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.

at flootshoot's DH

So the reason it tells you to "please place your item in the bagging area" is to avoid people accidentally scanning stuff they don't want or scanning stuff twice?

No, it's so it can weigh it and make sure that you're scanning right and paying for everything.

I talk back to them. Tescos have changed the 'Unexpected item in teh bagging area' thing now since everyone must have been shouting, "Yes, my f*ing bag".

They can't cope with children "helping" either. "Put it back, put it BACK"

I notice on Bill Baily's website under merchandise you can by a handsome jute bag with "unexpected item in bagging area" written on the side. Nice.

www.billbailey.co.uk/onlineshop/images/bag-black-unexpect-lge.jpg

I quite like them. But tey're not knew - our Safeway store aboout 14 years ago had these hand held scanner things. You went round teh store scanning everything before putting it in your trolley and then returned it to a paypoint where you paid. You could then walk straight out of teh shop - although it had a random check facility so every so often you would need to take your shop to a proper checkout who would check you had scanned it properly.

Rhian ah it's so you can't for example scan and pay for a bottle of milk but put a lipstick in the bag?

I agree they're not great if you're buying booze - though last time I used them I was buying a six-pack of Becks Blue, the non-alcoholic version (am very visibly pregnant). But the machine still required ID verification! Can't see why I should have to be over 18 to buy alcohol-free beer. Luckily the machine let me carry on with my scanning an just had to wait at the end for someone to come and approve.

My Dad got quite upset in B&Q. He asked for an assistant to use the normal till but they refused. The self-service asked him to put a 6ft piece of plywood in the bagging area. He asked the assistant how he might do it

I fucking hate those things. Another way for supermarkets to fuck over people. They fuck over farmers and food providers. Now they fuck over their customer with these shitty things.

YAtotallyNBU. They really do my head in. Think if you have to use them you should get a discount for doing their work for them. Can we start a petition on here to get rid of them??

The 'best' one's I have used are in a new sainsburgs near by. Still a bit fucky on some items but a smoother use that most others. I Have found them good at lunch time when I have half a basket of stuff and there are no free tills; then it's quick and easy.

Funny how you have to plod along one item at a time and bag it due to the weight either side. On a till as soon as you say 'No I am fine' to 'Do you want some help packing?' It gets whammed through at such a pace that it piles up, then they ask for payment and then the next persons starts edging towards you before you can get your stuff in the bag and take your card / cash.

You don't get that on the SS (Jawohl, Herr Kapitän!) so it's 6 of one IMHO. Agree the B&Q one's are total shite.