Self-scan checkouts (esp. ASDA)

hollydays

pulliptears wrote: »

The trick is to slap the belt. When you scan an item that doesn't weigh much the tesco ones ask you to place the item on the belt....you have but the machine cant tell. The solution is to pick up a handful of tesco leaflets and slap the belt with them. It then registers that something is on the belt and carries on.

Took weeks of research that lol

I find it just as effective to slap the staff:D
Actually,i realise I am not just scared of self scanners,but also those diy coffee dispensers you get in supermarket cafes.

pulliptears

hollydays wrote: »

I find it just as effective to slap the staff:D
Actually,i realise I am not just scared of self scanners,but also those diy coffee dispensers you get in supermarket cafes.

Thats plan B

one-non-blonde

superscaper wrote: »

It's a good idea but it's never properly implemented. We had it at our local Safeway (at least it was a Safeway back then) about 15 years ago, so pretty progressive at the time. It worked well at first but then they did so much checking (random rescanning by a checkout person to prevent fraud) that it eventually defeated the point, and as mentioned there were so many errors that the time saved in checking yourself was lost again in sorting out the errors. The system lasted two or three years, perhaps a bit longer but it was scrapped and never reintroduced. Doesn't sound like things have improved.

I loved those self-scanners! You scanned as you went round and put the shopping straight into bags (or the completely useless non-stackable crates they sold you) - saved loads of time! And you could price check instantly without having to trawl the store for an out-of-order scanner or surly assistant. Happy days...

yeslek

they are terrible
as are the ones in sainsbury and tesco

the amount of time it spazzes over an item not on the belt or being on the belt

still quicker than queing even after all that though

A_Nice_Englishman

I like the self-scan checkouts in my local ASDA.

The number of 'unexpected item in bagging area' errors was annoying at first, especially when the assistant was busy reading a magazine and didn't notice until you called out) but they seem to have tweaked the software and there are very few of them now.

A possible downside for Moneysavers is that it is a little to easy to hit the £40 cashback button. Having to ask the assistant for cashback made you think twice.

darwin-rover

I sometimes use one in a Tesco near me , but I think I'll have to stop using it or going there altogether . Most of the time when I use the self-service till the woman who I see standing around doing nothing when I walk towards the till suddenly has to check the bags beside me or some such nonsense when I'm putting my stuff in the bag , or usually she just stands peering right over my shoulder . Might as well just call me a thief . I must look like that sort of person .

CRM_2

..on the self-scan checkouts, in fact.

Before we had them introduced, i wouldn't have gone near the things either. Now I know how they work, I use them all the time and wouldn't look back.

I thought it would be helpful to explain the whole 'place item in bagging area' business. If you have had problems, the assistant should have explained this to you at some point. Here is a quick guide:

1. Scan item.
2. Place scanned item in bagging area. Why? Because it won't let you scan the second item until you have the first item in the bagging area? Why? because every item has an associated weight to it that is held in a database. The bagging area weighs the item and checks it against the weight. The reason for this is two-fold.
A) To check for fraud - so that people don't scan for one can of beans and place two in the bag, or put something else entirely in the bag. This usually happens by accident, I've found. Checkout staff know that most people aren't intentionally criminals. You may not realise it, but basic training means that checkout staff should be checking whether or not you have items that you haven't paid for when you go through any till. It's not that we suspect you personally, it's that we acknowledge the possibility that people don't always pay for items.
To prevent the customer from being overcharged - if you scan something twice
3. Scan second item.
4. Place it in the bagging area

And most of the time is that simple. Don't press any other buttons such as 'skip bagging' or, as it is called now 'I do not wish to place item in bagging area' and then put the item in the bagging area. These two events are mutually exclusive and designed for bulky items that won't fit the bagging area. When you press this button three times, it means that you are bypassing our security measures based on the weighing system and it will require someone to approve that you have the right number of items.

To tell the truth, the machines work very well - those that have problems largely do so because they don't know how they work or don't listen to the instructions. Below is a list of the major problems that account for 99% of errors. Bear in mind that, if all these problems were eliminated, then the operators should only have to correct about 10 errors in a day.

1. People pressing 'skip bagging' and placing item in bagging area. Reason - the customer has intructed the machine that they aren't putting the item in the bagging area, and then do so. This accounts for a good 50% of problems, if not more.
2. People holding the scanned item in their hand while attempting to scan a second item. Reason - the machine won't let you scan until it weighs the first item.
3. People putting their handbag/keys/purse/child/magazines/purchases from other shops in the bagging area. Reason - the bagging area is for purchased items only! The machine assumes that you have tried to bag something that you haven't scanned and therefore you don't intend to pay for.
4. People not knowing which way up to place their credit/debit card. Reason - it won't register your chip if you have it upside-down and will assume there is no chip and ask you to swipe the card. But the swipe won't be accepted because all tills, self-scan or not, do not accept signitures since the transfer to chip and pin. Also, every chip reader has a picture showing which way up to put it. No excuse, really, even if you are used to different types of readers.
5. people from other self-scan checkouts putting their items/children/baskets,/handbags etc onto another customer's bagging area. Reason - same as 3. If the assistant hasn't noticed, ask the other customer politely to remove the offending item.
6. Moving bags and items while a second person is still scanning - Once an item is scanned and weighed in the baggind area, it can be removed and the scale resets. This does mean, however, that you can't put the items back onto the bagging area without them coming up as unexpected. The worst version of this is where one person scans, sets the item on the bagging area and then a second person lifts that up and tries to pack it differently while the first person furiously tries to scan their other items.
7. Leaning on the bagging area out of boredom/curiousity when someone else is trying to scan. Reason - your body weight is an unexpected item with an unsteady weight that cannot be purchased. This also goes for children who climb or set their hands on the bagging area.
8. Using your own shopping bags without approval. Reason - they are unexpected items, but the assistant will approve them for you before you begin to scan if you ask and you should be able to scan after that no problem. trouble is, it isn't always so easy because using your own bags tends to mean a lot of shifting weight. I always advise people to place the items unbagged onto the bagging area and then pack at the end of the transaction. That works without a hitch.

