OT - Self service cash registers

Hi,

When we were discussing Walmart's prices in another thread, I began to think about the check-out lines. We have many, although they only open

2 or 3 with acutal human cashiers. Most remain closed. They have 6 self-cash outs manned by one cashier always open! Of course, the lines are very long for human cashiers.

What do you all think about this practice? I have noticed it with our Foodtown, Home Depot, and others as well.

I must admit that it can be quicker doing it yourself, but are we actually taking jobs away from people by doing it ourselves? Should we get a monetary break, say 10% off for doing it ourselves?

I know here in NJ, you must bag your own groceries most of the time, they do not do it, nor have someone available at the times I go. You cannot get them brought to your car either, which can be hard on the elderly.

How about across the pond, what are your practices?

What are your thoughts?

Diane

Reply to
seasidestitcher
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I can talk about Sweden and Italy.

Here in Sweden there are always several lines open, but it takes long time to check out (compared to Italy) since the cashiers have to weight all fruit and vegetables to determine the price. Here you always bag by yourself (Swedish people makes a point in making things by yourself), only once had helping people but they always asked first if you wanted their help. A Californian schoolmate of mine was very surprised that this is not a common practice here in Sweden. In very few supermarkets you can have a scanning device in order to make everything by yourself, but can't give more details, since never tried it. Never seen anyone helping with carrying bags.

In Italy I saw past time I was there that there were very few lines open in Christmas rush and the poor cashier was about to litterally faint :-( I really felt for her and told her something cheerful. In Italy you have to weight and put the label with price on the bags with fruit and vegetables by yourself and I was very surprised when I saw that here in Sweden they do it at the counter. The human cashiers are very quick and you have to rush in order to leave the counter to the following customer (they are not mean in any way, just there's no space for both) and this can be very stressing if you are alone. Never seen anyone working in supermarkets helping with the bags.

Hugs,

Anna Maria

Reply to
Anna MCM

Hi Diane,

Some of the stores here have gone to the self check-out, and I refuse to use them. I agree you are putting cashiers out of a job and some of them really need it. I was asked at our local Price Chopper one day when I was in the express lane if I wanted to use it. I asked the clerk how much of a rebate I was going to get back from doing the scanning, and bagging it myself and she said oh, it's a courtsey of the store. I said when they pay me to do it, then I might consider it, but otherswise, no thanks. She never asked again. At least the grocery stores do have baggers and people to help take the groceries to the car. Now, one of the kids in our other neighborhood worked for Price Chopper as a bagger and loved it when the people bagged their own groceries as he said, that's what he got paid for and it gave him a laugh that they were doing his job and not getting paid for it he was. After that, I let them do the bagging.

Hugs,

Nora

Reply to
norabalcer

I remember reading something a few years ago that customers perceive the self check out to be quicker but it actually is not. Stores were offering the option to please the customers. I will use it if I have a few items and there are lines at the other checkouts, but if I have much at all, I know it will really be faster to go to a cashier.

So yeah, some people want and like them so that's why they are there.

BB

Reply to
bonkers123

Diane - across this very big pond these practices have not yet appeared - but there is much talk about self serve check outs, and I do not think I will like it much. I do think they should pack the groceries etc and so that in itself puts paid to the idea of self help check outs

I think too many "conveniences" are being taken away by self help or talking machines ( I have the latter - press1 press 2 none etc none of them whar I want)

I dislike having to put petrol(gas) in my own car and pay $1.25 per 1/4 of a gallon for the priviledge - on the other hand going to the ATM is better than having to go into the bank and is available all hours.

As for jobs ,it was said that would happen, but certainly anything like that has not taken jobs so far here, as we have the lowest unemployment rate we have had in many years- certainly since long before any of these ideas came into practice. Our rate is around 3% and they hope to lower it even more ( I can remember back in the 1970's when it was 12%).

I think a lot has to do with the long established customs of vatious countries - like tipping which is said to pay the person a decent wage - I feel that wage should be paid by the employer in the first place who would obviously add it to the bill any way, leaving one free to pay a tip in appreciation for special service.

