Retailers in Europe, like Booths supermarkets, and the United States, like Walmart, are pulling back on having self-checkout in light of complaints and shoplifting.
I used to hate self checkout. I was a cashier at a grocery store back in 2004-2005 and I found self check out slow and finnicky.
I’ve gotten used to them now and it seems like newer ones have resolved most of the speed and weight sensing issue. Now I prefer them with small trips.
My biggest problems now are that I still need a person for booze and coupons. If I could just scan my damn ID when I’m buying beer, and then scan and insert my own coupons, I’d be set.
Don’t get it. Sam’s and BJs both have scanning apps on the phone. Most amazing tech ever! Costco… HURRY UP! Also, Sam’s and Bjs don’t check my card because I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT THE CARD ANYWAYS… Costco!!
Walmarts’s self checkout is the only one in my area that doesn’t frustrate the hell out of me. I’ve stopped going to certain other stores simply because I don’t like their self checkout systems.
Grocery store self checkout machines can be infuriating. The weight sensors are way too tightly monitored and often have the incorrect weight programmed. Every time I go to the main grocery store near me I need help from the employee due to their terrible sensors not detecting the weight of lighter items in the bagging area.
I stopped taking my phone out at WalMart after I learned that their security cameras are so good that they can zoom in on your phone and read your text messages.
I’m autistic. I always apparently seem weird to people. That means any time I use a self checkout, the minders stare at me because they think I’m about to steal something. It makes me nervous, and I start getting uncomfortable and self conscious, which I’m sure makes me seem even more suspicious. And either security or the automated system have triggered the “please wait for an associate” so many times. But they always look at the video and tell me “Sorry, this thing is just sensitive/weird/whatever excuse.”, then leave me alone.
I’m not going to call it discriminatory, because I don’t think it is? But it feels like I have to be on my best behavior or I’ll get arrested because I was so focused on trying to pass as “normal” that I missed scanning a tomato. And for the record, I’ve never stolen anything, even when I was low on food and really needed some stuff I couldn’t afford. Hell, I have forgotten to scan something once and went back in to pay for it.
Self checkout sucks, but it’s normally still better than waiting in line and interacting face to face with a cashier.
Kroger here just added two more lanes of self-checkout. We won’t use them. We’re a family of 3. We buy a lot of groceries. Doing it by ourselves would take so much more time.
I keep seeing stories every so often on Facebook about this. I feel like these stories just pop up to bring up engagement on the site. most stores in my area (Florida) have increased self checkout
Here in Denmark, it’s becoming more and more common to be able to scan your items with your own phone using the store’s app while you go through the store, and you can bag everything straight from the shelves.
You then pay by credit card, also with your phone, scan a QR at a designated exit, and you’re good to go.
They have random checks, but they’ve only been about 1/20 for me.
I used this as a pilot program in Pittsburgh when I lived there. It was a hand scanner running some sort of Android based OS but largely the same thing. You scan your store card to unlock a scanner, scan your stuff as you walk through the store putting things in bags, then you walk to a kiosk, pay, then walk out.
I used to get so many dirty looks from people who thought I was stealing a whole cart of groceries until they saw the receipt print out.
Doing it directly via an app would have been even better!
We really need a code of etiquette for them, though. Trip to the store this morning, and they were down to 3 self-check stations from usual 10 with literally a dozen people in line. Including one couple with a cart full of a week’s groceries and one lady trying to win coupon roulette. Four other people cycled through the third scanner while those two piddled away the day.
I think they do it for customers with bulky items that you can’t comfortably scan yourself since Costco self checkouts don’t have wireless barcode scanners like Sams so the employee manning the self checkouts uses their own that basically temporarily connects to whatever terminal the customer they’re scanning for. Very helpful so I don’t have to fuddle with big packs of paper towels or soda to try to scan their barcode on the built-in barcode reader. Kind of an oversight imo Costco… you literally specialize in bulk items lol the poor worker doing self checkout scanning assistance is always running back and forth between customers
They have the weighing thing, and then also the people who count your items at the door… so it would be hard to do. I think the thought was it’s just more efficient to help if the employees are already standing there.
I like them because it means I don’t have to talk to people. Sadly they did this only to save on salaries so I guess that I’m ok with them going away since it will create jobs for people.
