Current Events > I don't get why some people get so angry about self checkout

(+) Yeah! (+)

I like it. It usually saves you time and you don't have to engage in awkward small talk with the cashier. And it's easy to do. Everywhere has been short staffed since Covid so I understand why stores are having to do more of this. What do you think?

I am a customer not an employee

I've gotten to where I like to joke with the attendant about how many times they have to hear "Please insert card to complete transaction" in a day

"I better get an employee discount because I'm doing the work." durrrrrr

Better not see you driving to any self-service gas stations.

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

"I better get an employee discount because I'm doing the work." durrrrrr

Better not see you driving to any self-service gas stations.

self serve gas stations are cheaper than full service for a reason

I love the self checkouts... I can get in and out quicker and not have to deal with anybody...

im not good at scanning things i always mess up and have to ask one of the workers to help me out

I dont use them Plus, when I do actually actual shopping, it definitely takes longer, so its only fast if I have a couple of items. Anyway, I personally just avoid them, anyway Luckily, the places I shop still have a good amount of cashiers And many customers at those stores also seem to avoid self-checkout

Mostly it's because they don't follow the directions.

I mostly just use it if I have a few items, because I'm not trying to juggle a whole cart worth of stuff at the self checkout

Buying booze is annoying. Hate having to wait for the attendant

I love the self scanner at my Stop & Shop.

To be able to scan everything as I pick it out, and then just swipe my card and walk out. It saves me at least 15 minutes of waiting on line, unloading my cart, and then bagging everything.

i'm basically a shill for big self checkout

bigblu89 posted...

I love the self scanner at my Stop & Shop.

To be able to scan everything as I pick it out, and then just swipe my card and walk out saves me at least 15 minutes of waiting on line, unloading my cart, and then bagging everything.

Would you still have to wait in a line to bag everything before leaving the store? Or do you skip the bagging part altogether?

I don't hate them for clarity. I just don't use them.

Alot of old people refuse to use the self checkout. Then they get grumpy because they end up behind me who has a full cart in the one aisle that is open for people buying alot. And no I don't let them ahead of me because the store has 12 self checkout registers they could go to and be home before I pay for my stuff.

thronedfire2 posted...

self serve gas stations are cheaper than full service for a reason

Are they?

I did a quick check for average prices in and around Oregon and it looks like Oregon is cheaper, but this is no real study.

Those things suck. The system they have at Sam's Club where you scan as you go, pay on your phone and quickly flash it at the attendant as you leave is superior.

LinkPizza posted...

Would you still have to wait in a line to bag everything before leaving the store? Or do you skip the bagging part altogether?

The store by me, you get a handheld scanner. You grab stuff off the shelf, scan it, and put it in your bag. So you bagging everything as you buy it.

Then they have self checkout kiosks where you just scan the barcode on the handheld scanner, and it rings everything up all at once.

Every so often, maybe every 10 times I go, they have an attendant do an "audit" where they'll scan 3-5 items in your bags to make sure you scanned them and aren't trying to steal anything. And if you buy booze they have to override the purchase with your birthday info.

But other than that, you scan as you take things off the shelf, and check it all out at once.

They even have a phone app where you can put your credit card info in and avoid the self checkout line altogether.

https://www.wikihow.com/Use-the-Scan-It!-Device-at-Stop-%26-Shop

Ya i don't either. Whatever gets me outta these places faster is a good thing.

This seems like an internet nerd exclusive issue.

It sometimes doesn't work, I use it now and again.

bigblu89 posted...

The store by me, you get a handheld scanner. You grab stuff off the shelf, scan it, and put it in your bag. So you bagging everything as you buy it.

I haven't used one of these yet, but does it show you a running total and let you take things back off if you change your mind? Seems like it'd be great for staying under budget

I would love it if they had them over here.

I always have to make awkward small talk which tends to go one of two ways:

1. I speak in English, which prompts the person serving me to mention Manchester United, in the belief that this means we are now best friends.
2. I speak in Vietnamese, and get a condescending compliment about how Im doing very well at learning Vietnamese.

I like it when it works, but far too many times it ends up requiring an attendant to come over and at that point it becomes one of those "what is the point of self-checkout if it is so dependant on an attendant coming over to get it unstuck?" thing.

There's also the whole thing about it being really unnecessarily picky about how heavy the bagging area is, or whether or not you put something in a bag (maybe I don't want to, okay? Maybe I'm fine with not killing the environment with plastic bags and walking out with it in hand, right?)

thronedfire2 posted...

self serve gas stations are cheaper than full service for a reason

Probably depends more on what state you live in.

DipDipDiver posted...

I haven't used one of these yet, but does it show you a running total and let you take things back off if you change your mind? Seems like it'd be great for staying under budget

Yes. It gives you a running total of what you've purchased so far, and you can take things off or adjust quantities.

bigblu89 posted...

The store by me, you get a handheld scanner. You grab stuff off the shelf, scan it, and put it in your bag. So you bagging everything as you buy it.

Then they have self checkout kiosks where you just scan the barcode on the handheld scanner, and it rings everything up all at once.