I n the main I like to feel I can find someone to help - I deplore the department store where it is almost impossible to find anyone to "serve" - just go around and pick it up and hope for the best - no advice as to the difference of this or that product - let them put in the lelf serve check out and give some of the jobe to the department store floor and then I guess I would be happy with the decision.

God bless Gwen

Reply to
Gwen

X-No-Archive:

I'm a stubborn person and I don't check-out or bag my own groceries or pump my own gas. Perhaps if there was a discount for patrons doing this, I would consider this, but in the meantime I won't. Haven't had anyone put groceries in the car for me since I lived in Florida years ago.

Reply to
Joan

Hi Nora:

Firstly, I hope things are well with you. Secondly, my husband had the same sort of comment, and pleasantly made it to the 1 cashier who helps out with the several "check out yourself" machines. His comment was...."so where do I pick up my paycheque" .Our local stores are just starting to implement them but always have lots of other cashes open. We have some "bag your own" type stores too. I don't mind those either as sometimes the people bagging aren't to experienced and put "cleaning supplies" with "food"...ughhh! Ahh really who am I to comment, I do mid-week groceries..my husband does the big lot of them as he "enjoys" it .

take care donna from ontario, canada

Reply to
Donna D.

Donna we were visiting USA when credit cards first became the payment of choice. I would hand my card to the check out girl and she said I could swipe it and I said if I performed that work I would need a green card ! So they all swiped it for me ( never could work out which way was up ) God bless Gwen

Reply to
Gwen

BB

The only time I find it slower is when someone without a clue tries to use the check out line. It's very simple, and the instructions are posted everywhere, but either people are ignoring them, or they apparently can't read. The one checker they have has to go around instructing the clueless, which is why we have delays, so I only like to use it when there is no one else there. That way I don't get some kid who thinks 5 pounds of vegetable cans should be slammed down on top of the bread or eggs, or drain cleaner should be bagged with the fresh meat. When there's no bagger in the line I'm in, I start bagging it myself or have DH bag, and when they are there stop them from doing stupid things like described above and ask them how they'd like their food bagged with chemicals or smashed to smithereens.

Leah

Reply to
Leah

I asked the cashier at the grocery store in town once to bag the soap seperately from the food. She looked at me oddly, wrapped it up in its own paper bag, then slapped it on top of the bag of groceries. "There you go!"

-Amanda

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Reply to
Amanda Tikkanen

My main b*tch about WalMart check-outs is that they don't have one for 6 items or less. Sometimes when I'm there I have one or two items, and have to stand in a long line waiting forever while people in front of me have a shopping cart loaded down. There are days when I don't mind much... but other days when it is really frustrating and hardly worth the wait... especially if I'm having a bad painful Fibromyalgia flare-up day. And

*most* of the other customers just don't care if someone is standing there with a cane or not. Not that I feel that I deserve special treatment, but I know when I am not in pain, if I see someone with a cane behind me who only has a couple of items... I step to one side and let them ahead of me. It's called being polite! Of course if WalMart had a speedy check-out for fewer items, this wouldn't be an issue anyway.

Gemini

Reply to
MRH

Hi Amanda:

Yes, some of them are not trained very well. If that happens to me I take it right back out, give them an explanation and then ask for a proper bag. Come to think of it...maybe that's why I don't like doing groceries...total lack of patience

take care donna from ontario, canada

Reply to
Donna D.

MRH wrote: Not that I feel that I deserve special treatment, but I

Well, Gem, let me tell ya...when I was in Florida this summer, I had one item in my hand. My dd and I went up to register and we were just waiting our turn. This nice young lady in front of me say, "Oh my, you must go ahead of me, you only have 1 thing" I am totally not used to this having to actually be carefull of line cutters, I say "oh that's okay" She says, "No problem, you only have one item" and she steps aside smiling.

