this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
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[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dont forget the fact most stores refuse to hire the staff needed to run the place smoothly. Why pay eight cashiers hourly wages when you can just have two cashiers?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There's a BofA branch near me that has a dozen windows. I've never seen more than two clerks. Whenever I see something like that I remember that there used to be a time when corporations actually cared about providing good service. That time is long since gone.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Every store I go to that is not a mom and pop shop has several cash registers but only one or two in use, even on weekends.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Also people used to go to the bank so much there were big lines. Now it's online.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (18 children)

I find cashier lines to be too slow because of the socialization so I always go to the self checkouts.

A lot of old ladies will go to cashiers and have ridiculous questions and requests and you're standing there with your 3 items dying inside.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Around me it's Indian people arguing about the price of every other item.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I actually prefer self checkouts. It's a simple task and going grocery shopping is one of my moments of solitude in the week, I don't wanna talk to anyone that I don't have to.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah but you're probably able bodied. Self checkouts are a big burden for the elderly or disabled.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

I am not suggesting that we remove normal checkouts. I am just saying I like the option of having self checkout everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I live by a food basic. Before they implemented self checkout there used to be a pretty long line at peak hours and weekends. After they added self checkout, there is pretty much never a line anymore. The most people I've had to wait behind was like 3. The difference was extremely noticeable.

There are probably some really terrible implementations of self checkout in some stores or locations but when it's done right it seems pretty good.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You know you don't have to have a conversation with the cashier right? I put my stuff on the conveyor, say 'yup' when asked if I find everything alright, and 'thanks' when they're finished.. Or just silently nod 🤷‍♂️

But literally two days ago I was at the store and the self checkouts were full with 7 people still waiting to use them, while one employee ran around trying to handle all the errors.. and only one standard checkout open for people with full carts. It was soo damn frustrating.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Speaking as someone with a physical handicap, self-checkout can be very difficult.. especially with a larger amount of items or heavy things

Even opening finicky bags causes me a lot of frustration, because my dexterity is bad some days. Continuously bending down to lift, bag, & load stuff into the cart? Very very bad.

Local grocery stores in my area have been cutting back on cashiers, and it is really causing me issues.

I've seen old ladies struggling a lot, too! They probably have it much worse than I do! It's probably a thing they so they don't have to pay more workers, but those workers are sorely needed!

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Do I get a discount for checking myself out? Unless it's 1-2 items and the normal line is full - it is cashier every time for me.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Same. I will go to the cashier even when it's somewhat inconvenient to me just because I despise the idea that the grocery store is making me be the cashier for free.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

That’s why if something “fails” to scan or you input some produce at a cheaper price “on accident”, then it’s the store’s fault - you’re not a cashier, just a customer doing self-checkout.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I mean, they're also "making you" pick up your items off the shelf, just like the gas station "makes you" pump your own gas.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Succinctly: they’re making it more annoying for me as a customer while simultaneously not providing someone with a job.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What value does a real human provide you though?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They’re a skilled worker that has memorized the codes for the different types of potatoes, a skill I am unlikely to learn.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I guess it depends on the machine, but I don't have to memorize codes. You can search for the item by name when it's time to weigh it.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love self checkout, at least when it's implemented well.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (4 children)

As far as I can tell there isn't a single one that isn't a steaming pile of shit. Where have you found acceptable ones?

That said I'm against them because it reduces the employment that a business requires while pushing the work onto the customers. Unless they are giving me a discount for using the self checkout you are effectively being an employee for free for the store.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

you are effectively being an employee for free for the store.

You already accepted being an employee of the store when you decided to enter the warehouse to pick the items off the shelf yourself.

The only question is: Can you clock out faster if your co-worker helps you process the items you picked or will it be faster if you do it all by yourself?

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I'm a huge self checkout fan, but I think we need more perspective on how shitty ours is sometimes. Loblaws and all of them are way behind on how it should work. Look at the Netherlands and how it's often done there, you walk around with a scanner so you can scan as you go and quickly pay at the end.

Or even better, look at how Uniqlo is doing it. It's all RFID, so you just drop your basket on the checkout, and it scans it all for you basically instantly.

The problem isn't self checkout, it's that the grocery stores are using it to purely cut costs and don't actually care if it's better for the consumer in any way. But hey, at least it's easy to "accidentally" not scan something right now.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Look at the Netherlands and how it's often done there, you walk around with a scanner so you can scan as you go and quickly pay at the end.

Walmart and Sam's Club have this with their Scan & Go app in the US. Scan the barcode with your phone, add it to your cart, pay from your phone, and someone at the door will scan a QR from your phone then scan a few random items in the cart and you're done.

I pretty much wouldn't shop at Sam's if it didn't exist. The checkout lines there have always been long and a pain. It cuts a ton of time standing around waiting in line out of a trip.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like self-checkout especially when there's lot of people and you have 1 or 2 items, it's convenient, for me. But as written in the article, someone in need like this woman, needs a cashier lane. I'm not against self, but all stores should have at least one lane with cashier, always, for people in need.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Yes I agree I think having a mix of the two is best. Let the customers decide what they would like to use.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I don't appreciate stores trying to force me to do the cashier's job.

I also don't appreciate them trying to pull the rug out from under the economy. If there's one thing my country does not need, it's millions more homeless people.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (4 children)

This commercial was made at least 17 years ago. This is what we need. We have the technology. We just need the price to come down.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Uniqlo stores around me almost have this implemented. You don't scan the individual items, you just place your basket on the machine and it somehow knows every item in there. Super fast and convenient. I think it's only a matter of time.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I don't mind there being a self-checkout, but for the love of everything good in this world, these companies need to stop asking 21 questions when you use one! "Do you want to apply to a credit card?", "Do you want to donate?", "Did you want a receipt emailed?", "Did you want to fill out a survey?", "How many bags did you use?", etc.

And if it's a self-checkout at Walmart, expect to have 10 available, but only 2 working and three staff overlooking them...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Ironically, the local Walmart has been closing them all later in the day so that people must use cashier's, presumably due to increased theft etc

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (11 children)

I try to do self checkout whenever i can. Cashier is one of the most soul crushing jobs, no one needs to be dealing with food shoppers

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I prefer self checkout if I have a few items but it can be a pain the more items you have. There isn't a lot of room in the bagging area and I have to fight with the machine freaking out over unexpected items in the bagging area 🙄

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (7 children)

My insistence on paying cash for in-person purchases means that I can't—and won't—shop at a store that only offers self-checkouts. I haven't come across any yet in this neck of the woods that don't have at least one cashier, but if I did, chances are good that I'd put the goods down and walk out without buying.

I do understand, however, that most people aren't willing to make that level of sacrifice just to keep the credit card companies from tracking part of their purchase history.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I genuinely don't think I've paid in cash in Canada for about 10 years now.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

If self check is too hard to use, just take the items for free

I got into a situation where a cashier came to debug an issue and she wasn't able to.

It just ended up with her letting me go with the item for free because ''she isn't paid enough to fix this shit''

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't mind self-checkouts, though I will admit most of those systems are utter garbage. What I hate is a worker telling you that "hey the self-checkouts are open here". If I wanted to do self-checkout I wouldn't be waiting in that line. Had some even bait saying "i'll serve you here, but then they just lead you to self-checkout". Their managers should be fired.

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