"Self-Service" Checkout machines in Tesco

James_N

Has anyone a good experience of using these? Without being too big-headed I would say that my 12 year old and I am at the top end of technologically-able people in the UK, both confidently using a variety of computers and electronic equipment productively for work and leisure. Yet these checkout machines have us beaten. Last night, buying a few top-up items in our local tesco on the way home, we spent several additional frustrating minutes and incurred the ire of the "hurry up we are getting ready to close assistants" when we totally failed to get a checkout to perform the task of calculating about 12 items, some reduced and some with offers on. What goes on with these machines when these "faults" occur? As follows:
Two items showed up three times. Definitely scanned only twice.
"Unexpected item in bagging area". Well, there's a bag, and the item I just scanned. That's all .. so ? Start again?
NO NO NO it's NOT three choco bar packets!
ALL THAT'S IN THE BAGGING AREA IS AN EMPTY BAG!
Start again.
AHHH we have got past the two choco bar items, and made it to the milk. Finally... "Unexpected item in bagging area" ... YES YOU STUPID MACHINE - ALL THE STUFF I JUST SCANNED. TWICE OVER.
Start again.
Made it!!! Hurrah.
Hang one, the "little" one says, wheres the 2 for one offer on this receipt? And those cakes are reduced, and it hasn't calculated the reduction for buying two choc bar packets. ...

So we needed assistance after all .. and ages after a normal payment would have been done and dusted we are walking home. And this child, product of the electronic age, a so-called "digital native" says to his "digital immigrant" dad:
"It would probably be cheaper and definitely easier to employ a person to keep a till open. I would much prefer to have a person check the shopping. I know it sounds harsh, but those machines don't work."

He nearly added (but didn't) "How do old people like you manage on their own?"

For £6.00 ish an hour, a reasonably pleasant and numerate and intelligent teenager would provide a far better service to everyone, not just the old. Why do the stores think these machines are a good idea?

GrammarGirl

Tesco's self service checkouts are the worst of all the supermarkets. What's shown on screen cannot keep up with the bagging weight system, so when the screen says 'unexpected item', it means the thing you've just scanned and placed in the bag, which the system hasn't registered yet!

Morrison's self service checkouts are great. You can scan at twice the speed the checkout operators move at, and if you want to use your own bag you can push the scales back... something Tesco just does not understand is feasible!

Becles

I was doing fine on the one in Asda the other day, then part way through, a lady came from another SS till, and dumped her bags on the end of mine while she put her purse away. That sent the machine into a "unexpected item in bagging area" panic, while the lady just sauntered off leaving me to ask for help to reset it :mad:

Brooker_Dave

James_N wrote: »

Has anyone a good experience of using these?

I use them all the time, much better than having to make small talk with a check out hag/pimply teen.

How did you manage to fail?

Contains_Mild_Peril

I've had some sort of error or check required every time I've tried to use them. It particularly annoys me that they purportedly encourage re-use of bags, yet if you put a decent re-usable carrier bag in the packing area it sets off the unexpected item thingy. It also annoys me that these are the only checkouts open late at night, when there are usually only about 2 people using them at any one time, who could be served much more quickly by the assistant who has to sort out all the error messages, age-restricted item checks etc.

lolababy

I dont like them. They may as well have a member of staff on the till as someone has to be there anyway. I suppose its like anything new you have to get used to them. Im sure in the future it it will be all self service and seeing humans other than customers will be rare.

Drunkstar

I've never had problems with these, guess I'm lucky.

smcaul

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

I use them all the time, much better than having to make small talk with a check out hag/pimply teen.

How did you manage to fail?

They probably didn't have Mummy, Daddy and Nursey with them to help them. Also they were likely to be buying more then a sherbert dab and some liquorice laces!!!

Noz

My local ASDA and Tesco have the exact same self-service checkout systems, neither are particularly hard to use and understand. Maybe not the same systems provided to the OP.

mustrum_ridcully

In my experience ASDA are far worse than tesco when it comes to these machines. Most of the time Tesco is problem free, but with Asda almost everytime I use them there is some sort of problem. The Co-Op ones I've used have to be the best though never ever had a problem.

What is daft is when you by paracetamol you get given the statement "You are only allowed to purchsase 2 items containing paracetamol" (or very similar words), followed buy Yes / No buttons. If it's just providing information just put an OK button on the screen.

Pollycat

James_N wrote: »

Has anyone a good experience of using these? Without being too big-headed I would say that my 12 year old and I am at the top end of technologically-able people in the UK, both confidently using a variety of computers and electronic equipment productively for work and leisure. Yet these checkout machines have us beaten.

Not being too big-headed? Really? At the top end? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Sorry, couldn't resist that.

Anyway, I use the self service tills a lot in our Tesco Metro and haven't had a problem other than sometimes it won't accept coins on the first go.

I agree about the "Unexpected item in bagging area" message if you put your own bag there.
After the first time, I just use their bags.