I thanked her many times and just was so impressed that this happened to me especially in front of DD, whom we are always trying to impress about good manners. I left the store in a bettter mood than when I went in.

There really are some nice people out there, but not as many as there should be.

Diane

Reply to
seasidestitcher

I just have to add to this discussion...

A few weeks ago my Mother and I were in Home Depot. We had three small items and were asked to use the Self-serve check-out. I told the clerk I didn't agree with Self-serve check outs as I feel it is taking away their jobs, and the fact that I work as a Customer Service Desk Associate in another store was another reason. I wouldn't want customers doing my job, so why should I do the job in another store. Anyway, the clerk shrugged me off and said then I would have to wait. Finally, I caved and rang my Mother's purchases through and it went fairly smoothly.

Sooo...this past Friday I once again went to Home Depot. I had a very helpful clerk in the drapery department, then off I went to the check-out. Once again, the line-ups were long at the manned check-out, so figured 'if you can't beat them, join them' and headed for the self-serve check-out. I rang through my first 10 ft. piece of I-beam drapery rod, and the message "place item in bagging area" came on the screen. Fine, where do you put it??? There is no room for something that large. A clerk had to come and help me, then she rang through the items wrong, and had to do an over-ride, then had to finish the transaction and I did my own payment part. What a fiasco!!! How the heck do they figure this saves time and money???

I like Home Depot, they have a great selection, and you can buy everything in one place, but this self-serve check-out thing is nuts.

take care, Linda

Reply to
Linda D.muffymom56

That is very true that there are some very nice people out there... I have met and seen some. And I don't even mind standing in line *some* days when I'm really not in a lot of pain and not in a hurry. It's just those days when you just want to scream with the pain, or you know you have to be somewhere in a certain length of time that I really wish WalMart had one or two of those faster lanes for less items instead of having to stand behind people with a ton of things in their carts. Whenever I am in a store and have a few things, and see someone behind me with only one or two things, I

*always* let them ahead of me... most especially elderly people or people with an obvious disability... but even younger healthier people when they only have a couple of things and I have a cart-load. There is no way that I will stand there and ignore the fact that they have to stand there in line for a long time with so little to check through. That's the way my parents taught me!

Gem

Reply to
MRH

I used the self serve checkout at Home Depot once, and then set of the theft detector at the exit because nobody had deactivated the theft tags on the merchandise. Will I use it again - no way.

Roger.

Reply to
Yarn Forward

Hi Gem,

I'm with you there too. Our Walmart has the express lanes for 20 items or less, they should have at least a couple with six or ten less especially around noon time when the guys in the service that are stationed nearby come in to grab something for lunch. I always let them go first and they say no, but I insist as I've told them I'm retired and don't have to get back to work like you do. One time a guy had two little toys and I let him go ahead and he thanked me, saying he had forgot to pick up something for his DD's birthday and had to get back to the base.

Hugs,

Nora

Reply to
norabalcer

Aww, that was nice, Nora! Yep, I'd be like you in allowing them ahead of me in line too.

*hugs* Gem
Reply to
MRH

Awww... I bet you made his day, Nora!

Speaking of low item registers, I was in one of those in Shop Rite about two weeks ago. The lady behind me is loading her stuff on and she has more than12 items. The cashier politely asks her how many items she has and she says.."I don't know and what are you gonna do about it!" in a sarcastic tone. Man..I wouldn't want to mess with her.

Sad, isn't it.

Diane

norabalcer wrote:

Reply to
seasidestitcher

Roger, I can imagine that that gave you one Heck of a shock...LOL. You could hear someone yelling thief, thief......

When I come to Toronto, and go shopping with my daughter she always uses the fast check out you use yourself. This is in the Loblaws store. She could work there, she does it very fast and efficient. Well, when I did it once when I was on my own, it did not go that well at all. Lucky for me there are always clerks hovering by to help out. No bells and wistles going off when I left the store. However with two hearing aids I do set alarms off, when going through security checks, all the time. LOL

Els

Reply to
Els van Dam

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