Spill the beans...on your self-service checkout tips (beep)

Middy

djt100 wrote: »

bit of a cheat, but if you go to a shop that takes nector cards. the ss machine will ask how many of your own bags you used, always say 9, so 9 free points. even if buying one item

Don't do this please! Nectar can block your account and you will never be able to open a new account.

Norman_Castle

I prefer using them. The alternative is having a cashier scan all your light, damageable items first, which need to go at the top of your bag, then all the heavy items scanned, which need to be at the bottom of the bag. This happens however you present your shopping. Only once has a cashier, an elderly man, used his common sense and scanned the heavy items first. One cashier actually shouted at me for placing a bag of potatoes in front of her rather than on top of my full basket of damageable food. Using them also avoids having your shopping shoved towards you as you try to pack it and then, while trying to finish packing, the cashier asks for payment and clubcard.
The self payment tills may have technical flaws, but they have a much better attitude.

Norman_Castle

bit of a cheat, but if you go to a shop that takes nector cards. the ss machine will ask how many of your own bags you used, always say 9, so 9 free points. even if buying one item

I got told off for pressing for two bags instead of one:o

Middy

Morrisons are the worst self scans. Got to use them as the tills are huge. With Sainsburys' ss you can remove bags off the BA once the area is full and press 'I have removed item or bag' - hence why I have seen a customer doing a £155 shop on one of them - most expensive item btw was a £18 bottle of spirits - he must get a medal for being brave!

I thought Morrisons were the same. No they aren't allowed to remove a bag and piled 40 items of shopping in a tiny BA - 20 of these were Mullerlight when they were 5 for £1 last month - bought 10 for a friend. One of the MLs fell off the BA and caused it to split and my jeans were covered with cherry ML. The assistant manning the ss was sorting out a customer that wasn't issued with the right change. No-one else bothered to assist the ss whilst the assistant helped the customer with the change. If something happened at my work, we will get someone to cover the other ss. So there was me covered with yoghurt, unable to go further and 2 others waiting for approval for buying age restricted products bloody annoyed with being ignored. It took them 5 mins to fetch me another yoghurt. I had odd looks from people when I got on the bus home with pink stains on my jeans.

I complained about the lack of customer service and attention and was given a £5 voucher

AHAR

My tip would be careful with barcoded bags-for-life. I accidentally scanned one of mine when I moved it from my basket to the bagging area. I make sure to keep the barcode out of sight of the scanner now.

It's not always the SS checkout's fault when people have trouble though. This is what I witnessed from one couple next to me at Sainsbury's the other night.

Woman: "OK we're using our own bag so we need to press the button"
[Woman presses "using own bag" button]
SS Checkout: "Place your bag in the bagging areas and then press Done"
[Woman presses Done]
[Man places bag in bagging area]
SS Checkout: "Unexpected item in bagging area"
[Man and woman both look confused]

MrGumby

oldvicar wrote: »

The best self-scanning system is the hand-held devices in Waitrose where you scan and pack items straight into your trolley as you shop. Not only do you save separate scanning/packing at the end,but the device prompts you if there are any multibuy offers available.

Completely agree. They don't always save you time but do put you in control. And you can self-pay too. Just beware of paying for something you put back and forgot to 'unscan' - check your receipt before you leave the store.

MrGumby

djt100 wrote: »

bit of a cheat, but if you go to a shop that takes nector cards. the ss machine will ask how many of your own bags you used, always say 9, so 9 free points. even if buying one item

Hmmm...sounds a bit illegal to me. I'd certainly feel very guilty, and all for 4.5p.

Aldahbra

Although I don't mind the self service check outs generally. The ones in B&Q are just awful. They are rude and unhelpful.

B&Q must have scoured the country to find the most anoying and patronising voice possible, which is not possible to mute. - yes I have asked the staff to help me mute them and was told that it was not possilbe.

I am not an aggressive person but I've was soooo close to actually hitting a B&Q machine.

JungleMartin

I like them, they (usually) allow me to avoid wasting my own time queueing. I use the ones in my local Sainsbury's almost daily at busy lunchtimes, and they work great. I've also used Tesco's and Boots' and they seem fine too, but I have to agree the Morrison's ones are slow and much less reliable/user-friendly.

The only irritation with the Sainsbury's ones is they say, "Please put the item on the scale," when it means please put it in the bagging area. (Yes, it says the same thing whether it wants you to weigh something on the scale or put it in the bagging area.) This confuses me sometimes when I'm trying to be quick, never mind people who aren't used to it.

Sainsbury's, if you're reading, please sort it out.
(Your store on The Moor, Sheffield city.)

scrimperdave

ToniaFK wrote: »

If you are using vouchers on the self service, when you scan them it asks you to feed the voucher in to the machine. If you want to re-use the vouchers then insert a receipt or small piece of paper instead and the voucher will work the next time (this definitely works in Tesco, not sure about the other supermarket s-service).

Hope this helps!

Interesting new twist on "How to steal from supermarkets." :eek: