Current Events > Retailers rethinking self-checkout

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-costco-kroger-facing-self-checkout-reckoning-2023-10

Old people refuse to use them, but I think they are a god send.

If I have like, one or two items, I love self checkouts. But if I have closer to a dozen or more, I honestly prefer waiting in a line than dealing with a self checkout, especially if I have any items in bags or anything that becomes difficult to scan, for example. I never would have thought this, but I found myself willing to waste time in a line in order to avoid checkout/scan complications.

Self checkouts are essentially ringing the dinner bell for thefts of all sorts. They are bad.

Source: I worked at Walmart for 3 years.

Keep self checkout, but limit it to people with a handful of items. I'm perfectly happy ringing up three things myself if it gets me in and out, but when the self checkout line is longer than the regular lines because people have carts with like 50 articles of clothing in it that they're scanning and folding the whole thing feels like a giant parody.

The place I worked at only had it from 2004-2011. Maybe they have a new one now, haven't checked in a while.

Wingsofgood 1
Salty CEmen 0

remember, self checkout is work

you are doing work and not being paid for it!!!!

Costco, for example, has started asking staff to check membership cards in the self-checkout lanes, as well as assist with scanning items

Walmart said last week it was pulling self-checkout from at least three stores in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and replacing the lanes with traditional staffed registers.

The company didn't elaborate on reasons for the change and said it has no plans for "widespread" removal of self-checkout.

Kroger, meanwhile, is going all in on self-checkout in at least one store where it's no longer offering traditional registers. But Kroger told Retail Dive that the change didn't result in labor cuts, and it still has front-end staff to assist with scanning and bagging groceries

Clickbait

Maybe they are better in America but in Australia every second item you have to call over an attendant to override the weight or some shit so its better to just use a regular checkout

EyeWontBeFooled posted...

Self checkouts are essentially ringing the dinner bell for thefts of all sorts. They are bad.

Source: I worked at Walmart for 3 years.

guys at the top: "wait should we hire real people to combat all this theft?"
"no just put everything behind glass requiring a key to be opened by an employee that does not exist"

VFalcone posted...

Clickbait

Is it clickbait? Literally two of the examples you posted were "rethinking self-checkouts."

WingsOfGood posted...

Wingsofgood 1
Salty CEmen 0

remember, self checkout is work

you are doing work and not being paid for it!!!!

I can never tell if people are serious or not with this awful, awful take.

Rika_Furude posted...

Maybe they are better in America but in Australia every second item you have to call over an attendant to override the weight or some shit so its better to just use a regular checkout

it is the same here

StealThisSheen posted...

Is it clickbait? Literally two of the examples you posted were "rethinking self-checkouts."

What literally all three of them are no such thing

rexcrk posted...

I can never tell if people are serious or not with this awful, awful take.

it is objectively unpaid labor

Assistance is on the way.

WingsOfGood posted...

Wingsofgood 1
Salty CEmen 0

remember, self checkout is work

you are doing work and not being paid for it!!!!

You really see it as you vs everyone else, don't you?

GeraldDarko posted...

You really see it as you vs everyone else, don't you?

everyone is salty? no only those who refuse objective reality

it all depends on theft loss vs paying workers

they just do the math and decide what makes them more money

the store I go to has someone standing there watching the self checkout registers the whole time anyway

Looking at these huge ass self checkouts from the article, I can see the problem.

Store next to my office, works simply different.

It's just 5 small check outs bundled together, managed by a single employee.

It's mostly for people who only want to grab a few things and that's it.

1 employee is serving these 5 self check outs at once, and even if every customer is only half as fast as the "normal" check out emplyoee, that's still 2.5 more efficency.

Ofc, looking at these huge ass island would make this obsolete. One guy can't easily watch over them all at once, and when they are supposed to check every single bullshit like membership cards, there is no benefit at all anymore.

Irony posted...

What literally all three of them are no such thing

"Removing self-checkouts" at all is literally "rethinking" them, however small.

Like-wise, if you have employees involved in a self-checkout transaction... It's no longer a self-checkout transaction.

So that's 2/3.

WingsOfGood posted...

it is objectively unpaid labor

So is mowing the lawn, or building a cabinet. Guess we shouldn't do those anymore, either.

Retailers here in Australia seem to embracing self-checkout en masse. It's funny, I have seen more staff on the floor with these self service, than I ever did when it was just lanes.

WingsOfGood posted...

guys at the top: "wait should we hire real people to combat all this theft?"
"no just put everything behind glass requiring a key to be opened by an employee that does not exist"

Or at least not an employee who works an average of 28 hours over a three month period, anyway.

For a company that is one of those virulently anti-union employers, they have a surprising amount of beaucracy over who gets part and full time jobs.

StealThisSheen posted...

