to be be shown how to use a self service machine with the purpose of perpetuating the dystopian society the state want us headed for. And if that isn't enough of a reason for people self service is MUCH MUCH SLOWER.

And actually you're the one who sounds elitist. I have worked in minimum wage customer service roles and I was perfectly capable of being polite and friendly.

But what difference does it make to you realistically? You're not actually ringing it up, you're just putting the bar code in front of the scanner. The process for paying by card is exactly the same whether you have an assistant there or not. You have to put whatever you're buying into a bag, but that's hardly onerous either, and more than made up for by not having to wait in a queue.

Of course the staff realise it does them out of jobs. But what do you suggest they do about it? It's not as if they're hard to replace if they refuse to help with self-service machines.

Self-evidently it isn't "MUCH MUCH SLOWER". 90% of the time in my experience self-service transactions go perfectly smoothly and are way quicker than standing in a queue at a manned till. For the very small percentage when you need help, the time lost is far outweighed by the overall time saved.

I just saw this on the BBC. I know this a thread about clothes shops, not supermarkets, but couldn't Booths have given its customers a choice? The article says it has removed self-serve tills from most of its shops. I'd still prefer to use an empty self serve till if I only have a few items and it sounds like only a couple of their stores now have them.

Booths supermarket puts staff back behind its tills - BBC News