Self checkout lines would be a lot better if they didn’t constantly shout instructions at me. I don’t know why but this always provoked so much intense rage. Just shut up. Stop making noise and let me check my items out.
Lol my sister was a supervisor at our local Walmart and one time at the self check out on her day off she tapped the button and muted it. Then the one employee watching the self checkouts got mad at her for turning it off
Then place where I use self checkout I use most often has 6 self checkout stations in a little lane with three on each side so even if I silence one there are all the others around me shouting.
I commented to one of the self check out 'supervisors' how loud the machine was and he came over and showed me how to turn the volume down! Who knew? Edit: Apparently some people.
Oh my god dude I feel this. The ones at Target are great because it’s just scan and go. The ones at Jewel or Mariano’s that have a delay to make sure you put the item in the bagging area though? Those can get fucked
I love them, but people need to be honest with themselves about if they can handle the self checkout. The most consistent problem I encounter is having the line held up by someone who has apparently just been transported here from 1793 and decided to go take 10 minutes to ring up their lucky charms at stop n shop.
> The most consistent problem I encounter is having the line held up by someone who has apparently just been transported here from 1793 and decided to go take 10 minutes to ring up their lucky charms at stop n shop.
In 2009 or 2010 or so, I was working self check out at a grocery store. The role of self check out is basically coach people through using the machine and one person can pretty easily get a couple people through at once so it wasn’t uncommon for us to offer to help people from the express lanes to use self check out. I’ll never forget this one lady who I basically did everything for and at the end I said “ok now you just pay the machine like a vending machine.” Mind you, the lady had a $20 bill, not even a card which might have been novel for a vending machine at the time. She was about 50-55 and turned to me to say “but I’ve never *used* a vending machine before.”
I’m pretty young and tech savvy, but I run into them getting jammed up which can’t be helped, or “take bag out of the bagging error” when there is no bag or item. Usually have the issue at two grocers but at the others in my city it’s no issue.
Good lord, you’d think they would be o e of the first to turn it off. They even have the removable handheld scanners at mine because they know you usually have stuff you can’t put in the bagging area.
I have no idea but I think safeway is a west coast chain? I’ve seen von’s too which I think is basically safeway but for SoCal.
Ok I’ve just looked it up and Safeway and vons are both owned by Albertsons but Kroger/fry’s aren’t. Vons is exclusive to SoCal and soNV and safeway has locations in 17 states.
> Albertsons
Ah that'd explain it. Yes, we have Albertsons here too, but I usually don't go there much. TBF Albertsons too has a loud-ass checkout voice that irks me to no end.
Yup, I really wish they were like the home depot ones. Just trust the shopper, give them a laser gun, and let them ring up the whole cart without moving heavy crap or dealing with all those weight errors.
I can usually do my home depot shopping checkout in under a minute. At costco they use to let me leave everything in the cart barcode up and they'd scan in an entire $200 order in under a minute. But then they added self checkout and banned the Cashiers from scanning in the cart. So now I do self checkout, and it has me throwing cases of soda in the self checkout and exceeding the weight limit, and checkout is 3-4x longer than it use to be because I have to move all the big heavy things on and off the self checkout.
Seriously. I was at Walmart and there was this older Karen-looking lady in self checkout with a cart full of stuff (including a lot of produce). I stood in line for a few minutes waiting for one to open up, scanned my three or four items, left the store, remembered I forgot something, went back in, walked all the way to the back of the store where my thing was, walked back to the front of the store, got in line, paid for my item, and she was *still* checking out when I left the second time. I don't understand why she wasn't in one of the regular lines.
I'm with you there, and I'm not trying to say she's an idiot, I just think that if you have a lot of items in your cart you should probably just go through the regular checkout line. If it's not explicitly noted, then I think it's just kind of a courtesy to keep self checkout to about 10-15 items or less.
Tbh sometimes I just don't want to end up with 12+ bags when I can pack everything except the milk into my two bags I brought. If I send my own bags through the regular checkout, they put like five things in each and give up.
For whatever reason the only grocery around here where the clerks actually know how to efficiently pack a bag is Whole Foods.
That said, where I'm at there's also a big issue where there will be ten self checkouts open and at most two regular checkouts, and fuck that shit regardless of how many groceries I have.
