MSE Forum poll: Self checkout vs human cashier?

MSE_JC

You're the only customer in the supermarket and have five small-to-medium size items in your basket. For the sake of argument, let's say: a pint of milk, a jar of peanut butter, a box of cereal, a loaf of bread and a tin of baked beans. To paraphrase Louis Armstrong, you have all the time in the world.

On one side, the self checkouts...on the other, human cashiers on tills with conveyor belts. Which one would you go for?

Vote in the poll then tell us your reasons in the thread.

Brie

Nice to have a conversation and nice to keep someone employed.

swingaloo

It's a 'use it or lose it' scenario. 

People are going to be put out of work and the customer is having to do the job they were paid to do.

Its not as if they charge less for the items if you have to serve yourself.

Its also very inconvenient and difficult for some elderly people.

Problem is that if you are stood there with 5 items and only a couple of till are open both of which have a queue it is so tempting to be impatient and do it yourself. 

Its todays society, people bank online so banks close. People shop online so shops close. Do we really want to go to a supermarket where there are no longer cashiers? Supermarkets say it is to speed up the service but when they get rid of the cashiers the queues will be equally long at the self service tills.

Our local Tesco has moved to having just a couple of tills manned by cashiers and have introduced self scanning conveyor belts  for large shops. Fine but you cant pack until you have scanned everything through and paid so the queues for those are long.

flaneurs_lobster

Isn't self scan as you go (a zapper) a valid third option? 

My preferred option since I can pack my bags as I go and not have to unload/reload at the checkout?

But yes, given the original poll choice - always a human.

Tree_pipe99

If they want me to do a cashiers job then give me a discount for it. Otherwise I'll let an actual cashier do it. 

BridgetTheCat

Human cashier every time. I’m very grateful to them. Self-checkouts are not designed for someone on a mobility scooter because I usually have to turn sideways to use them, but on a traditional checkout I can just glide up and put my stuff on the belt and the cashier handles it for me. Likewise if I’m standing a self-checkout means constantly shifting from side to side, which is very painful.

Plus I like a bit of conversation, and it keeps someone in a job.

eddddy

Supermarkets are very competitive businesses, and many customers are very focussed on paying low prices. If customers believe that one supermarket is cheaper than another, many people will choose the cheaper one.

So supermarkets look for any way they can to reduce costs, so that they can charge the lowest prices.

One way of reducing costs is by introducing self-checkouts.

(As an illustration, Waitrose often seem to employ more people in their stores on checkouts, deli counters, meat counters, fish counters, etc - but they charge higher prices, to pay for all those people.)


I've often thought that a good solution might be for supermarkets to keep their prices as low a possible, on the assumption that customers will use self-checkouts - but if customer prefers a member of staff to scan their shopping, they pay an extra 50p or £1 to cover the extra staff costs.

 

tescolite

I'll always use a cashier checkout if I can. To keep people in jobs plus, every time, without fail, I use a self scan checkout something goes wrong and I have to wait for an assistant to sort it out.

Saver73

Human cashier every single time - even if I just had one item! 😁
self scan always goes wrong and haven't even tried again in a long time

TadleyBaggie

I avoid places (e.g. local Lidl) that don't have self checkouts.

finbaar

If it can be avoided - I particularly like the self scan as you go option - then I will keep away from the humans. Lidl and Aldi cashiers are ok as they get on with it but Tesco/Morrisons/Asda etc are awful, the take ages.