Self scanners

mhoc

Not that we have a self scanner in any of our local supermarkets but even so I thought I'd ask. What about coupons? Do you scan your coupons after you've scanned your shopping and will the machine promp you for coupons, will it accept any coupon or only ones for products you've actually bought?

I helped with a bagpack on Saturday at a Sainsburys with a self scanner but I didnt see anyone try to use coupons on them.

Mary

Lillibet_2

I'm curious about this too, I've never dared use them in my local Teso but as the cashiers are very hit & miss on accepting coupons I should be brave & try I guess? At least it might not be so embrassing if they are rejected!

Dormouse

Tesco self-service tills are usually pretty good. There's an option after you've scanned your stuff to press "coupons" before you pay, it's pretty straightforward. I think generally they accept coupons pretty well (even for stuff you haven't bought), the only snag is that sometimes they alert the supervisor, which you don't really want. I think this varies from store to store, but generally it alerts for help if you've scanned too many coupons or they're worth a lot (as I said, this varies).

I don't use them a lot, but this is because my Tesco are great at accepting vouchers anyway, so it's easier for me to go through the tills. Do give the self-scans a try, though, they're not that scary!

HTH

(On a similar subject, does anyone know if there's a way of using Sainsbury's self-service tills with coupons, for stuff that you actually buy? Our Sainsbury's is usually really busy and I like using self-scans but I also have lots of vouchers...)

Now I've re-read your question, you mean the Sainsbury's self-scan thingies, which I don't have a clue about, and Lillibet means the self-service tills at Tesco - two different things!

Lillibet_2

Sorry for any confusion, didn't realize there was a difference until someone at work just explained to me:o

Daisy

Sainsbury's don't accept vouchers for products you haven't bought so it's unlikely their self-scan tills will either.

Tesco however are great! I always use the self-scan tills now. Lillibet, be brave and have a go. A few tips though first.

1) Scan your clubcard before you scan your shopping. For some reason, if you're using vouchers, it has difficulty scanning your clubcard later and will need an assisstant (which is obviously to be avoided if can help it)

2) After pressing 'finish and pay' just scan however many coupons you dare to but try not to go over 50%. Put used vouchers in the used voucher slot. Computer will know if you've done this or not.

3) If screen says 'authorisation needed' just pack your shopping. On each occasion this has happened to me it just changed to 'pay' after a few seconds. Possibly the girl sees it on her screen and just presses a button to okay it. They don't seem to bother.

You'll soon get the hang of it. I've only found one checkout girl who wasn't @rsed about taking coupons but self-scan tills have never yet called over the supervisor. If anything really embarrassing does happen, you could always say you scanned it by mistake or you weren't sure what you were doing! HTH

BTW, don't forget Tesco now take Somerfield vouchers so pick up a Somerfield magazine. It has loads of vouchers in it!

rozzid

I used a few coupons at the self scan checkout in Tesco yesterday, for products I didn't buy and they went through fine. Just scanned them then posted them in the box as requested. So it seems to work.

catsonic

i've used it too!! even for a buy frozen mcain potatoes free. I didnt even buy them but it took £1.69 off my bill anyway.

CrazyChemist_2

When I put the voucher in the slot, it kept asking me to insert it - this led to the supervisor coming over, taking the voucher out of the machine, looking at it, asking if I'd bought the product, listening to me explain their own policy on vouchers, and me going bright red while a queue of customers listened in on the conversation and the supervisor taking the coupons off the transaction.

I wonder if that was a simple error or if it was supposed to do that to get the supervisor over??

furrypig

I have used the coupons in Tesco on their self scan till for products I didn't buy and this was fine.
In Sainsburys the self scan is a small machine you take round and scan as you go along and any coupons have to be given to the cashier at the end (but only for products bought).
Hope this makes sense!

Dormouse

CrazyChemist wrote:

When I put the voucher in the slot, it kept asking me to insert it - this led to the supervisor coming over, taking the voucher out of the machine, looking at it, asking if I'd bought the product, listening to me explain their own policy on vouchers, and me going bright red while a queue of customers listened in on the conversation and the supervisor taking the coupons off the transaction.

I wonder if that was a simple error or if it was supposed to do that to get the supervisor over??

Not sure whether this was the case here, but sometimes the slot does not register that the voucher has been inserted (usually if it's too light, or if it gets stuck), and that may be why it alerted the supervisor.

If this happens again (and if you're brave enough to do it again!) and the thing keeps telling you to insert the voucher even though you've already done it, blow into the slot! (very technical, I know!) It looks stupid but it usually dislodges the voucher and the machine registers it and does not alert the supervisor.

(I was shown this trick by a Tesco employee so they're aware of it and (probably) won't think you're a looney )

HTH

moggins

I wanted to use the self scanner last week but the woman in front of me didn't have a clue what she was doing and had to be shown every step by an assistant, it was taking forever and I didn't want the assistant hanging around whilst I scanned all my vouchers.

So I ended up having to go to a manned till and the very moody woman on there would only take one of my vouchers