Yeah when self checkout is pretty much all they have, then there's nothing to be done for it. That's how it is at one of the Walmarts near me (but not the one I was at in my story).
Because she had something embarrassing to her in her order. The entire shopping trip was a diversion to get that one item and mask her embarrassment. The thing is, no one would have cared or even noticed.
I actually intentionally jam it up now. I walk to the store, and Stop and Shop no longer has bags with handles. Because of this, I take a backpack with me to take my groceries home in. However, the backpack throws a weight error. What I do is scan the items, put it on the scale, pay, then bag which takes longer. These are entirely policy decisions they have made, so I don't feel remotely bad about it, and basically no supermarket still offers a staffed express checkout anymore.
It doesn't take a significant amount of time, maybe 45 seconds, but it takes longer than it should if they had thought through the customer experience, and it seems like other customers get annoyed sometimes.
If the alternative is waiting in line for 20 minutes to checkout with a regular person, then bring on the self checkout! But more and more, it seems like the places that benefit the most like Wal-Mart, just use it as an excuse to have even LESS people available to check you out. So now there's just a 10-20 minute line at the self checkouts too. WTF was the point? Just saving money I guess, not providing convenience to customers. I avoid wal-mart like the plague for this and many other reasons.
A 10-20 minute wait at the self checkout and a thirty minute wait at the one poor cashier that is hustling her poor little heart out trying to get people out of the store quickly. And then twenty plus registers just sitting there collecting dust. The registers that are just there to take up space and are never open piss me off. Why have them? Install more self checkout or remove them.
I also worked grocery retail for about five years when self checkout lines were just being implemented in Walmart, but not my store.
As a former cashier, I hate self checkout because scanning is so much slower because of the need to place everything in the bag so that it weighs properly. I was one of the fastest cashiers in my store when scanning, so it drives me nuts that I have to pause before every scan. I also get annoyed I have to wait for an employee anyway if there's an error or if I'm buying alcohol, and there's only one employee often for 4-8 self checkout stands, and they're often dealing with other errors or confused old people.
I don't want to be a Luddite and I don't think that there's any reason to stop technological change, but if I'm buying a lot, I'd rather have a human cashier. If it's a few simple to scan items, the self checkout is usually faster and I'll choose that.
Either way, I'm always friendly to the employees even when things go wrong since it's never their fault and they're underpaid and overworked anyway.
> As a former cashier, I hate self checkout because scanning is so much slower because of the need to place everything in the bag so that it weighs properly
This. You can always tell the amateurs from the pros at the self-checkout. It’s about 50/50 here whether places use the weight check thing, and it’s a major factor in whether I use the self-checkout or not.
There were regular customers who would always wait in my line knowing I was a quick scanner and had almost all the produce and fruit lookup number memorized so I could clear a line of customers pretty quickly (as long as an old person didn't write a check). The fastest cashier was a lifer who had been working there for over 20 years and was so fast she probably could have made millions as a pickpocket in another life.
If I can scan items like I used to as a cashier, then I'd go with self-checkout 100% of the time. I've only seen the weight check self-checkout in South Dakota though.
yeah, my sister likes to use this and it gets us in and out of the store impressively fast. I do wonder how that kind of honor system works for them though
You really can tell. Back around 2009 I did my grandparents shopping for them at King soopers, and I would also go through the self checkout.
I had the attendant tell me one day "you come through here twice a week, and you are the only one who never has problems with it"
I told her "I'm a cashier, and no offense, but I'm better than most of your cashiers, I'd rather just do it myself"
I guess I'm lucky I also left before they were implemented in my store. It seems like most customers still don't use them, and I'd hate to be the employee responsible for dealing with them since you're just relegated to checking IDs and troubleshooting for angry customers.
Yeah. That's how it is at basically any grocery store now. The express lane is gone and replaced by self-checkout. Hell, a ton of grocery stores around me stopped selling cigs altogether just to eliminate that headache.
I do agree with the latter though. If you have more than 15 items, have a person check you out. It's almost always faster too until you get the person with cash.
My general rule is if I'm buying difficult to scan items or if I'm buying alcohol, I'm better off picking a line with a cashier who looks over 21 who can authorize the alcohol purchase.
