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Self checkout at stores love them or hate them???

J

JOCCO

Well-known Member
What's your take on them? ME I don't like them what's the good or bad? They are starting to show up near me.
 

I'm only familiar with the ones at a grocery store. Since I'm just a poor ignorant male I usually don't buy much at a time and I find them a time saver since I don't usually have to stand in line and occasionally hear conversations I have no interest in.

KEH
 
Been around for several years now and I WILL NOT USE THEM. If a regular checkout would not be avaible I would just leave what I wanted to buy and walk out to go someplace else.
 
Will never use them.unfortunately because they are pushing the minimum wage up there the answer a lot of employer's use to cut cost.think about McDonald all they have to do is turn that cash register around and all they need is 2 people one to cook and one to watch the front think of the cost savings. I told that to a clerk at wally world and she realized buy my not using self service it protected her job
 
Hate 'em. Never used one... never will (unless it is the only method of checkout remaining on earth).

Did I say I don't like 'em.??? LOL
 
Just got home from Home Depot. The good news is they are always open. The bad news is they helped drive out the local hardware. Most everything I buy there is farm sales tax exempt. That doesn't work on the self check out. Gal who just checked me out had a heck of a time. They always have help there. So why have spent all the money on the self check out machines?
Sometimes we use self check out at the grocery store. It seldom wants to read egg cartons. And if we grab something from the deli counter, there's no bar code. So, again, what's the point?
 
I'm pretty much the opposite of you guys. I love them, and go out of my way to find them and use them. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you're familiar with them, they are great. I hate those plastic bags, and when I can pack my own, I get away with lots less of them. Usually never any lines to wait in, either. If I do run into snags, there's always help close by to fix it. Sams club is about the only place I haven't used them, but I wouldn't be afraid to. How many others like them?
 
I hate 'em. I ranted about the ones in Wally World a few weeks ago. When I got to the front there were no registers open. I asked an employee why not. In a snippy tone I was informed I'd have to use self check out. "Not today Honey". I left the buggy where she stood and out the door I went. The day may come when I have to use them but that day ain't here yet. TDF
 
Prefer them, saves my time and I don't want to spend time standing in line. Socializing with store clerks doesn't do much for me, they're fine people, but I just want to get my stuff and go home.
 
Every self serve checkout that I have seen has a fulltime clerk there to straighten out all the screwups that customers make. Why have them????
Loren
 
Good for a few items, stuff you can shove in ONE bag....because if you try to move the bag to start another one, bells and whistles go off saying you're trying to leave without paying. No way you can run $100+ worth of groceries thru there. Weigh stuff and look up numbers for non-bar coded items.....forget it. I fill out the survey listed on the receipt and tell them what I think.....open more registers with real people or I go somewhere else.
 
They're the best thing since the invention of well, maybe tractors IMO.
Fast, simple, no lines - usually.
They hold prices down too (sorry neighbor that's looking for a job)
And the best part? No point of sale solicitations, ie "are you going to put this on your big card?" "Do you have an XYZ rewards card?" "Would you like to round up your bill for this cause or that one?"
And as said, no insipid small talk. Just get the chit and git.
 
The people who don't use self checkout are the ones with no cel phone and rabbit ear antenaes on top of the TV (with some tin foil) LoL
 
I hate them period!!! If I am paying FULL price for the STUFF they are selling why would I want to do MORE work for them???? If they would give me a discount for self check out I would think about it.
 
Why stand in line? I go to businesses that actually have enough cash registers staffed to handle my transaction in a timely matter. I will not wait very long for someone to take MY money.
 
I've never used self-service checkouts, and I LOVE them! They get other people out of my way so I don't have to stand in line as long to check out.
 
If I am only buying a few items, I like them. It saves me from having to stand in line and wait for the checker to ring up some lady who is buying five hundred and twenty nine items of clothing that all have to be taken off a hangar, scanned, and re-folded.

If I am buying a load of groceries, I don't really care for them. Invariably there is a mistake where an item doesn't ring up at the sale price, or I am buying an adult beverage and it needs to verify my birthdate, or some light weight item doesn't register on the scale. And then I have to wait for the clerk to come help me. And the table where you set your items after ringing them up is usually not large enough to hold a whole load of groceries. All in all in this scenario I'd rather just go to the regular check out lane.
 
I hate the things. Used them a few times had nothing but trouble out of them. Move a bag and you have to start over.If I have a choice of them or walking out. I walk.
 
I always pick the best looking checkout girl.
My ex boss's children all worked at local Menards store and when they went to college in another city, they had a job at local Menards store. I think that is a good thing. If we don't support labor, no one will, as far as I know self checkers don't pay income tax, or any taxes,buy things or support the local economy . joe
 
What do they want me to do next? Unload truck and stock the shelves? Checking you out is their job. Everybody have a nice day.
 