I avoid self-checkout as often as possible. In my mind, that’s taking a job away from a physical person, it’s a cost-savings for the retailer, but customers never see any benefit from it. I choose the person checkout everytime as my little bit of solidarity with my fellow humans.
I’m the opposite. I use self-checkout as often as possible, because it means I have to interact with as few people as possible. I loathe people being forced to ask me how I’m doing, because we both know they don’t care. Or when they ask “Did you find everything?”- does it fucking matter? Either I did, which is why I’m checking out, or I didn’t, in which case it doesn’t fucking matter because thanks to their shitty implementation of JIT their stock has been converted from on-prem inventory to rolling warehouse deliveries every single day. Just let me get what I want and get out.
Oh, something didnt scan and you walked out without paying for it?
Enjoy your broken spine as cops appear in full swat outfit and tackle you to the ground and beat you with clubs because you are shocked and arent immediately calm and compliant.
give me a break. These companies cut corners every where they go. You think there stocking up on hard drives and algorithms to cut up and record people?
In my experience, self-checkout started with the weight sensors, rather than adding them later. I’ve noticed some stores have a system now without the weight thing, which probably cuts down on confusing and time-consuming error situations, but it makes it seem chaotic. My parents use them in the most fucked up way - leave everything in the cart, scan stuff, bag it, then put it in the cart, and I’m just WHAT? Aren’t they going to accuse you of stealing? Some walmarts aggressively pursue claims of theft from self checkout, like in the case of this lady who was awarded 2.1 million after being accused of stealing, which she said was not true. This article details the story of a lady who said she was arrested after not scanning things by accident, and the article notes “Sixty-two other people were cited and released by police at the same Tucson Walmart between January 2021 and April 2022.”
During the civil trial, which lasted about three weeks, the judge criticized Walmart for the “intentional loss” of the security camera footage, according to court records. The judge, James T. Patterson, said that the court would advise the jury that the videotapes “were destroyed by the defendants with the intent” to deprive the plaintiff of the benefit of seeing them “and that the jury therefore is to presume that the content of the missing videos would be adverse” to the defendants.
Walmart also is starting to use ‘AI’ to detect self checkout theft, which I’m sure will be foolproof and work out great.
And if you’re wondering which item causes the most problems, it’s milk. O’Herlihy explains, “People find it hard to scan milk … Sometimes they get frustrated and they just don’t scan it.”
What?
Anyway, I’m sure they love not paying employees to do this, but it seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
And if you’re wondering which item causes the most problems, it’s milk. O’Herlihy explains, “People find it hard to scan milk … Sometimes they get frustrated and they just don’t scan it.”
Does milk not have a bar code?
If anything, I’d figure it would be produce items that would cause the most drama, but eventually you start to remember those codes. 4011 is bananas. 4799 is for tomatoes. 4065 is green peppers…
I love self-checkout because I bag things exactly like I want and I can get the process completed without having chat with the cashier or Karen out on the bagger for putting just two items in a large paper bag.
I don’t think I’ve ever been stopped or accused of stealing things, but then I usually choose the unit closest to the cashier and I leave all my items in the bagging area until I’m done. That said, I used to be a grocery store cashier, so I understand the process a little better than most, but it’s still easy to make mistakes.
Self checkout scanners are unbearably slow, and if you try to go any faster it’s “unexpected item in bagging area” and wait for the overworked assistant.
At Costco it’s great minus the membership checks. Thanks this was a quick process, now let me stop and take my card out so you can see I’m not stealing deals.
Walmart, fuck you hire more cashier’s why am I waiting 10 minutes to checkout at self checkout when you have 50 closed fucking lanes!
Giant Eagle stores in Pittsburgh have self checkouts connected to a full size conveyor belt. Kinda like a normal cashier, but the belt is after the scanner kiosk, not before it. That way you could scan a ton of stuff and have it move out of the way on it’s own.
The rest of that company did dumb stuff, but the scanners were smart!
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I used to hate self checkout. I was a cashier at a grocery store back in 2004-2005 and I found self check out slow and finnicky.
I’ve gotten used to them now and it seems like newer ones have resolved most of the speed and weight sensing issue. Now I prefer them with small trips.
My biggest problems now are that I still need a person for booze and coupons. If I could just scan my damn ID when I’m buying beer, and then scan and insert my own coupons, I’d be set.
Don’t get it. Sam’s and BJs both have scanning apps on the phone. Most amazing tech ever! Costco… HURRY UP! Also, Sam’s and Bjs don’t check my card because I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT THE CARD ANYWAYS… Costco!!