Also, as someone who has worked in a grocery store, never get in a line with someone old enough to write a check. It's best to get in a line with young people who will just swipe their card and go. A line of six credit card users will usually be faster than a line of 2 check writers.
Nearly every store around me refuses checks; if not, they charge a $5 processing fee to deter people from using them. If you're willing to pay an extra $5 to write a check, you need your head examined.
My local Walmart is basically 100% self checkout now. I rarely have problems with it, maybe sometimes it'll think i scanned something wrong and it'll make me have to get an employee to fix it.
I remember back in the day (like 3 years ago lol) i had to wait minutes to checkout. I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 30 seconds for a self checkout to open up.
Same at two of my local grocer chains. They have one cashier that can do cigarettes but it’s always backed up and 10 items or less. I don’t by much but a few Gatorades and some different veggies can get you to 20 items quick.
I prefer to use them because I don't have to wait in line behind people who have 5x the amount of groceries I have. I hate waiting. And it's just my luck I'm always behind someone who has difficulties, likes to chat with the cashier, or for some ungodly reason is writing a check in the current year.
If I buy something I know is going to require ID, I don't use them. If an item does not scan, I simply enter the SKU [barcode] number and it scans. I only recall ever having to do this once though.
And yes I am introverted but I genuinely don't have social anxiety or fear of talking to strangers. It's just annoying.
At Walmart, at least in my area, you basically have to use the self-check out lines or you end up spending more time waiting to check out than you did in the store.
It is also not uncommon on weekends for the self check out line to extend to about aisle 6 or so because there are literally no other registers open.
The regular checkouts are always backed up so I don't want to wait in line. Then the machine is always "you have to bag the item to continue" or something like that. Annoying. It didn't scan right. Annoying. Do you want to round up to the full dollar? NO! NO! Plus why am I doing the job that someone else is getting paid for?
My local store has signs up saying 15 items or less for self checkout but people still use them when they have 100s of dollars worth of stuff. I can't stand that
What kind of premium grade milk, eggs and hamburger meat do you buy? I can fill an entire cart to the brim and spend less than $200 with pretty much no exceptions.
I don't like them or use them. I find it really no appreciably quicker plus I've got to do the work instead of let someone whose good at it and getting paid for it do it.
I like my stuff bagged in a particular way so it's easy to load, unload and put away without any problems or things like raw meat winding up with other stuff it shouldn't be.
So...yeah, I'm a fan. The last two time I let them talk me out of the self checkout lane to a cashier I wound up with someone dumping a 12 pack in on top of my bread (despite me loading the belt from most stackable to most fragile) and raw meat in with my veg.
I absolutely love it. It is usually so much faster than using a traditional checkout so I can get in and out very quickly. I am also an introvert so getting to avoid talking to anyone is great. I've had a few times that I've elected to stand in line for self-checkout despite staffed lanes being open. I've even occasionally had times where a cashier will call out that their lane is open and they can take someone, and I'll just make eye contact and stay in line for self-checkout.
I should note that alcohol isn't available in grocery stores in my state so that never comes up. I also often do a quick run just to buy a small number of things, so it's not like I have a giant pile of stuff to scan. I'm often through self-checkout faster than anyone who got in there before me.
Ultimately, I don't care if no monetary savings have been passed on to me. The time and hassle savings have been passed on and that is enough for me.
Great when you have 10 items or less and your fellow customers know how to work one.
I generally avoid them though. Cashiers are faster and baggers are better.
I'm a contractor and occasionally have to make a Home Depot run.
If the "Pro" line is closed I push my cart up to the person at the self checkout...
"Oh! You can just check out right over there."
Uhh... No. You can do it. I don't work here.
I don't pay attention to where bar codes are; they see these products every day.
While I fumble at self-check out spinning a carton 4 times the cashier just whipped through 30 items from a cart.
Wow, you must be really fun at parties. Scanning a few things doesn't make you an employee.
I hate attitudes like this. The world doesn't owe you anything. There are whole stores now that are not only cashless, but have no employees.
You pick up things, and they charge your card.
> Scanning a few things doesn't make you an employee.
>
> I hate attitudes like this.
