Asda not opening checkout tills

[Cramlington567]

About 8pm. Had a trolley full of stuff. There was a single checkout open when I entered. Went there to pay and it is closed with a sign saying in the evening there maybe be times when checkout is closed and you should use self scan. Two staff chatting ten meters away. I ask if they can open the till. They said 'sorry, no we don't have enough staff".

I go to self service. About 4 times the machine stopped and had to wait for the same staff to come over and unlock it. I was only a quarter of the way through my trolley. Justly left it there, walked out and said to the two staff, sorry I am leaving it, it's too much hassle.

Unreasonable? Plus, everyone saw this coming 10 years ago when it was 'we will always have at least one checkout open' then ' just ask and we will open one'.

Went to Aldi in the end but I can see them going the same way.

I am healthy by the way and middle aged. Would they have opened a till if I was elderly? Or obviously disabled but then not all disabilities are visible of course.

😂

There will also be knackered minimum wage workers who are the shoppers who dont want the stress of using a self serve till for a big shop after being at work all day.

And I think it's also a fair point that customers don't work at the supermarket and since we aren't getting paid/discounted prices to scan our own shopping, we shouldn't have to unless we choose to.

Surely it would have been far quicker to scan the rest of your shopping than it was to go to Aldi and do it all again?!

I left a trolley in Asda too after asking to open a lane. I haven't shopped in there since.

This has happened to me, twice recently at Sainsbury's. They were helpful both times. I just had to wait a couple of minutes, while they found someone to open a till. It was around 8pm, both times. If they had not, I would have just left the full trolley.

Booths are doing away with the majority of their self service tills and are going back to staffed ones in most shops.

So if you're lucky enough to live near one, try them instead.

I gave up with self scan this evening in Tesco express. Tried to scan something 4 times with no luck so abandoned it after waiting for assistance which never came for a while.

Same.
Also I'm a trade unionist. This is an erosion of jobs.

I simply don't use them. - small stores can't compete with this low cost to the company bs.

As someone who used to work on the tills at Asda (long before self service checkout) having to reshelve a trolley of stuff wouldn't have annoyed me in the slightest. Getting to wander round the shop, not talking to customers, just putting stuff away? Win. As a pp said, my shift would finish at the same time regardless.

People seem to be ignoring the fact that there were 2 members of staff chatting. One of them could have opened a till. Pure laziness. I hope they did have to put your shopping back

Tesco Express tonight here too. I only had 2 items, I scanned the first, it went through fine, I put it on the bag area and immediately the scanner said there was a fault and assistance was needed. I hate the things.

I will only use customer served tills and never self scan.
More and more stores are doing this now but I hate them.

One local Lidl store has only self scan therefore I simply wont give them my custom.. Aldi has both in my area and when I asked an assistant to open a till they said they couldn't but would be happy for an assistant to put through my shopping for me and would do so anytime I asked (providing not at busy times).

If people have baskets and prefer self scan then that's their choice but don't take away our options. Plus if you have a trolley full of items there is not enough space in the self scan areas.

I liked when someone said 'I don't work here' when being directed to the self serve tills.

I only go to places where I can use scan and go. I have often seen queues back into the aisles at tills and the self scan bit is empty. We sail through that and pay in a few minutes.

My local Asda won’t open a till until 10am. Pisses me off to no end. I don’t get paid to scan my own bloody shopping. Cannot stand self service.

Is that you Paula Vennels from the Post Office?

I second scan and go..its a game changer

I cannot stand the supermarkets for this. Its an utter disgrace. I don't want to use the self checkout with a large trolley full of shopping. No way. I would walk out too.

Always strange how the service in supermarkets is so scant but when they deliver it they seem to do their best to please and are very helpful.

Staff have zero say,my dw tells me horrendous crap they're all expected to put up with.i go to checkout on principal that I'm not working for free and don't mind chat with cashiers.

I spend far less online shopping than I do I store.

I suppose it’s because I stick to my list and don’t get tempted by all the “offers”, or something nice looking.

Every single time I go into the store I spend a good £40 more than online. Maybe I’m just weak 😂

If it's a full shop I get you. It's backbreaking for some people-my back has never been the same since childbirth and I've often been in agony by the time I've got to the till. The thought of having to bend once more ....

I use smart shop now as there are hardly any tills open at the sainsburys I use and my back can’t take the self scanning machines as they are really low. I do feel forced into using the smart shop scanner and I hate all the different prices given to customers for using it, it takes me twice as long to go round the supermarket now because I have to keep checking I’m not being ripped off. Shopping has never been so annoying! Also I had my favourite cashiers that I’d go to and the shame of it is I think they’ve all been made redundant.

pootlin · Today 22:06
You’ve just left a trolley full of stuff for the poor staff to put away for you.
What you did was neither big nor clever.
Get to the supermarket at a decent time if you can’t be bothered to scan your own stuff.
Or download the Scan & Go app and scan the goods as you shop for them.

Why should people not expect supermarkets to have manned tills open?
Did anyone consult customers about their preferences before changing the system?

Fair enough - have self-scan tills open for those who choose to use them. But, by the same token, have manned tills open for those who choose to use them.

Supermarkets are employing fewer and fewer staff but retaining their profits - which will only increase. ....,,, staff to man tills is built into their profit margins. So customers do the job of scanning and help supermarkets to increase their profits??

Customers get a worse shopping experience and don't get me started on ' have you ever tried to get a member of staff to help you ' - because there just aren't the staff now.

And where do the staff who have been made redundant now find work?

Any time a supermarket is open is a decent time! The staff won't care about putting it away. I think more people should abandon trolleys.