to think re-scanning 32 items out of a 66 item shop isn't a sensible check?

[DwightDFlysenhower]

I'd used a self-scanner because it was a big shop and I'd carefully packed all my cold stuff together, heavy things at the bottom of bags, bread on top etc.

I don't mind being selected for a check, but when it's nearly half the items I just don't think it's reasonable. Apparently it's changed from ten items to a percentage of the shop (not sure whether that's value or number of items). There was nothing wrong with my scanning, so it wasn't as if it flagged a problem and asked for more, it was 30+ from the outset.

I'd have preferred it to have just sent me to a manned checkout to unload it all onto the belt if it needed so many to be re-scanned.

It took ages, while other people were waiting for approvals and help, and although the person doing it tried to be careful there really isn't enough space to unpack and re-pack carefully when you're scanning so much. And obviously they have to take from all levels of the bags, and the shopper can't touch it in case it looks like you're concealing something. I've come home and found my cheese has been ripped open and my chocolate eclairs have been squashed flat under my potatoes.

AIBU to think that 30+ items being re-scanned at the self-checkout is impractical as a check?

Gutted about your eclairs OP!

But generally yes, I agree, if they're going to check basically all your shopping sending you to a manned till would make much more sense. By the time they've faffed about digging through and finding all the barcodes it would be easier to just unpack it

That's a now from me. An occasional full rescan selected at random or in response to unusual patterns is part of the price I'm happy to pay. I'm a big fan of automated check outs, have been ever since they were invented.

Email and complain. If they want to check they need to do so efficiently and quickly without damaging your shopping. I think it’s a fucking cheek though. You have to do their job for them and then they hold you up checking because they can’t be bothered to do it properly themselves.

Last time I got checked at Sainsburys it was 20 items out of around 50 (I think)
The assistant was rolling her eyes about it and apologising but it was what the scanner thingy said so she had no choice. She also said that I wasn't allowed to hand her things to help (obvious reasons) and that she had been told she had to take things from the bottom, middle and top of every bag.
It was a faff but nothing anyone could do

Gutted about your eclairs OP!

Me too!

Photograph squashed éclairs and complain explaining what happened.
They should refund you for those no question.
And you can still eat them!
So I'd consider that compensation for the experience.

I was told in Waitrose recently by the assistant if you put anything back cos you've changed your mind and just remove it from the trolley yourself you will need to do a full rescan. He said to just get them to take it off at the till if you don't want something. Hopefully this helps someone!

Complain about the eclairs and cheese but really its part and parcel of using the auto self scan things.
I once had three shops in a week checked - one full redo of a big weekly shop. I've never had an issue found in anything and shop regularly at our Tesco. I was just unlucky that it chose me for those three.

This is so spot on^
either they do it or I do it, you can’t have it both ways…

head office decides the amount to be checked it’s usually a lot a key times such as Xmas or if the store is expert alot of loss
we are also made to do so many random checks now or else we are disciplined I hate doing it definitely complain

You don’t want to shop at my local Sainsbury’s superstore it’s gone totally self checkout, you have to put all items on conveyor belt and leave them there so the machine can count the items you’ve scanned are the same as on conveyor belt, then you can pack items in bags. They’ve got rid of all check out staff. I certainly won’t be shopping there anymore, it takes twice as long.

My local Tescos only ask for 14-20 items. I usually take charge of unpacking, putting them in the trolley and repacking. They do have to take from the bottom, middle and top, but if everything is put into the trolley, they still get to do that without squashing anything.

I can grit my teeth when its a check but what I won't tolerate is if the checking member of staff then tries to pop over to someone else in the middle of a check (eg to authorise an age restricted product). I did once tell another customer that the member of staff was currently with me and that he'd have to wait his turn - very loudly so no one else would try it. In a big supermarket with half a dozen self scan checkpoints they really need more than one member of staff on duty at a time.

Sainsburys at the weekend decided to do a full trolley check from the outset on a big (80+ item) shop. The queue behind me in the self scan payment bit was horrendous, the person doing my check then kept abandoning me to help other people to keep the queue going. More than once I had to go get her to come back and "finish my check off"!
It's absolute insanity.

And yes, nothing ended up where it started and the shopping was a total mess.

I had an argument with the assistant doing the rescan once. It was 10 or 15 items so not massive but obviously she had to root around in the bag to get to items at the bottom. All fine, no problem with that. Except she took raw meat which was in a bag from the meat counter so not sealed rom the meat bag and plonked it on top of my unbagged fruit, some of which would be peeled and some of which would not (e.g. apples). I asked her to please not put meat on top of my fruit. She ignored me and carried on. I removed the meat and repeated myself a bit louder (it was during covid so I was wearing a mask and wanted to be sure she heard me), explaining it was basic food hygiene. She didn't seem to grasp the problem and got quite thick about it and stormed off when she had rescanned the number of items.

I complained to the manager and suggested that some of their staff may need retraining in basic food hygiene and handling. He was apologetic and said he would look in to it.

This. ^ I would absolutely complain @DwightDFlysenhower Shitty way to treat a customer!

I’d have left the stuff there and walked out 😱

that's the point where i would have said "keep it" and gone elsewhere though.

I tend to do my shop before picking up the kids from school so if this sort of thing happens, I apologise to the staff but say unfortunately I'll have to leave my shop as I need to go now.

I swapped a tube of Pringles for a different flavour doing self scan the other day. (Tesco)

As I got to self tills it was my neighbour who I get on well with working them. I apologised and said she was probably going to have to do a check as I removed an item.

It never asked. The first time ever it hasn't when an item is removed. I'd only noticed this triggered it after noticing the latter of when I was checked!

What if the OP had already paid? I sometimes get a check after I have completeled the transaction?

I will complain I think. It isn't really the fault of the person checking it (well, I'm entirely blaming her for my poor eclairs) it's a central decision, but I think there's a point where the number of items means the time and space just doesn't work. 5-10 items are fine.

@bord that's horrendous! Full re-scans of trolleys should go to a till, the self-checkout areas aren't set up to do it.