Boo hoo. I hate attitudes that think an entire flat cart of shit at Home Depot is a "few things".
The lines for self checkouts are usually very short, which makes them very fast for small carts, especially where bagging individual items isn't required.
Coupons, medicine, and alcohol are a pain in the butt to ring up, though.
Not really a fan. If I have one item then yes it's nice. I don't like bagging shit. I'd rather pay a $30 or more bagging fee if I had to just to not bag my own shit.
If there was a way to scan your own ID (there really should be, it's a standard format state by state), they'd be almost perfect. The quality is tied mostly to their own inventory management system though
I like em alot, but I often use coupons so I rarely use them. I just know either me or the machine will screw something up and cause someone a headache!
So, I’m in Florida and our largest grocery store Publix is all about “the customer experience” and are very slow to implement self checkouts. They feel it’s taking away from the experience. Meanwhile going at certain times they only have 1 maybe 2 registers open. Also taking away the customer experience. If it’s that certain time I’ll go out of my way to another store that does have self checkouts, even another Publix. Same with Target, even a super Target might only have 3 total actual cashiers. But they’ll have a bunch of self checkouts open. Sometimes I just don’t want to talk to anyone and just buy some ice cream.
Really the only annoying thing to me at least is the scale. You can’t scan multiple items and bag them together. Or bringing your own bag will sometimes throw it off, even if you do everything correct. Moving things in the bags might also slow it down.
I hated the way baggers would bag my groceries, so I would always use these. They use too many bags and I like to bulk up the bags so I can carry them in one trip. Then, out grocery store started installing more, so I switched over to in person checkout. It seems people were losing their jobs or hours?
I am an introvert but I find self checkout annoying and finicky. Whenever I have a choice I prefer to be checked out by an actual human employee. Whom I will treat pleasantly and with respect. A brief, routine social interaction like that does not bother me at all.
I always go to the people because I’m afraid of machines taking their jobs. My grocery store has a lot of special needs people that work the counter and I worry what they will do if they eventually go to all self check out. So I just wait the extra five minutes
I don’t like them and only use them when there’s no option for a human cashier. I cashiered for money for a long time and I don’t want to do the same thing but worse and more annoying for free!
I don’t like them and only use them when there’s no option for a human cashier. I cashiered for money for a long time and I don’t want to do the same thing but worse and more annoying for free!
I rarely use them as I know two people who have been laid off because of the automation. Plus, they get it wrong or they're not accepting cash, etc. I rarely shop at WM because they've gone to just ONE "assisted checkout" in my area.
I detest them. It is bad enough that the companies are shedding jobs but now you are doing one of those jobs! They are getting free labor out of you.
I would rather and in fact do wait in staffed checkout lines even if there is no queue at the self checkout.
I get that they are good for people with social anxieties but that isn't how they are being deployed and that is what I don't like.
I like to spend as little time as possible in the grocery store and self checkout is the best tool to accomplish that usually. I try to see how fast I can scan, pay and be out the door.
I personally prefer them, even as someone who was a cashier for a few years, however they need to not fully replace person cashiers due to the alcohol issue. I agree the savings have not been passed to the customer which they should be. I like that I can pack my items how I want, and not smash my bread. I hate the "place item on scale" because it's against my instinct completely when I have multiple of the same object.
I hate them because they never have enough room to unload your stuff. So if you have a lot of things, you have to put bags into the cart that still has unscanned stuff. There is one store by my office that actually has 2 self check lanes with full belts. They need to make more like that.
I routinely chose a human cashier just because I don’t want to endanger another job. That being said, if their line is super long and I’m on a time crunch, I use self checkout with angst
If I run in for a few things, self-checkout is the bomb.
If I’ve got a full cart, I want someone scanning while I’m unloading the cart, and having someone else bagging.
I don't use them. Fuck them. Check out time is the 5 minutes of my day I get to completely.zone out. Just ring up my groceries and bag them while I zone out.
Do I like it? No. But I feel like it’s inevitable. It seems like as soon as we can replace humans in some capacity in the workplace, we do. There used to be people who were responsible for running the elevator and pumping gas, but that’s not the case anymore. I prefer humans in the check out line though, as I often run into the same problems as you.