In a way they have some good points & some bad points. I use them some times for just a few items. We have become accustomed to doing some things for ourselves that used to need a live person to do them. It is just a fact of life.
A few examples-
drop a few coins or dollar bill in a vending machine to get a cold drink or candy bar
swipe a plastic card, push a few buttons & get cash from the ATM 24/7, instead of walking into the bank to write a check.
push a few buttons to make a phone call instead of waiting for an operator to make the connection & ring the phone.
most of us make our repairs to homes, machinery, cars etc instead of paying someone who is looking for a job to do it for us.
 
I read all the comments (so far) and can't say that I disagree with any of them, for or against. KMart had them first in Lubbock, Texas that I know of. They never worked right and there was always a clerk standing there to watch, same as having a checker there. I tried it once and it wouldn't scan anything I had there and the clerk moved me to another check out lane and took my money.

Next came Home Depot. Again, they have a clerk stationed right there to do it for you if you act dumb enough, I'm good at that! So, why have it there? It's still that way, but I don't see how they can check out everything they sell there, bulk screws, etc.

Now Walmart has them. I have used them a few times and they are OK. They keep a clerk stationed there as well. The acting dumb part doesn't work too well there. I don't want to talk about people this way, but sometimes I wonder how they find some of the workers there. I will add that they ARE working and being paid to do something, better than standing in line at the various places that give you something for nothing.

My bottom line: I don't mind, it's not really taking the place of an employee in the places I go, because there is someone to "help" if you ask or get stuck. In fact, I seem to get better personal service that way!
 
I despise the things. Last thing I want to do after I've worked all day in the factory is go in the Kroger store and do another persons job checking myself out. Then to have a Kroger employee standing there with their finger in their butt watching me as the U scan screws up about 15 times. Not entertaining or enjoyable to watch 5 people trying to use a U scan and having that one person going from person to person trying to solve everybodys problems at the same time. If I go in on saturday all the checkouts are working and they can get a person through in about two minutes. Worlds just turning into an over populated busy nightmare with a lot of half @ssed services anymore.They should offer U scan for those bored people that need something to be frustrated with and regular check out for those that don't need to be entertained.
 
I like them in the grocery store. I'm paying good hard earned money for groceries I don't like my groceries manhandled and b#tch##g at he checker isn't going to help my groceries
 
I do not hunt them out but will use them in select stores if the regular checkout line is long.

Yes they always have someone there to help but that person is covering 4 registers at least in my area so it cuts expenses.
Some stores can be a pain because they have the scale set to sensitive so if you try to move a full bag it sets off the alarm. But I have been to stores that have the scale set correctly and it works much better.

In the post below "would you go back to the 70's" most like our modern things.
But give them a self checkout and they run from modern technology.

No offence guys and I hope you do not take this wrong; but I am trying to figure out why that is.

1) is it that you feel you are being forced to stoop to do a menial minimum wage job.
OR
2) is it that you love modern things as long as you can set back and let GPS run the tractor while the A/C blows in your face; but given a task where you have to do some work by scanning some bar codes and now all of a sudden you want to pass.
 
What's so scary about a self checkout? If I have only a couple of items I use the self checkout every time. If the cart is full I go to a cashier.
 
Because I like having people/employees in stores that can assist if I have a questions about a product or where to find it.

If they go to all self-checkouts, they can probably figure out a way to eliminate the folks who stock shelves too.
 
Yes you are doing their job in a way ....but I like them you can get in and out in no time ...hate standing behind two or three other ppl
 
I use them at lunch time. Instead of hitting a fast food burger joint, if I pass a national or regional chain grocery store, I stop in at the deli, get fresh cut lunch meat, a roll, a salad. About $5.00 at the self checkout because the lines with checkout clerks are full. Other than that, I don't use them. I can think of one national grocery store chain that put them in, and pulled them back out. I can think of another that put them in all stores, pulled them out of some stores. For the most part, I think less people like and use them than do. Personally, I'm not a fan of them and do my serious weekly food shopping at a local grocery store chain, Martins with about 10 stores that doesn't have any...bless their hearts.

Mark
 
I hate them for several reasons some already expressed. I will use them only under duress.

I feel like I am being watched all the time when using them. Sometimes it does not recognize a product or does not allow for variances. If the expected wt. is wrong it balks. I get frustrated rather quickly when using them.

I told the overseer on a bank of these I did not like them because they are using them to eliminate jobs and increase their bottom line and not help the employees. She said she had not thought of that. I could't believe it.
 
