Self checkout machines in Supermarkets.

jon81uk

JIreland wrote: »

i do try not to use them given that they've been installed to reduce staff.

I agree in general but I'm not convinced some supermarkets would have more tills. My local asda has around 10 self checkouts with 2staff, I think if this space was used for normal basket only tills then would only have 3 tills anyway so staffing levels would be about the same. The bigger self checkouts (with conveyors) can also be converted so staffed at busy times (4 tills with 1 staff each) or self scan with 1 staff between the 4 tills when quieter.

1Albatross

I still use them, but what annoys me about them are:

1) Some are too small (Sainsburys) - not enough room to get into the free one because there are 2 people messing about beside the one next to it.
2) One shop really annoyed me when seeing people waiting, then decided to switch on 2 closed ones.
3) The ones in the COOP that shout at you.
4) Morrisons - why is the bagging area so far away.
5) M & S - the free tiny bags are located where you put the basket. You pull one off and move it the bagging side. If you don't watch what you are doing it scans and charges you 5p ... why !!!
6) Waiting... waiting... waiting... because they don't have enough staff to come and scan the little card to sort out whatever the machine is saying... without a word said / apology.
7) Having to wait until you put your credit card until it takes off the savings from offers.
8) When there are always queues up the dishwashing aisle, don't you think you should maybe employ more staff on proper tills / get more self-seve tills / take staff off of shelf-filling??
9) Boots - no change in the machine, which meant I had be dragged off to a normal till, and then wait ages until a supervisor could be found and do whatever needed to be done so that I could get my tenner.
10) Yes, I know to take my shopping. I don't go through this whole rigmarole just to walk out with out my sodding shopping.

Anyway, if shops employed enough people so that we didn't have to stand in long queues.....

sheeps68

A nightmare for me as all the wrong heights especially the packing area. Hence avoid like the plague as not exactly friendly for me with a disability unless I have just one item!

ElkyElky

The self scan machines has on several occasions turned me in to a shop lifter, entirely unintentional of course.

First time it happened, I scanned an item and instantly heard a bleep so I popped it in to the bag. The infamous unexpected item error appears, assistant comes over and cancels the error and I get back to scanning. Me thinking all was fine and dandy, I get home to check over the receipt and find one product actually didn't scan. Oh dear.

Second time it happened, the same scenario. I don't know if I scanned each item too quickly or what but another item didn't get scanned through and again, the assistant will happily cancel the error and go on with their business. Fortunately I've made a habit of checking my receipts after using these machines so I spotted the accidental theft before leaving the shop. I went right to the customer services desk to pay for the said item and to complain that it is turning me in to an unintentional shop lifter.

I think assistants have become too accustomed to false alarms that they are just cancelling every single one without a second thought.

I don't want to be labelled a shop lifter and I especially don't want staff thinking I did it on purpose yet I imagine things like this happen every day, whether it's because of the customer's fault in not using the machine correctly or because the machine itself is having an off day.

Either way, assistants should investigate why these errors flag up rather than just cancelling it and dashing away to the next check out. Compare the products in the bag to the list of scanned items on the screen, it surely wouldn't take long!

I tend to avoid them now unless I absolutely must use them (huge queues etc) and even then, I don't step foot out the door until I've examined the receipt.

Woolwich_Kim

Not read all replies but I now use the self serve almost 100%.

Only issues where improvements can be made for me is getting an assistant more quicker, usually when trying to spend a voucher or to do a price check when I think a price is wrong.