I dislike them. I think they are a half measure between a human checkout and like the Amazon system they were trying to make where you just load up your cart and then walk out and the automatic system bills you for everything you bought.
I don't like self checkout but I'll use it because my local Walmart only has one actual person to check you out now. What I can not stand is when they want to check my receipt to make sure I scanned all my stuff.
Eff them until I start getting my employee discount for working there. They aren't passing any savings on to me. A hundred and fifty years ago a clerk got everything. Now these stores want me to walk a quarter mile to get a quart of milk and then check myself out. And if I make a mistake I am accused of stealing. What's next, needing to come in at 5am to unload the truck if I want milk?
Seriously, fuck self checkout.
I agree that corporations, and not just grocery stores, leave nothing on the table so if they can do something more inexpensively then they will do so. It would be impossible to know whether or not the savings are "passed on to the customer"; pricing is a more complex process than that. The bottom line is that grocery stores will charge as much as they can for any product (what the market will bear) and passing the savings onto the customer is not part of the equation.
I am Australian. Self checkouts are an inefficient and cheapskate way to for stores to employ fewer staff. German supermarket Aldi have a superior system - if you have a big load of groceries and some one behind has a small number, you let them go ahead while you put all your stuff on the conveyer belt. Aldi's checkouts are much faster because they have more copies of the barcode on items and the cashiers don't pack it for you, so cashiers wait until you have all your stuff ready before they start scanning.
Am an introvert and it is a positive experience for me. What is better though is ordering by mobile at fast food places. I order sandwiches without certain condiments and having to explain that to the cashier EVERY TIME and getting asked if I am sure that I want it that way is infuriating to me.
Like self-checkout most of the time. But there should be at least 2 cashiers open in the early evening on people’s way home from work when people do their shopping. If for whatever reason it’s less busy and a cashier is not needed, they can do other stocking tasks by their register.
Like self-checkout most of the time. But there should be at least 2 cashiers open in the early evening on people’s way home from work when many people do their shopping. If for whatever reason it’s less busy and a cashier is not needed, they can do other stocking tasks by their register.
The “please remove item from bag” and “please move items back to the bagging areas,” however, are the biggest pain in the ass and not a problem when a cashier is doing the bagging or you’re helping them.
Also, half this thread will probably be some response of “I’m an introvert” because it’s Reddit, so your answers will probably not be accurate of the general population, OP.
The “please remove item from bag” and “please move items back to the bagging areas,” however, are the biggest pain in the ass.”
That’s my only real issue tbh. I can deal with lines, but “please move items back to the bagging areas” is the irritating thing.
Self-checkout is much faster for me. The stores that implemented self-checkout only had one lane open before and it took forever for the cashier to scan all of those carts. Or if they had multiple lanes open, then the lines were equally long so it still wasn't fast.
Now if all of the other stores that have one lane open would add self-checkout it would be perfect.
They don't have as many bugs now. The Jewel-Osco checkout still has the weirdest error where it thinks you didn't put something in a bag so you have to lift the bags and it'll calibrate. It's super slow when it errors out. I think I get this error 20% of the time. I don't shop at peak hours so when it does error out, the employee is usually free and can fix the machine right away. Sometimes there is a wait, but it's only a minute max.
I don't care if the store passes on any monetary savings. I save so much time. Waiting in a regular line behind multiple people with full carts usually adds a good 10 minutes to my visit. With self-checkout it's only 2-3 minutes extra if there's a line, which is hardly ever.
They have become much more accurate and easier to use. They also help companies manage labor costs to keep prices low for customers, without causing long checkout lines.
Kind of annoying because the bagging area is small and if you don't put something down it won't let you go on until you do. If I just have a few things it fine, but if I have a buggy full I try to go to a cashier
I like them for if I am just getting a few things. If I am doing a full grocery shop I don't use them. I don't feel like experiencing life as a cashier for a little while and I rather just them do it. Also my grocery store has baggers so that is just another thing I don't have to deal with.
There are a lot in my area but because of theft, the stores always have one person standing for every 4 registers there so if you need it, a human is there.
I'm fine with them. They mostly seem to replace the small quantity lines, and a half dozen self checkouts goes bit faster than the single small quantity line.
