To think this is why the high street is failing?

[MiamiWindMachine]

I’m off on holiday in a couple of days, so thought I’d go up to the big shopping centre for a couple of last minute things.

In the massive H&M, all the tills bar one had been converted to self-service. The ones on the floor I was on were ALL closed. I went down to the lower floor and there was a huge queue, because no one could work out the machines. There was a step to remove security tags, and people couldn’t work out whether this was only for those plastic tags or if there was some flag on the barcodes for lower value items. Someone else was trying to process a return via these tills. When a member of staff eventually appeared, she confirmed returns could only be processed at a manned till. The customer pointed out that there were no manned tills. The staff member had no idea who to ask about it, then disappeared to find someone, so the queue was getting even longer.

I was on the way out about 15 minutes before closing time and went past M&S. I thought “I wonder if the Bureau de Change is still open” and went to check. The woman saw me approach and had a pained look on her face, saying “Arrgghh, I’ve just cashed uuuppp!” I was a bit taken aback, but said “Oh well, never mind. What time do you close, for future reference?” She then reluctantly admitted that she was supposed to be open until 8, but said “But I do start cashing up at around 7.30”. I was about to ask why when she started saying, “It’s fine; I’ll do it, I’ll do it”, like she was doing me a massive favour. I tried to pay on Revolut and she said “We can’t take those cards!”, as if it was somehow obvious. I asked about Apple Pay and she said, “No, it has to be a proper bank card or credit card”. I therefore went to pay with my credit card and she said, “You do know we have to charge a fee for these, don’t you?” I said I didn’t have a choice given she’d rejected two other payment methods.

I then went down to foods to grab a ready meal and some wine. I went to a manned till as I had alcohol and the girl said, “Oh, could you go to the self-service? It’s just that I’m closing this one”. I asked about the alcohol and she said, “I can approve that from here; it’s just that it’s easier for me”.

I feel like we’re constantly told in the media “Use it or lose it” re: the high street; how sad it would be if we lost the personal touch. From what I could see yesterday, one store has done everything possible to eliminate personal interaction, while in the other, the staff are more bothered about their convenience than the customers’. Is it any wonder that people would rather click a couple of buttons to get something delivered?

I left Coop yesterday cos no staff, no payment possible.

Understandable and sounds stressful. We're being pushed online. Things I see online are never in the shops and H&M is standard for this. A lot of online stock's online only. I wfh and it's easier to have parcels than traipsing around shops. Parking's impossible in towns and cities but easy in retail parks.

Shame for those who aren't online or prefer the personal touch. Shopping is some people's only way of getting interaction.

Reach for your tinfoil hat.
Step One : make shopping in person so difficult and unattractive that everything goes on line.
Step Two: we saw what you said on Mumsnet/ Twitter/ Facebook. *
No food or clothing for you , you bigot. Oh, and don’t bother to turn the lights on….

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I think if you refuse to use self checkout/the hand held things in the supermarket, you're just ignorant.

It's 2024. This all has shades of people complaining when the currency system in the UK changed, or when bank cards were introduced. You can do it, you just refuse to learn how to.

Yes, my big Sainsbury’s makes you self checkout a whole trolley if you go at around 7pm. Once I moaned about it to the person I had to call multiple times to help me and she said “you can ask and we’ll open a till”. Next time I asked for a till to be opened and they said they couldn’t because there weren’t enough staff.

Also, the high street is dying because rents are extortionate and people prefer to shop online

A lot of these examples involve poorly paid retail workers who don’t get paid extra for the closing or the cashing up if they have to stay beyond their set hours, and retailers who deliberately understaff their stores to save money. Taking your ire out on staff for being lazy or not wanting to inconvenience themselves is often misplaced - sure, some of them are lazy, but there’s not a chance if I had to work for minimum wage that I’d go above and beyond for it, for other people’s benefit and my employer’s profit margins. Complain to the businesses with poor business practices, rather than staff.

It’s not expecting above and beyond to have a member of staff scan your stuff, stick it in a bag and take your money without grumbling. Sounds really frustrating OP, I don’t go to shops which only offer self service.

