MSE Forum poll: Self checkout vs human cashier?

Torry_Quine

Self scan. Interaction can be difficult and I often find myself rushed. 

twopenny

There are always queues at the self service here. Anything go wrong you have to wait for attention. You have nowhere to put your handbag down or prop up a walking stick, crutches. It's a juggling nightmare 
And a machine thanking me is really irritating.

At the conveyor you deposit you shopping , get your purse and bags ready and relax for a moment.
You have a counter to pack on. 

I play a game with the self service in Poundland that ho,ho,ho and talk to you like a toddler. I see if I can do the deed before the recording can speak. I get 9/10 most weeks 

Jami74

I would rather not eat than have to have an uninvited conversation with a cashier. I don't want to talk with a stranger about how my day is going or the weather or anything else. I have a similar aversion to hairdressers. 

YorksLass

Human, every time.  I refuse to use self service.  The price paid for a commodity includes various overheads, one of which is staff wages, so I'm paying for a service by a human not a machine.  Just about the only thing we don't do is to stack the shelves and I'm sure some bright spark would introduce that if they could!

Dizzycap

flaneurs_lobster said:

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.

Yes, I use a shop & scan App & pack as I go along, then I can decided where to cash out. Cashier or self scan     

MyRealNameToo

Most the time will use self checkout...

Can run the goods through in the order I want to pack things better rather than the cashier ignoring what's at the front and reaching over to send the eggs down the conveyor first for some unknown reason. 

No having to wait for them to finish their conversation with their neighbour or making you feel as if you are imposing on their social life

No waiting for the person in front to count out their coins, then realise they dont have enough and so decide to give back the baby formula rather than the vodka 

Can take the bags I want not a long debate on why I want the cheap bags not the bag for life etc. 

No waiting for them to have to call a manager to do the liquor sale because they're under 18 themselves



9 times out of 10 I can get in and out quicker with self checkout, the exception can be if having to deal with security tags... our local cornershop is a coop and they do age verification at the cashier rather than on the self serve machine itself and the cashier will always stop dealing with people queuing there to authorise the self serves 

flaneurs_lobster

Dizzycap said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

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.

Yes, I use a shop & scan App & pack as I go along, then I can decided where to cash out. Cashier or self scan     

You make a good point, I'd forgotten that a self scan shop can go to a person on a check-out for processing.

Rob5342

I'd go for the self checkout, I want to get out of the shop as quickly as possible and it's quicker to put items straight in a bag, waving them in front of the scanner along the way, than it is to get them out, put in on the conveyor and then walk to the other end to put it all back in again. If the self scan was at the other end of the supermarket and there was a manned checkout near then I'd use that instead.

I don't really subscribe to the jobs argument, if you look at history loads of things have become automated and jobs just move elsewhere, that's just progress. There aren't thousands of women out of work because people dial numbers directly instead of speaking to the operator for example.

[Deleted User]

I prefer the self checkout as it's easier to check if the price is correct and discounts (extra points or Clubcard  / Nectar prices) have been applied. 

My closest Sainsburys frequently has the wrong ticket prices, doesn't take down old price / Nectar promotions nor add new price / Nectar ones plus has started to mix product sizes / subtypes which are harder to spot. Every time i went through a hyoo-män there is some kind of problem that i don't notice until i check the receipt. 

Phossy

The cashier is quicker than me and I very rarely get through a self-scan without some sort of issue and often need to call help anyways; they are frustrating to use.