Every so often, maybe every 10 times I go, they have an attendant do an "audit" where they'll scan 3-5 items in your bags to make sure you scanned them and aren't trying to steal anything. And if you buy booze they have to override the purchase with your birthday info.

But other than that, you scan as you take things off the shelf, and check it all out at once.

They even have a phone app where you can put your credit card info in and avoid the self checkout line altogether.

https://www.wikihow.com/Use-the-Scan-It!-Device-at-Stop-%26-Shop

Yeah. Ive seen the devices and know how they work. My mom used it a couple of times a while back. But I was asking because of the bag. I didnt realize you brought bags with you. When I saw people using it, they were putting stuff straight into their cart But I guess its different if you bring bags That said, its not for me

It saves me a ton of time using a self checkout rather than standing in some long slow moving line. What's to hate?

I only use it when I have a couple of items, which is most of the time. It's not rocket science. I'm in and out quickly, which is the point of the self check out.

All my self checkout experience involved a long line of people taking 5x longer than a cashier to get their shit scanned and bagged.

Raikuro posted...

All my self checkout experience involved a long line of people taking 5x longer than a cashier to get their shit scanned and bagged.

I pretty much never have to wait for a self check

Raikuro posted...

All my self checkout experience involved a long line of people taking 5x longer than a cashier to get their shit scanned and bagged.

Its probably because a good chunk of them have full carts. People always think self-checkout is automatically faster. But thats only if you have a few items. When you have a full cart, its much faster for a cashier to scan and bag your stuff The only thing you might have to wait for is a line, if there is one But self-checkouts can have lines, too, so

LinkPizza posted...

Yeah. Ive seen the devices and know how they work. My mom used it a couple of times a while back. But I was asking because of the bag. I didnt realize you brought bags with you. When I saw people using it, they were putting stuff straight into their cart But I guess its different if you bring bags That said, its not for me

Yeah, I bring my own bags.

bigblu89 posted...

Yeah, I bring my own bags.

Yeah. That makes sense, then

Yeah.

Raikuro posted...

All my self checkout experience involved a long line of people taking 5x longer than a cashier to get their shit scanned and bagged.

Same
Everyone in line is always acting like it's their first time using them too. If they're alone, they stop several times to bag their stuff. It's a weird guessing game of choosing a line that will go at a decent speed vs length of line.

furb posted...

I am a customer not an employee

Mostly because of dumb sayings like this even though people complain when there is a big line at regular check outs when they have less then 10 items. (All while someone has a cart full of shit at the self checkout)

self checkout is so much about hypocrisy.

"we don't trust you, so we will show you your own face on camera while you shop, right in front of you"
"we don't trust you, so we will ask you put your shopped items in the bagged area so we can weight each article"
"we don't trust you, so we will sometimes have a store employee stand behind you while you shop"
"we don't trust you, so we will need an employee to come help if we feel something's off"

ok, fine, then why the fuck do you trust me to use the self checkout at all? Let me go to a cashier, there, problem solved.

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

It saves me a ton of time using a self checkout rather than standing in some long slow moving line. What's to hate?

"tHe PrInCiPaL! I don't work for _____!!!"

- my mother

RuneterranSnap posted...

Are they?

I did a quick check for average prices in and around Oregon and it looks like Oregon is cheaper, but this is no real study.

The one I worked at was an extra 10 cents per gallon for a very long time, but when gas started breaking $4 they bumped it to 20. So yeah, 5-10% more. This was in western pa.

The stores near me use two options for self checkout: one is where you scan your items at the checkout station, which is great if you only need a handful of stuff. The other is a hand scanner, where you scan things in the store as you put them in your bag or cart. Then at the checkout all you do is insert the scanner and pay.

Anyone scanning a cart full of stuff at the checkout is doing it wrong. It should never take more than a few seconds at a station.

Medussa posted...

The one I worked at was an extra 10 cents per gallon for a very long time, but when gas started breaking $4 they bumped it to 20. So yeah, 5-10% more. This was in western pa.

So just completely anecdotal evidence then

Thud posted...

"tHe PrInCiPaL! I don't work for _____!!!"

- my mother

Ya my mom says the same shit then goes to Aldi and has her stuff launched into her cart to bag up herself over in the corner...

u need to force an understanding

RuneterranSnap posted...

So just completely anecdotal evidence then

It's a service charge... it's not like full serve stations are buying different gas.

The_shibe posted...

self checkout is so much about hypocrisy.

"we don't trust you, so we will show you your own face on camera while you shop, right in front of you"
"we don't trust you, so we will ask you put your shopped items in the bagged area so we can weight each article"
"we don't trust you, so we will sometimes have a store employee stand behind you while you shop"
"we don't trust you, so we will need an employee to come help if we feel something's off"

ok, fine, then why the fuck do you trust me to use the self checkout at all? Let me go to a cashier, there, problem solved.

Because not everyone is an idiot and can use the self checkout no problem while others do shady shit?

RuneterranSnap posted...

So just completely anecdotal evidence then

and what evidence has anyone posted that full serve places dont charge more?

Self checkout is objectively way slower for any grocery order over like, ten things

having to weight each item as you scan and put the bag, call over an attendant for booze (and often coupons), entering in produce, etc

Can be very frustrating when they dont have someone working a checkout