It’s so that you can’t share your card with friends. You specifically have to live at the same place and have proof when you add them to the account
At my Walmart the employees don’t stop people from stealing food. They told me as much.
Walmarts’s self checkout is the only one in my area that doesn’t frustrate the hell out of me. I’ve stopped going to certain other stores simply because I don’t like their self checkout systems.
Grocery store self checkout machines can be infuriating. The weight sensors are way too tightly monitored and often have the incorrect weight programmed. Every time I go to the main grocery store near me I need help from the employee due to their terrible sensors not detecting the weight of lighter items in the bagging area.
Walmart wants to do some sort of AI surveillance shit at their self-checkouts, I noped the fuck out of that and go to their clerks now.
I stopped taking my phone out at WalMart after I learned that their security cameras are so good that they can zoom in on your phone and read your text messages.
I’m autistic. I always apparently seem weird to people. That means any time I use a self checkout, the minders stare at me because they think I’m about to steal something. It makes me nervous, and I start getting uncomfortable and self conscious, which I’m sure makes me seem even more suspicious. And either security or the automated system have triggered the “please wait for an associate” so many times. But they always look at the video and tell me “Sorry, this thing is just sensitive/weird/whatever excuse.”, then leave me alone.
I’m not going to call it discriminatory, because I don’t think it is? But it feels like I have to be on my best behavior or I’ll get arrested because I was so focused on trying to pass as “normal” that I missed scanning a tomato. And for the record, I’ve never stolen anything, even when I was low on food and really needed some stuff I couldn’t afford. Hell, I have forgotten to scan something once and went back in to pay for it.
Self checkout sucks, but it’s normally still better than waiting in line and interacting face to face with a cashier.
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No they aren’t they are gonna lean in even harder what a dumbass story. One time fixed cost will always win over paying people in perpetuity
Kroger here just added two more lanes of self-checkout. We won’t use them. We’re a family of 3. We buy a lot of groceries. Doing it by ourselves would take so much more time.
I keep seeing stories every so often on Facebook about this. I feel like these stories just pop up to bring up engagement on the site. most stores in my area (Florida) have increased self checkout
I guess there is good and bad with either style. I generally prefer the self checkout because I can bag my own stuff
Here in Denmark, it’s becoming more and more common to be able to scan your items with your own phone using the store’s app while you go through the store, and you can bag everything straight from the shelves.
You then pay by credit card, also with your phone, scan a QR at a designated exit, and you’re good to go.
They have random checks, but they’ve only been about 1/20 for me.
I used this as a pilot program in Pittsburgh when I lived there. It was a hand scanner running some sort of Android based OS but largely the same thing. You scan your store card to unlock a scanner, scan your stuff as you walk through the store putting things in bags, then you walk to a kiosk, pay, then walk out.
I used to get so many dirty looks from people who thought I was stealing a whole cart of groceries until they saw the receipt print out.
Doing it directly via an app would have been even better!
We really need a code of etiquette for them, though. Trip to the store this morning, and they were down to 3 self-check stations from usual 10 with literally a dozen people in line. Including one couple with a cart full of a week’s groceries and one lady trying to win coupon roulette. Four other people cycled through the third scanner while those two piddled away the day.
My costco “self checkout” is really just an employee scanning your things and then you box them. Does move quicker than the standard lanes, though.
I went to Costco, did self checkout and an employee walked up and offered to do it and I was just what? Didn’t really make sense to me.
I think it depends. Sometimes they are scanning everything, sometimes they just scan the large items.
I read somewhere that this can mean they think you might steal stuff.
I think they do it for customers with bulky items that you can’t comfortably scan yourself since Costco self checkouts don’t have wireless barcode scanners like Sams so the employee manning the self checkouts uses their own that basically temporarily connects to whatever terminal the customer they’re scanning for. Very helpful so I don’t have to fuddle with big packs of paper towels or soda to try to scan their barcode on the built-in barcode reader. Kind of an oversight imo Costco… you literally specialize in bulk items lol the poor worker doing self checkout scanning assistance is always running back and forth between customers
They have the weighing thing, and then also the people who count your items at the door… so it would be hard to do. I think the thought was it’s just more efficient to help if the employees are already standing there.