Is it clickbait? Literally two of the examples you posted were "rethinking self-checkouts."

The clickbait is making people think they're rethinking the continued use of self-checkout. When in reality, they aren't rethinking anything. Just adding countermeasures to theft. The article even says retailers will continue with the technology.

Clickbait worked though. Look at Wings

WingsOfGood posted...

it is objectively unpaid labor

I guess opening doors to stores is unpaid labor too

GeminiDeus posted...

So is mowing the lawn, or building a cabinet. Guess we shouldn't do those anymore, either.

dont forget doing the dishes and laundry

Irony posted...

I guess opening doors to stores is unpaid labor too

funny how having to face objective reality always comes down to false equivalencies

prove it is not unpaid labor

you: "I can't because it is. but but then isn't other things!!!!"

wow

HOLY MOLY

I mean if theres a checkout line with a cashier and no line, ill go to the cashier 90% of the time compared to self checkout.

If both cashiers have like 2 people withs lots of stuff and i only have a handful, i'll go to self checkout.
If i have a lot of groceries, im going to cashier usually no matter what cuz im lazy. I mostly shop at publix and theyre usually good at not having checkout lines be more than like 3 or 4 people waiting.

WingsOfGood posted...

everyone is salty? no only those who refuse objective reality

ie, your reality. Your constantly arguing with half of CE. Either you're extremely intelligent and we just fail to comprehend what your trying to tell us or you're not nearly as smart as you think you are.

VFalcone posted...

The clickbait is making people think they're rethinking the continued use of self-checkout. When in reality, they aren't rethinking anything. Just adding countermeasures to theft. The article even says retailers will continue with the technology.

Clickbait worked though. Look at Wings

Making any change at all that takes away from the SELF-checkout experience is literally "rethinking," however small.

Yes, Wings is a lunatic, but that doesn't change the fact that he's technically right. Multiple retailers are seeing issues with self-checkouts and rethinking their strategy, however big or small.

I much prefer self checkout but i'm not a fan of places like wal mart that are moving towards having only self checkouts. not only because it takes jobs away from people but also because half the time it just means people have to stand around and wait for things like alcohol or cold medicine to be approved

i think a combo of the two is the best way to do it

GeminiDeus posted...

So is mowing the lawn

@GeminiDeus

do you mow the lawn at walmart for free?

LMAO

LOL

GeraldDarko posted...

ie, your reality. Your constantly arguing with half of CE. Either you're extremely intelligent and we just fail to comprehend what your trying to tell us or you're not nearly as smart as you think you are.

iirc his gimmick is regurgitating r/antiwork nonsense.

That said, let me be clear. If your entire point of contention is basically "Wings is a lunatic," then we don't actually disagree. Carry on.

MarcyWarcy posted...

not only because it takes jobs away from people

This is absolutely not true

Why is this thread moving so fast

potdnewb posted...

dont forget doing the dishes and laundry

so you go to walmart and wash dishes for their kitchen without being paid?

VFalcone posted...

Clickbait

Sorta. But the fact of the matter is that people are considering rethinking strategies with it.

Irony posted...

This is absolutely not true

As somebody who has worked retail for a large portion of their previous life, and thus still has contacts in the industry, it absolutely does. Companies like to say "We'll just moves those employees to other positions," but there is a limit on "other positions," and, sooner or later, somebody loses their job because of it.

Justin2Krelian posted...

Why is this thread moving so fast

Because it's finally some new topic.

Irony posted...

This is absolutely not true

i was working at wal mart when they began moving to self checkouts only. i would say about a quarter of the front end staff were retained to run the self checkouts, and the rest of them were either told if they wanted to remain they had to move into physically demanding roles like overnight stocking or breaking down trucks and almost all of them just opted to quit and go elsewhere as was intended by the company

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

It's not that bad of a take. It's kind of true. Corporations found a way to lower labor costs by having you do the work yourself. The argument for using self checkout is the speed which could be alleviated by having more employees.

StealThisSheen posted...

Yes, Wings is a lunatic, but that doesn't change the fact that he's technically right. Multiple retailers are seeing issues with self-checkouts and rethinking their strategy, however big or small.

How rude

Funny that I am a lunatic for just using objective logic. How does that work? What issue do you specifically have with me when you know that what I said is correct?

I worked at walmart for 6 years there is always a spot to move the max 5 people that were on registers. Retailers have never had any where near the amount of checkout lanes you think they have.

Irony posted...

I worked at walmart for 6 years there is always a spot to move the max 5 people that were on registers. Retailers have never had any where near the amount of checkout lanes you think they have.

Then you worked at an apparently shitty Walmart who conveniently had 5 positions open for... No logical reason?

Spoilers: Most stores aren't like that. Most stores can't afford to just leave open positions.

I don't use them