The only positive thing I can think of is that I can put raw meat in its own bag, something that checkout people very often forget. I have had Salmonella poisoning and don't intend to increase the chance of a second session. AKA Ralph.

DL
 
(quoted from post at 20:19:58 10/25/15) I hate them period!!! If I am paying FULL price for the STUFF they are selling why would I want to do MORE work for them???? If they would give me a discount for self check out I would think about it.
Click to expand...
Yea next time you go into a convenient store, just have the clerk go get you a fountain drink so you will not have to do her work. They will probably give you a personal discount if you get it yourself and you will not have to pay FULL price.
 
I don't use them unless to other lanes are all backed up, and only if I have a very few items.

The only stores I shop at that have them are Home Depot and Walmart.

Home Depot always has an attendant that will help, and I always need help if I want to use Pro Rewards or have something too bulky to fit on the scale. It's usually really quick, at least I don't get caught behind someone with a problem or a slow checker.

Walmart is a different story. I have only successfully used their self check about twice. The scales are set WAY too sensitive! There is an attendant, but getting help is another story. They seem quite content to just stand there watching, offer no assistance. I'll either leave or gather everything and go to a checker.
 
Only place I have seen them around here is Walmart. I shop there twice a year maybe 3 times. There is always an employee right there I just go up set my item on the bench and ask for help. No problems
 

Its my money we are dealing with so I like to slow down the process and see the price when its rung up. Yes its a learning curve that is not that hard to figure out...

If they have peaches for 1.99, 1.49, and .99 (three different kinds) so I get the .99 peaches and they ring up at 1.99 it may be my mistake I am not going to pay 1.99 a lb for a peach. I constantly ask even when they ring it up how they know what it is when I have put it in a produce bag and they can not see it...

Its your money take the time to make sure its what you thought you were buying... Yes I like the DIY ring up if you are behind me then you will have to wait on my slow arse...
 
I personally hope everyone keeps hating them. I love how fast they are. I'm able to get in, buy what I want quickly and bypass any lines. Don't need to wait behind Coupon Cathy or Can I write a Check Charles.
 
Well, here is my take....

They are SLOW!!! If you take your time, they will work OK, but if you get in a hurry, the system's response times are pathetic!! Things like "please re-scan your last item" and when you do, it will double charge you for it. If you move things from the unpaid scale to the paid scale too fast, even while scanning en route, it tells you to wait for assistance. Overall, I don't like them in general. There are times when they are more convenient than standing in line behind a few full shopping carts.

One of my pet peeves is when I go into a place like a Wal-Mart, and I see 40 cashier booths with only two or three staffed. Why have them all unless you are going to use them - at least some of the time. But you can be sure that no matter when you go to the cashier to check out, you WILL wait in line.

At one point, I had picked up some things at a Home Depot store, and there was an employee trying to direct people to the self checkouts. I politely refused. Much of their merchandise is not easily scanned. Loose nuts and bolts in a bag from the hardware department are one example. Long pieces like lumber are another.

Overall, I don't like self checkouts. Hopefully, when they figure out how EASY it would make it for shoplifters, the fad will fade away.
 
I use them most of the time at the two stores that have them: Wal-Mart and Home Depot. HEB used to have some and then took them out.

I don't think you're taking anyone's job at Wal-Mart as they never had enough checkers in the first place. They'd have like 50 registers and two of them would be open, exactly like going through Customs at DFW airport.

The best self-checkout however was when they invented pay-at-the-pump! How many that don't use self-check in the store use pay-at-the-pump?
 
I don't like them. I don't use them. I tried one once, and needed assistance. The big thing I don't like about them is; once they get the bugs worked out, Cashiers are going to be history. Less jobs.......
 
Centex Farmall- I don't like banks. (I sound like a broken record...LOL!).
I use cash only and go inside to pay.

But, if I want to fill a 5 gallon can...I go ahead and do the math while walking in, because , if you ask the cashier for 5 gallons of gas, you get that deer caught in the headlights look!

So, if gas is $2.39.9 a gallon...I just ask for $12.00 of gas.
 
The local Wal-mart had a couple of self checkouts for a little while but took them out...They just had too many problems with them...We tried them a few times and always had trouble...
 
I have a cell phone even if it's a OLD flip phone on a prepay plan, and I get 15 - 16 FREE channels on my homemade rabbit ears lmao
 
Hate 'em. I'd be ok with them if they worked right but I'm pretty sure I've never gotten through one without a problem. I'll be happier when I can order and pay online and pick the groceries up 15 minutes later at the drive through window.
 
I don't blame you for not playing the bank game. Even the mafia is envious of that setup.

Next time you fill that gas can tell them you need 30 pounds of fuel!
 