I like them because it means I don’t have to talk to people. Sadly they did this only to save on salaries so I guess that I’m ok with them going away since it will create jobs for people.
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I avoid self-checkout as often as possible. In my mind, that’s taking a job away from a physical person, it’s a cost-savings for the retailer, but customers never see any benefit from it. I choose the person checkout everytime as my little bit of solidarity with my fellow humans.
I’m the opposite. I use self-checkout as often as possible, because it means I have to interact with as few people as possible. I loathe people being forced to ask me how I’m doing, because we both know they don’t care. Or when they ask “Did you find everything?”- does it fucking matter? Either I did, which is why I’m checking out, or I didn’t, in which case it doesn’t fucking matter because thanks to their shitty implementation of JIT their stock has been converted from on-prem inventory to rolling warehouse deliveries every single day. Just let me get what I want and get out.
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Either way the company is getting your money.
But using a real person cost the company more, in theory
O green peppers are 99 cents each but red and yellow are 1.29? That’s so weird all these peppers I’m buying are green.
Fuck you, I’m the cashier now.
Also
Oh, something didnt scan and you walked out without paying for it?
Enjoy your broken spine as cops appear in full swat outfit and tackle you to the ground and beat you with clubs because you are shocked and arent immediately calm and compliant.
Clearly a joke, but they will start a record for you till they can get you for a felony…
Start a felony charge for a loaf of bread?
give me a break. These companies cut corners every where they go. You think there stocking up on hard drives and algorithms to cut up and record people?
You sweet summer child…
In my experience, self-checkout started with the weight sensors, rather than adding them later. I’ve noticed some stores have a system now without the weight thing, which probably cuts down on confusing and time-consuming error situations, but it makes it seem chaotic. My parents use them in the most fucked up way - leave everything in the cart, scan stuff, bag it, then put it in the cart, and I’m just WHAT? Aren’t they going to accuse you of stealing? Some walmarts aggressively pursue claims of theft from self checkout, like in the case of this lady who was awarded 2.1 million after being accused of stealing, which she said was not true. This article details the story of a lady who said she was arrested after not scanning things by accident, and the article notes “Sixty-two other people were cited and released by police at the same Tucson Walmart between January 2021 and April 2022.”
Walmart also is starting to use ‘AI’ to detect self checkout theft, which I’m sure will be foolproof and work out great.
What?
Anyway, I’m sure they love not paying employees to do this, but it seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
Does milk not have a bar code?
If anything, I’d figure it would be produce items that would cause the most drama, but eventually you start to remember those codes. 4011 is bananas. 4799 is for tomatoes. 4065 is green peppers…
I love self-checkout because I bag things exactly like I want and I can get the process completed without having chat with the cashier or Karen out on the bagger for putting just two items in a large paper bag.
I don’t think I’ve ever been stopped or accused of stealing things, but then I usually choose the unit closest to the cashier and I leave all my items in the bagging area until I’m done. That said, I used to be a grocery store cashier, so I understand the process a little better than most, but it’s still easy to make mistakes.
Self checkout scanners are unbearably slow, and if you try to go any faster it’s “unexpected item in bagging area” and wait for the overworked assistant.
I refuse to be bossed around by shitty robots.
Probably because it sweats and the pure white nature might make the laser more reflective? Only thing I can think of.
At Costco it’s great minus the membership checks. Thanks this was a quick process, now let me stop and take my card out so you can see I’m not stealing deals.
Walmart, fuck you hire more cashier’s why am I waiting 10 minutes to checkout at self checkout when you have 50 closed fucking lanes!
My Costco has had “self checkout” for about a year now. There’s a Costco employee that waves you over and scans all your items. I really don’t get it.
The only reason for Costco to do this would be theft prevention or to make sure members are the only ones using their cards.
If you have the privilege of being able to walk to and from your grocery store then self checkout is great. I get why people hate it in suburbia tho
What? Why? I can’t walk anywhere in my city and I certainly love the self checkout.
The idea is checking out with more than a basket of goods is really inconvenient. And I agree, it’s much slower and there’s no space for it.
I just get that stuff for pickup.
Giant Eagle stores in Pittsburgh have self checkouts connected to a full size conveyor belt. Kinda like a normal cashier, but the belt is after the scanner kiosk, not before it. That way you could scan a ton of stuff and have it move out of the way on it’s own.
The rest of that company did dumb stuff, but the scanners were smart!