to hate self-service tills in shops?

[EightiesChick]

Their presence in lots of stores is increasing all the time and I really don't like it. If I wanted to work at Tesco / Boots / B&Q etc, I'd fill in an application form like everyone else! I am there as a customer and part of that is not doing the firm's work for free. It will be an excuse to cut tons of jobs any day now, if it hasn't been already.

Plus it doesn't actually seem to save any time, given that half the stuff doesn't scan easily and you have to wait for someone to come and correct the machine.

Plus the repeated recorded instructions like 'unexpected item in bagging area' drive me up the wall.

If I'm invited to use them, I refuse - though so far I have suppressed my desire to rant about it when someone says 'would you like to use the self-service till?' That's why you're getting it here.

I quite like them but agree that the Morrisons ones are crap. 'Please take the last item out of the bag.' 'Put the item back in the bag' over and over again until an assistant comes over and comforts the machine by giving it a cuddle and feeding it pound coins.

Maybe not that last bit, but anyway.

There, there, don't get so upset.

Thank you

I love them when I use them because I can use them correctly.

Old people and children should be banned from using them, though.

Yes!

We scanned a whole weeks shop in Sainsburys and then had to wait for a member of staff to come to give us change as the machines do not accept 50's! Why do they not say that?!

Pmsl at 30andmerkin's DH!

I am in no way technically incompetent but every single time I use a self-service till something goes wrong. Every single time. It's either whingeing about an unexpected item or refusing to scan the next item or not giving me the right change or telling me that someone will be along to assist for no reason other than it doesn't feel like recognising a carton of cream.

They make me see red and I got into an argument once when someone had a go at me for not being quick enough when the person in front of me hadn't even finished paying!

Typical technology making things ten times more complicated than they have to be. It SHOULD be a case of 'scan, bag, scan, bag, scan, bag, pay, fuck off' but it never is for me.

Maybe there's should be a licensed competent users only scanner.

Sainsburys could organise a test and only users who can scan an average basket in a reasonable time would be allowed on. (They could give a special card to swipe - no card, no access).

That would save the problem of being stuck behind the oldies or Pagwatch.

aw you wouldn't mind being stuck behind me. I am slow but charming.

besides we don't have to deal with this shit at harrods.

Also, THIS happened a few months back...
I have three items in a basket and walk up to the self-service tills. I am beaten by a chav gentlemen wearing sportswear with a trolley containing no less than forty items.
"Ha!" I say "It's baskets only" He stares at me, slack-jawed then smiles as he has a brainwave and he proceeds to divide his trolley items up between three baskets.

What. A. Cunt.

i like them, am always amused by the bagging area, especially when there is an unexpected item on it.

ours continually break down though

I love them. But then I'm rather anti-social.

YABU

That sounds very lesbian-erotic. Tell me, do you look like Gisele?

My stepson told me that his scuzzy ex flatmate used to love self-service tills as they are so open to fraud - you can weigh something relatively expensive in as carrots and only pay a tiny bit of what it is really worth.

I do my shopping in Sainsbos and don't think they do self-service (well, they don't so, none of my local shops have them) and it's fine, as there are always loads of checkouyt staff. However when I go to Asda I have to use the self-serviuce ones as they have really cut down on checkout staff on the manned tills. And I think that's a bit sad tbh.

HOW does this work in B&Q? How do you scan a ruddy great big door or whatever? Recipe for disaster.

I wish they'd get self-service in M&S tbh. The express tills are a bloody joke. They're invariably staffed by 60 year old dithering Dorises who simply must know where you picked up that jar of chutney/pack of biscuits and they must tell you about their grandchildren whilst scanning everything at a very leisurely pace...

Yes, I am aware that I sound like a vile bastard, I'm sorry

YANBU - I hate them, especially when they 'talk' so loud the whole shop can hear

Oh my god SpottyMuldoon, I could have written your post. It's like the self service tills have got something personal against me. I refuse to use them now. Last time I risked it I tried to scan one box of tights, one box, and it didn't recognise them, but asked me to scan which vegetable it was - its helpful suggestion was "turnips"

Cue an extremely large and unbecoming flounce off to the HUMAN BEING at the nearest till.

M&S do have self-service tills, but they don't bother to flag up the fact they are going to charge you 5p per bag until after you have packed everything

Anyone else hate this?

When you have a big shop and you arrive behind someone who is about halfway through theirs so you have loads of time to faff around on the conveyor belt putting heavy stuff on first etc.

Then someone who works for the supermarket comes over and says that there's a till free three tills down and you have to go and pile everything on quickly as the checkout boy/girl is swiping them through at a rate of knotts.

I have been known to refuse and have been looked at like i'm a loon...

cupcakes

no no. Not gisele. Possibly her mother

God, I loathe these things. I had the Tesco self service helper lady tell me in a patronising tone "you just have to get used to the system dear", no I fecking don't, I don't fecking work here!

Trying to operate the sodding things with small dc is tow is impossible with all the fiddling they do, causing the machine a fit of the vapours by removing stuff from the bagging area/leaning on the bagging area etc etc

I don't think I've ever completed a transaction without needing an assistant to do something or other. Last time, in Morrisons, the machine got anxious because I'd bought some bbq skewers. Asked the lady what that was all about she said "well these kids'll do anything these days"

What about the people that they employ to stand near the SSC to tell you that you may use the SSC? Just let them man a till, FGS.

They emplu someone in Asda to stand around with a big green arrow, pointing to tills which have no queues.

I always think of that when moaning about my job.

Love them, so much faster when just grabbing a couple of things.

I will no longer use the self service tills in Asda as they are so bloody loud they make me wince.
I will use them in other shops but only if I am on my own.
"unexpected item in bagging area"
Yes, that would be my child lolling across the scale.