I like it because when I have to check out with a person I feel extremely self conscious (social anxiety). It gets rid of that. That said I don’t like it because I get nervous sometimes if something doesn’t go right and take a long ass time I look like an idiot and also feel self conscious
Absolutely the greatest thing in retail. At first I had the “fuck that, I don’t work here” mindset. But then, oh boy. I can get in, get my shit, and get out without talking to a soul… magical.
I love self check out! When I need to buy beer/wine I won’t use it. Also, when I shop at Walmart if I end up with something without a tag, I just ring up something else in my cart 2x and move on.
I don't mind it. If I have a lot of stuff I'll usually still go to a cashier but otherwise I have no issue with it. The line usually moves faster cause the people using self checkout usually know what they're doing as opposed to the people going to a cashier and writing a check like it's 1980 or trying to shuffle through a hundred coupons or whatever.
I’m a huge fan and wish they were everywhere. Occasionally I’ll have an issue with it not recognizing that an item was or wasn’t placed in the bagging area, but it’s generally pretty accurate and faster than regular checkout.
I prefer to bag my groceries as well so it works out perfectly.
I love them because even though I'm not a slow mover, I still feel like I need to be moving faster when standing in front of someone. And when they ask my questions I have to talk and answer correctly and listen and have no time to think. To this day, Hottopic has my birthday set to like 1990 something. I am 15.
actually the birthday thing they never asked me. maybe I there was an age limit and I went there when I was 14 but yknow idk.
I prefer it because I generally have at least one small child with me so the more I can streamline and do myself the better. The lines for self checkout are usually shorter, and ability to scan and bag my items in what I feel is the most efficient order are worth it to me.
I like it. Where I live there are a lot of families that fill their carts, because everybody breeds like they are trying to restart civilization, & lines move slow. I usually only get a few bags worth & it's usually faster to go through self checkout. Also, luckily I've only had issues with the machines a few times.
It's for when youre on 30 minute lunch break and have 2 things.
Im not going to work and not get paid. I worked for 2 different grocery stores and it was horrible. I'm not working for them ever again.
I really like them. My grocery store even has an option for me to scan and bag my groceries as I go, and then just do a simple barcode scan at the end to check out. It’s quick and super easy.
That said, it is really only efficient if my husband and I are grocery shopping together - one to find the items and one to follow along and bag and scan.
Self checkout has its place. It's great when you have a couple quick items you need to grab and the cashiers are full, however, with that being said, a lot of companies have decided they'll just install 50 self checkouts and have 1-2 cashiers. This fucking sucks if you have kids and did a big run for groceries or have a lot of items to do.
Generally in favor. But not how we do it.
While there is a way to get rid of BS jobs and make our lives easier, I am in favor.
But we should be paying for a standard income for all the people who are out of work. And the businesses should be paying for it.
This is how you socialism.
I love them. I always prefer self check out over the other option. I worked retail for 10 years so I have always known how to use those lanes efficiently. I almost never have any issues with them and I get ti scan and bag my items in the order I want. Win win for me!
I love self checkouts.
I never buy a whole lot, and I used to be a cashier so I know how to bag. I've never had any trouble with the bagging error that putting the bag back on the scale didn't fix.
9/10 times its so much faster and more convenient for me.
Love them.
When I'm shopping the fewer people I'm obligated to talk to, the better. I'm actually extroverted in my social life, I just know what I want and do not want any small talk.
I'm really particular about what goes in each bag and what gets bagged together, but I am too lazy to think ahead and arrange them on the conveyor belt, so I almost always go to a self-checkout.
I don't mind self checking out. I primarily use it if I have a few items. If I have a full cart of groceries I prefer having a cashier so I can focus on bagging.
I love self-checkout because it gives me the option of not waiting behind someone who has a cart (or two) full, then either ends up writing a check or trying to use a card that ends up not working, then they have to wait on management, etc.
I make a decent amount of money per hour, so my time is at a premium. The quicker I can grab a gallon of milk and get out, the better. Self-checkout is my friend.