High streets are failing due to parking/cost of parking. Recently I’ve been to a small city and paid £24(!) for 4 hours parking in the centre and a large town where the only car park I could find a space in was cash only, most of the payment machines were broken and the working ones did not accept the new back notes with Charles on (the only money I had on me).
I’ve learnt my lesson and will stick to online!

The ship has sailed, shops aren’t going to employ lots of workers because most hours there isn’t the justification for them.

Self-service is cheaper and less hassle than an employee and shoppers want cheap.

The woman cashing up at 7:30 probably doesn’t get paid past her shift so why wait?

I don't dispute your service issues.

I think itn would be helpful if there were significant reforms to reduce city central office buildings and encourage student, retirement or affordable housing. Put the housing where the money is.

Students, teens and young adults living at home are primed to spend disposable income and appreciate instant material gratification.

Commuters typically want to get in and get out.

I miss the days of idly buying stuff in town, going home and then getting ready for a night out in town.

I feel for the sandwich shops relying on office worker trade but the reality is, it's those people with a mortgage, kids and higher prioroties who are tightening their belts anyway and cant afford central homes.

To be a thriving city centre, you need lots of youth and possibly better investment in things like doctor surgeries so that older people with money can continue to live in the town or commute easily to local services.

I actually prefer self-service checkouts. The problem is when they don’t have staff nearby to sort out any problems; or, in the case of H&M, to cover tasks you can’t complete via these checkouts.

Complain to the businesses with poor business practices, rather than staff

Many people want cheap though hence why businesses have poor practices.

@MiamiWindMachine I've used the H&M ones before, they're incredibly simple. They have the machine right there to remove tags.

It's the ridiculously high rents and business rates. Businesses are having to cut corners to remain profitable, which means fewer people, poor salaries, decreased customer service etc. Plus, as customers, we don't want to pay more when we can get something online with free/cheap delivery without having to get off the sofa. It is a vicious circle. Lower footfall, lower revenue generation, makes bricks and mortar even less profitable etc.
It isn't one thing or the other. It's a whole mix of problems.

YANBU

It's easier to shop online in most cases.

This is why we need better public transport that's cheaper and more accessible to use.

The woman cashing up at 7:30 probably doesn’t get paid past her shift so why wait?

Because the service is supposed to be available until 8.

I am perfectly capable of using self checkout. I just don't see the point. The other day I had 5 items and had to call the assistant over 4 times. The machine won't accept an empty shopping bag without staff approval, I had alcohol and paracetamol, the birthday card wouldn't register in the bagging area.

The trolley self checkout area is too small and not everyone can place the trollies near their till. The bagging area is too small for a full trolley so things keep falling off. The bagging area is also at a ridiculously low level and I have a bad back which makes it impossible for me to use. Then you have all the issues of the standard self checkout.

And there are never enough staff to man the area with everyone needing multiple assists.

If shops want to convert to self checkout, at least make sure the systems and facilities are capable of running the service in the first place!

I'd assume the opposite from OP... it's like this because the high st is failing (everyone ordering from amazon etc) and they are cutting costs where they have to.

@MiamiWindMachine but as I said if she doesn’t get paid for staying late, I can understand why she is cashing up early. She still offered to do if for you, 9/10 she probably doesn’t have anyone in at that time.

Infinitely prefer self checkout. The high street is dying because high rents, staff costs and energy prices, coupled with high transport costs (public transport and fuel/parking costs) means they can’t compete with online shopping. I never go for a mooch around town anymore because it will cost so much. Paid £9 recently for dd and I to get to a specific event in town from the park and ride. If I want something specific then I order it (for cheaper) online and if I want to fill an afternoon then I do something else. I occasionally go to the retail park for mooching (tkmaxx, next and M&S) and only go into town for something specific like a meal in a particular restaurant or the theatre or arthouse cinema.

@Seeline surely it's not that hard? Never had any issues like you're describing, you put bags in before starting, or in most supermarkets use the hand held scanners

Matalan have recently removed all their manned tills. I don’t love self service, simply because it’s putting people out of jobs to increase the ever growing profits, but the Matalan ones are particularly awful. You have to take the security tag off yourself, which causes chaos because it’s much harder than it looks!

YANBU - shopping for clothes used to be a fun day out! With your mates, coffee and lunch thrown in, then out for the evening in your new togs!