I never use the self check out at Krogers.

I've heard that Kroger's is removing self check out equipment at some stores due to usage resistance.

Dean
 
Use them most of the time. Usually don't have problems if you take the time to pay attention to what you're doing. First saw them in the commisary at Norfolk back in the early 90's. Don't think they are a passing fad that will go away.
Seem to remember back in the 70's a local store opened a second location that was called the warehouse. Stuff was left on the pallets and you marked the price yourself 28th a grease pencil. Got a little discount for that though.
 
Will not use the self check. Most of the Lowes stores around here took them out, but some HD stores still have them. Seems the one cashier at the self check at HD has to end up doing most of the check out anyway, so why have self check?

Wife quite going to one of the grocery stores that has self check only; she always ended up getting an employee to come and work the darn thing for her.
 
I like them when I have just a few items, one of my big likes is I don't have to worry about the next customer behind me striking up a conversation with the checkout terminal while I am using it.
 
(quoted from post at 16:05:21 10/25/15) I'm pretty much the opposite of you guys. I love them, and go out of my way to find them and use them. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you're familiar with them, they are great. I hate those plastic bags, and when I can pack my own, I get away with lots less of them. Usually never any lines to wait in, either. If I do run into snags, there's always help close by to fix it. Sams club is about the only place I haven't used them, but I wouldn't be afraid to. How many others like them?
Click to expand...

Jeff, as loyal members of YT it is our duty to maintain an image of crusty old codgers. One of the main duties of crusty old codgers is to disdain almost all types of change. Admitting to embracing change such as self check-out is like throwing mud at YT, so why would I admit on here if I liked self check-outs?
 
Actually im kinda nervous about them. I havent ever used one. But i just dont want to give anyone a reason to think i did something dishonest and not scanned something. So personally ill just wait in line and see the cashier.
 
Ha - ditchwitch you just described my one and only real problem with them.

We're almost forced to use them at the local home depot - there's only one, sometimes two cashiers to check out normally, so if there's a line of guys with wagons full of stuff...

So I've used them quite a bit over the years - but to this day I still feel like I'm stealing something! or at least look like I am. I always worry that I'm going to be arrested for shop lifting - completely unintentionally!

I'm probably one of the most forgetful people you'll ever meet, I just have a very short attention span. It would be VERY easy for me to walk through those things with a bunch of stuff I didn't scan. Especially if somebody starts talking to me while I'm doing it.

With a cashier - they're at least watching everything and they're usually good at making sure everything is counted.

I'm honest to a fault, but I just need a little help in the focus department. I need a live person for that.
 
A talkative grocery store checker told me the most boring job in the store was monitoring the self-serve checkouts. The boss wanted someone standing there to reduce thefts and to help people. The store has someone watching the cameras on all the self-service checkouts, and its all recorded, but shoppers are more likely to scan every item when someone is standing right there next to them.
 
One person taking care of many registers. just a way for more profit. I will seek out a human to scan my items. less hassle that way. and at least if it scans wrong you have a ear that will listen.
 
When they work like they are supposed to, they are great in certain situations. At Home Depot, its useful if you have a few boxed items like screws or packages. No loose nuts and bolts. Definitely no lumber. But yeah, when everything is right, you can get out well ahead of the folks buying sheetrock and lumber. I will say, last couple times at HD, had problems and had to wait for an attendant. I'm not sure why the technology in those things has not improved drastically over the first ones I saw 15 years ago. They put them in a brand new grocery store in a town full of retirees. Pulled them out some time later since they were never used.
 
Like them. ("Love" is a little strong word for a checkout lane :lol: )

I get antsy waiting for ANYONE to wait on me. So, if I'm doing the scanning and bagging, I figure I'm making the most efficient use of my time.

It's no different than using Self-serve gas stations which are everywhere except a couple of states. (NJ,OR, IIRC)
 
Used self checkout one time. Long lines at checkouts and a gal said, I can help you go through self check out. Hasseled all the stuff through, gave her my check, oh shoot, checks don't work here. Took me to other counter, waited for others to remedy their self checkout problems, took everything out of bags, rescanned all items and finally got her done. Other long lines I would have been at were long gone. Couple weeks ago, saw a couple go to empty self check out while I stood in regular checkout line. When I got done they were still there. Unless I am forced to use them, no thanks. A little off subject here but my son in law insists us older folks have to learn all the new ideas. I said, I change my own oil and make my own car repairs, do you. NO, well we all have different things we do and don't do.
 

This sums up a lot of the attitudes around here.

29374.jpg
 
I like them and use them every time I can. Never really had any problems aboutweight and moving items to cart.

They seem to work great for me.
 
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