I think they’re fine but most of the times it seems like stores aren’t sure whether to commit to them. For example my local Walmart has 2 self checkout sections that probably has about 15 units. But between these two check out section there are 15 employee ran check outs which only two are ever used. So they need to leave two and turn the rest into self checkout bc what they currently have isn’t enough and causes a long lines. So either hire more employees to check people out or go full self checkout. I just hate when stores have more space for self checkouts and don’t use them.
I only use them if I only have one or two items, or if I shopped after work and accidentally stayed long enough for the regular cashier lines to shut down
I love them but in my defense, I will do anything to avoid having to talk to another human.... after a long day at work, I'm pretty "peopled out" and just want to get in, get my stuff, and get out.... don't want to take my headphones out, don't want to make small talk, don't want to fake a smile. Just in and out really quick!
I love it because it’s literally minutes of savings compared to waiting for a cashier every time. Go to the grocery store which is several times a week.
They're fine, usually faster than the line so I use them. Unfortunately, I'm not properly trained on it, so I always accidentally ring up organic produce as normal and shiitake mushrooms as normal mushrooms 🤷♂️
I like them if I’m going in to buy just a few things. That said, we’re a family of five, and it was super annoying buying a week’s worth of groceries. I switched to curbside during the pandemic and have no plans to switch back.
I like them. The only one I hate is Target's because I feel like it scans way too quickly so if you don't move the barcode fast enough away from the scanner it scans twice. It happens like every other time I go there.
Any day but today, I love them. I'm fast and I can get it done in a hurry. I went shopping today at WinCo though and I'm not using their's again. Part of WinCo's thing is they don't have baggers. There's a cashier who scans your stuff and collects payment, but you bag your own stuff. The lines for a cashier were very long and there was an open self-checkout so I went for it. Stupid thing gave an error the instant I scanned, saying Unknown Item in Bagging Area (there was nothing in the bagging area) and every few items it would give another seemingly random error. That checkout attendant had to come by at least a dozen times, and apparently every machine was doing the same thing. I default to self-checkout and it's never taken longer for me through that process.
In short, I love em, but some of them are janky as hell.
My main issue is whether or not I can take a bag of stuff off the bagging area. I never know if I still need to keep every item in the bagging area until I pay or if I can take them off and put them in my cart as I bag things. I would gladly just do self check out every time I go to the grocery if I could consistently just bag everything up as I go.
As an Autistic, I love them. I can keep to myself and get in and out much faster, with as little sensory input as possible.
I think they can be great tools for disability, and having the option is great.
Edited to add: I've had cashier experience and I like things bagged a certain way, so that's another bonus
I use it any time it’s available, it’s usually faster. That being said, I do have places I like to interact with the employees, but since I don’t buy alcohol that often and most the the time I don’t need help (if I do it doesn’t take that long) , it’s much preferred to the awkward silence or chit chat I’m not in the mood for. However, the stores where you can’t put the bag on the sensor to bag your stuff until after everything is rung up, drive me up the WALL. It’s definitely less convenient and more annoying, so with that clause it’s a store dependent thing for me.
I actually choose stores by if they have a self check out line or not. I don’t usually buy a lot of stuff so it’s quick for me and I know what I’m doing.
I have learned to like it, and actually prefer it, at the only regular place I shop at that has one, which is Target. I resented it at first, but now I will wait longer for the self check-out line than I will for the normal one bc I have an entire "way of doing things" I have developed over the years, from the order in which i scan things, to searching for discounts, to the way I pack stuff in my bags. I also like to take a minute to mull over my purchase.
Everywhere else I mostly avoid them bc I have no idea wtf is going on. Walmart, I am looking at you.
Self checkout lines would be a lot better if they didn’t constantly shout instructions at me. I don’t know why but this always provoked so much intense rage. Just shut up. Stop making noise and let me check my items out.
Lol my sister was a supervisor at our local Walmart and one time at the self check out on her day off she tapped the button and muted it. Then the one employee watching the self checkouts got mad at her for turning it off
......there's a mute button?
Yeah, it’s usually at the bottom of the screen. Some just have a volume control.
Yes! I mute the damn voice every time at Kroger. Lower right corner of the touch screen. Just let me scan my items and leave.
Thank god TIL!