A couple of other comments on other problems:

Reduced Items - items with a yellow sticker without a barcode printed on it cannot be scanned. at the regular checkouts, we use a price override to do them. The assistant can do this for you on self-scan, but the customer can't do it themselves.

if they do have a barcode, just put it a bit closer to the scanner and scan more slowly. You don't need to move items for them to scan - it helps if you don't move them. Most of the time, this will work, but the label printers can be dodgy at times and you will need assistance to put it through. Entering reduced item's barcode will not work because they are in a format such that they price is included in the number. Thus they are locked for customers because they would be able to enter any price they wanted for reduced items.

Alcohol and age-restricted items - You can scan these through no problem, but you need the assistant to approve that you are old enough to buy them. that is only sensible to prevent underaged people buying alcohol. Some items have age restrictions and you might not realise it. Scissors, matches, knives of any type, party poppers, solvents, silly string.... But the law is the law.

Moral issues - I cannot express how insulting it is for customers to refuse the offer of going to self-scan and they reply 'I don't agree with them on principle'. I am employed to do self-scan, and you are basically telling me that my job isn't wanted. We don't mind if you choose to wait at another checkout - the self-scan is there for choice. When we ask, it is because we are trying to be helpful and some people are just rude in response. Would you rather we twiddle our thumbs while you wait in line?

I also very much doubt that they are an effort to save labour costs. I don't believe that our store has less staff since they were introduced. You can only take my word for it. It isn't the same as most mechanised 'replacements'. The vast majority of customers are still required to use the main checkouts. They are a method of cutting down on queues. I can't believe that anyone doesn't want that.

CRM_2

A_Nice_Englishman wrote: »

I like the self-scan checkouts in my local ASDA.

The number of 'unexpected item in bagging area' errors was annoying at first, especially when the assistant was busy reading a magazine and didn't notice until you called out) but they seem to have tweaked the software and there are very few of them now.

A possible downside for Moneysavers is that it is a little to easy to hit the £40 cashback button. Having to ask the assistant for cashback made you think twice.

They aren't doing their job properly!

melancholly

this thread is now over a year old.... kind of odd to resurrect for your first post! the point about not using your own bags without approval is, however, daft, since almost everywhere is trying to encourage people to be more responsible with waste and not to get bags unless necessary. i don't really think having to place things and then pack is at all sensible, especially with a queue of people behind you who will think you're a bit thick and are taking too long lol

anyway, despite all your points, i get annoyed having to go through multiple menus to enter codes for some fruit for each separate item even when you're buying six.... when they fix that, i may be appeased

CRM_2

melancholly wrote: »

this thread is now over a year old.... kind of odd to resurrect for your first post! the point about not using your own bags without approval is, however, daft, since almost everywhere is trying to encourage people to be more responsible with waste and not to get bags unless necessary. i don't really think having to place things and then pack is at all sensible, especially with a queue of people behind you who will think you're a bit thick and are taking too long lol

anyway, despite all your points, i get annoyed having to go through multiple menus to enter codes for some fruit for each separate item even when you're buying six.... when they fix that, i may be appeased

And I just felt compelled to reply! I've long been an admirer of Martin Lewis and his good advice though - mainly though his spot on Radio 2 - but never been to the forums until now.

You should only have to press two buttons for fruit and veg if you are weighing them. Four buttons if they are priced per item rather than per kilogram, because you need to tell the machine how many you are purchasing. If it is a particularly unusual item, then you might need to go to another screen. But it's prob less confusing than the large array of buttons in stores where you have to weigh an price your own goods before going to the chechout.

And funny you should say that about multiple items, because I noticed just today that they have fixed a long-standing problem with entering lemons which meant you had to enter them one at a time. I agree that that was very annoying! but it seems that someone listens eventually and upgrades the software. That is up to the manufacturers of the machine - ASDA and Tesco both use the same system. I can't really speak for any of the others.

Using your own bags wasn'y so heavily encourages when these machines were invented and imported from the states over a decade ago. Encouraged, yes, but there has been a large push to get rid of all bags because of government legislation that will hit us all in April. Perhaps the manufacturers will adapt the software to make it easier to do so, but maybe not. I never worry about people being impatient - overall it takes you the same amount of time to scan and then pack as scan and pack as you go along. That is simple logic. In fact, I think it is quicker overall to do one task at a time rather than two at once. More haste, less speed! And customers have to wait on the customer in front packing before they pay or get served at any other till. Why is the idea so unacceptable at self-scan?

Besides, the point was about how useless self-scan were meant to be, not about the opinions other customers might have about waiting behind you in the queue. And if people start to understand how to use them better, they should realise why you scan first and then pack later. Doing it that way saves time and makes things easier - would you rather try to do it another way and end up with lots of errors? If other people are impatient because you are doing it the proper way, it is because of their own ignorance of the system!