This would be a nightmare at my Target. They usually only have one register open, and the self-check line is always PACKED. And at Target it's so easy to have a dozen little items.
You're able to shop in your Target?!?!? Huge sections of our Target are behind lock and key and you need to get someone to unlock the cabinets in order to purchase... which turns into an automatic no purchase for me. So gone are the days of going in for 2-3 items and strolling through aisles and leaving with a full cart of treasures. If I need something from Target, I order for pickup.
It depends on which Target I go to. I have several that are within easy distance. One they seem to have everything behind lock and key and I don't want to go there anymore.
The other has no cashiers and the beauty section is a completely open, mini-Ulta.
[mention]dochas [/mention] apparently most of the big retailers HAVE noticed a huge increase in theft that is correlated to their use of self-checkouts. Surprise surprise.
A few times I’ve noticed after checking out that I’ve forgotten something in my cart, or that I had an item tucked under my arm that I forgot about (I usually have a clutch under my arm, so I guess I think I’m just carrying that?) and I’ve gotten out to my car just to turn around and go back in to ring up the item I forgot about. I’m sure there are many people who don’t go back and pay, some people who purposefully steal because they want to “stick it to the system”, and some people who just can’t afford the high prices and have a family to feed, so they make the touch decision to take a few items without paying.
The whole system sucks. I hate what capitalism is doing to our country right now. Nobody should starve because their employer refuses to pay them a fair wage or because the grocery store wants to make record profits again this quarter.
Introvert and I don’t choose self-checkout but I don’t think introversion is the reason behind it. It’s mainly because self seems to take longer/have glitches/require being helped by someone anyway.
I'm a special snowflake. I only use self checkout if I have under 10 items. Otherwise I feel like I'm taking way too long. Bagging one handed is slower and I hate holding up lines. That's why my H does all the big shopping trips to Winco (customers bag all their own groceries).
Also, I didn’t know so many people here hated self checkout. The only other place I see people bitching about it so much is in the Aldi FB group I’m in. I assumed they were all old, but maybe not.
I hate it at Aldi because the screens ask if you are done every 5 seconds and you can’t bag as you go. I don’t like to shop frequently and it’s awful piling all my groceries in the tiny area. I’m always seeing people’s food roll away. But last time I was there no one was on register at all.
Why can't you bag as you go? How big is the area in your Aldi? The space in ours is about 2x2 and I put my bags on it ahead of time so I can put things in the right bags as I go.
Also, I didn’t know so many people here hated self checkout. The only other place I see people bitching about it so much is in the Aldi FB group I’m in. I assumed they were all old, but maybe not.
I hate it at Aldi because the screens ask if you are done every 5 seconds and you can’t bag as you go.
I like a checkout person when I have a cart full of groceries. It’s my personal hell to bag a cart full in that cramped area of the self-checkout console they give you. I haven’t found most baggers to be too bad about putting things that shouldn’t go together.
Plus, it employs more people, including folks with disabilities that are baggers. ETA: specifically thinking about my grocery store.
I do self check out if I have a few items. If I have more than 15, I usually go to the cashier. I hate trying to use my own bags as self checkout as the little platform to put things is not big enough.
Around here the Kroger cashier will probably sneer at your. The Publix cashier will say hi and ask if you found everything then resume their conversation with the bagger before saying bye. I don't have to say anything other than "yes, thank you" and "You, too, have a good one."
I was a cashier at a grocery store all though high school and college. I can still scan pretty fast.
I hate it at Aldi because the screens ask if you are done every 5 seconds
That’s what the Aldi group complains about too. That doesn’t faze me; it’s not even a person. I see other comments in here about rushing and pressure, and that’s not something I experience at the self checkout. If I did, I guess I probably wouldn’t like it either.
Maybe some are more aggressive than others? There literally isn’t enough time to put the scanned item down to the side before it starts beeping and talking—maybe the timing would work if there was a belt but not in the weird flat scale we have to stack and load on.
It’s incredibly loud and keeps repeating on a loop until you scan something else. I don’t feel rushed or pressured by a machine but it’s unpleasant to pay to be yelled at nonstop.
I feel like I have very different experiences than most in here.
Self-check outs are typically limited to 20-25 items; if I have a full cart I have to go to a cashier. Plastic bags are banned, so either I bring my own bags or load loose items into my cart. The cashiers do not bag items, so I'm doing that task regardless of the option I choose. There is never small talk. The cashiers at the stores I frequent are pleasant, will do their "would you like the deal of the week?" spiel, but otherwise don't make small talk.
I consider myself an introvert, but that has no bearing on how I choose to check out. I'm all about efficiency. '
My one annoyance with cashiers is rare, but drives me crazy when it happens. I organize my items on the belt for optimal bagging. Heavier produce before lighter/delicate produce, cold items are together, nonperishables are balanced by weight. Occasionally a cashier will reach over things and scan something else so it gets sent down the belt out of order. It's minor, but I've done all of the mental work! Just scan it in the order I set it on the belt and everything is fine!
I’m an introvert and like self checkout in theory, but I don’t think I’ve ever done it without having some kind of issue where the computer flags me for needing assistance. It kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding interaction or being self-sufficient so I generally just get in line and let the cashiers do their thing.
Since I’m never without a child I find that cashiers are mostly interested in one or both of my kids and barely notice me. Fine by me!
Introvert here. Last time I used self checkout at the grocery store I had 6 items and ended up in tears because everything I did ended up erroring out the machine. They item was too heavy needed assistance, didn't accept my rewards card, needed assistance, DD bagged to early needed assistance. It was horrible and I vowed never to use self checkout at the grocery store again. I will use it at Walmart but I tend to only buy a couple items and there machines don't seem to be as picky.
Also, I didn’t know so many people here hated self checkout. The only other place I see people bitching about it so much is in the Aldi FB group I’m in. I assumed they were all old, but maybe not.
Aldi used to open another checkout line when there were 3 people waiting, so there was always at least one cashier working the register and people working in the aisles who would come up to check out if it was busy. I liked that they paid well and closed on holidays. Now there is 1 cashier who has to check out and assist everyone at all of the self checkouts, has to "encourage" you to not get in line unless you are paying cash, and can't stay at the register if there's no one checking out. They have to leave the register and work in the aisles. If it's just old people who think this is wrong, it isn't saying much for "young people".
I hate it at Aldi because the screens ask if you are done every 5 seconds and you can’t bag as you go. I don’t like to shop frequently and it’s awful piling all my groceries in the tiny area. I’m always seeing people’s food roll away. But last time I was there no one was on register at all.
Why can't you bag as you go? How big is the area in your Aldi? The space in ours is about 2x2 and I put my bags on it ahead of time so I can put things in the right bags as I go.
About that (maybe a tiny bit smaller?) but there are signs saying not to bag there.
I should have added that I choose wisely based on whether I'm buying wine. Getting in the right wine lane is key.
Ha, sometimes, but mainly I'm just remembering what it was like at the Tesco Metro in London so I hear the message in a British accent. I think self checkout was a thing there long before it came here. My local Country Grocer just added self checkouts and the uproar on my neighbourhood Facebook group is considerable, despite the fact that the checkouts seem popular. People in Victoria love to get outraged about a cause like this while simultaneously supporting it through their actions.
I should have added that I choose wisely based on whether I'm buying wine. Getting in the right wine lane is key.
Ha, sometimes, but mainly I'm just remembering what it was like at the Tesco Metro in London so I hear the message in a British accent. I think self checkout was a thing there long before it came here. My local Country Grocer just added self checkouts and the uproar on my neighbourhood Facebook group is considerable, despite the fact that the checkouts seem popular. People in Victoria love to get outraged about a cause like this while simultaneously supporting it through their actions.
You can buy wine at Superstore???
In BC we can buy wine in select grocery stores! It’s mostly convenient, except when I also want beer or liquor.
I avoid stores / hours where self check out is the best option in favor of places fully staffed. Our two most commonly used grocery stores don't have it at all. I bag my own groceries all the time. Most stores are happy to let you do so.
Post by mrsukyankee on Oct 20, 2023 5:50:19 GMT -5
There aren't a lot of options in some stores now in London, but when given the option, it depends on how fast I need to get out of there. I do try to support having workers man the tills, so I'll choose to go to manned tills when possible. In the UK, people don't really talk because you bag your own groceries and focus on that - so fine for the shy person out there.
While I prefer not to interact with people, grocery store clerks also generally don’t want to interact me with me 😂
I self check because it’s usually faster. I like control over my bagging. And my store has a scanner so I can scan and pack as I go, then just pay in the self check.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
To continue my love of Aldi. I love their self check out. Big area to put groceries. You can fill your own bags as you scan.
Also Costco’s self check out is a game changer. If you don’t have $200 of stuff it can be much more efficient. Plus workers are always around to help scan items.
Self check out sucks if the store over police their area. Like the machines are super sensitive and a human has to keep coming over to clear the warnings. Then they are very frustrating. But if the self check out is reasonable l, I am all in.
Post by starburst604 on Oct 20, 2023 6:17:44 GMT -5
I am almost never doing a full shop inside the store, usually just grabbing a few things so if the normal checkout lines are long, I use self checkout. But I’d prefer a regular cashier because those self things are picky and sometimes a PITA.
Now, Trader Joe’s really needs a self check for introverts, because you’re never leaving there without the cashier knowing how your day has been, what breed of dog will be eating the dog treats you’re buying, what your blood type is and your astrological sign.
My decision about checkout method is dictated by the length of the respective lines and how lazy I'm feeling, not about whether or not I feel like interacting with a check out person.
That as well as how much fresh produce I have. It takes me more time to look up all that when a cashier know most by memory.
I am almost never doing a full shop inside the store, usually just grabbing a few things so if the normal checkout lines are long, I use self checkout. But I’d prefer a regular cashier because those self things are picky and sometimes a PITA.
Now, Trader Joe’s really needs a self check for introverts, because you’re never leaving there without the cashier knowing how your day has been, what breed of dog will be eating the dog treats you’re buying, what your blood type is and your astrological sign.
Post by basilosaurus on Oct 20, 2023 7:01:38 GMT -5
Self check doesn't prevent human interaction.
Because I had to show id, I learned that the woman who normally monitored self check lost a young son on my birth date, and then she hugged me. She made it a point to be quite friendly to me every time I saw her after that which was pretty frequent. At least she never hugged me again. I quite like the pleasant chat, but please don't touch me!
I love self checkout. It’s more practical for small trips (even though there’s no limit on items at any of the stores I use with self checkout)-I personally feel jerky with a full basket on a busy day. I also don’t like when they don’t give you a lot of room to bag in the self checkout option so I’ll go to a regular line if I have a lot.
Most of the time it’s just faster to do it myself. It’s not about introvert/extrovert because I still talk to people working at stores wherever I go (😂)-it’s just my lack of patience and the fact I always get stuck behind a person writing a check or someone arguing about how their apples were supposed to be .16 cheaper and start pulling out the circular. 🤯😡
“The ad says this is supposed to be 1.39 a pound-you charged me 1.49!” 20 minutes of looking through ad, sending someone to area to check price, turns out customer was looking at wrong thing, customer gets angry and decides “WELL I DON’T WANT THEM” and inside I just want to give them the .10 and move on.