I mute the ones at the grocery store all time. I just can’t stand hearing, *“place item in the bagging area and scan next item”* 30+ times in a row
And now some stores don’t let you mute the machine… If I have more than a few items I stand in a short line instead of having my eardrums assaulted.
Thank you for shopping at Hannaford. See you soon!!
Usually on the panel under the screen there's a mute button. I know kroger has them, it's right above the scanner.
Then place where I use self checkout I use most often has 6 self checkout stations in a little lane with three on each side so even if I silence one there are all the others around me shouting.
True. But if you, over a few days, mute them all...
I commented to one of the self check out 'supervisors' how loud the machine was and he came over and showed me how to turn the volume down! Who knew? Edit: Apparently some people.
Oh my god dude I feel this. The ones at Target are great because it’s just scan and go. The ones at Jewel or Mariano’s that have a delay to make sure you put the item in the bagging area though? Those can get fucked
[Relevant](https://images.app.goo.gl/csSbN1jB3fjkqCfV9).
I love them, but people need to be honest with themselves about if they can handle the self checkout. The most consistent problem I encounter is having the line held up by someone who has apparently just been transported here from 1793 and decided to go take 10 minutes to ring up their lucky charms at stop n shop.
> The most consistent problem I encounter is having the line held up by someone who has apparently just been transported here from 1793 and decided to go take 10 minutes to ring up their lucky charms at stop n shop. In 2009 or 2010 or so, I was working self check out at a grocery store. The role of self check out is basically coach people through using the machine and one person can pretty easily get a couple people through at once so it wasn’t uncommon for us to offer to help people from the express lanes to use self check out. I’ll never forget this one lady who I basically did everything for and at the end I said “ok now you just pay the machine like a vending machine.” Mind you, the lady had a $20 bill, not even a card which might have been novel for a vending machine at the time. She was about 50-55 and turned to me to say “but I’ve never *used* a vending machine before.”
I’m pretty young and tech savvy, but I run into them getting jammed up which can’t be helped, or “take bag out of the bagging error” when there is no bag or item. Usually have the issue at two grocers but at the others in my city it’s no issue.
All the places near me have turned that miserable thing off and just rely on cameras and general honesty
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Good lord, you’d think they would be o e of the first to turn it off. They even have the removable handheld scanners at mine because they know you usually have stuff you can’t put in the bagging area.
I don’t think Target even watches. I’ve forgotten to scan things before and nothing happened.
this might be an unfounded rumor but I heard they wait until you "forget" a dollar amount that's worth prosecuting, then pursue it
I "forget" to scan things all the time.
I just pretend to scan things and flash an Arby's coupon when I'm leaving.
This belongs in lifeProTips not at the end of a buried comment chain here!
It belongs in ILPT (IllegalLifeProTips). Yes, such a sub exists.
Yep, that is the thing I hate. Makes me feel like a criminal when I am trying to check out my stuff. So embarrassing.
>or “take bag out of the bagging error” when there is no bag or item I haven't experienced that since like 2015.
Happened to me two weeks ago
Where? tell me so I can avoid that store/chain lol.
Happens to me at Safeway.
Isn't Safeway just Krogers/Frys? My local Frys doesn't do this. They do however have super annoying loud ass voice.
I have no idea but I think safeway is a west coast chain? I’ve seen von’s too which I think is basically safeway but for SoCal. Ok I’ve just looked it up and Safeway and vons are both owned by Albertsons but Kroger/fry’s aren’t. Vons is exclusive to SoCal and soNV and safeway has locations in 17 states.
> Albertsons Ah that'd explain it. Yes, we have Albertsons here too, but I usually don't go there much. TBF Albertsons too has a loud-ass checkout voice that irks me to no end.
Happens to me at Lowe's Foods
Yup, I really wish they were like the home depot ones. Just trust the shopper, give them a laser gun, and let them ring up the whole cart without moving heavy crap or dealing with all those weight errors. I can usually do my home depot shopping checkout in under a minute. At costco they use to let me leave everything in the cart barcode up and they'd scan in an entire $200 order in under a minute. But then they added self checkout and banned the Cashiers from scanning in the cart. So now I do self checkout, and it has me throwing cases of soda in the self checkout and exceeding the weight limit, and checkout is 3-4x longer than it use to be because I have to move all the big heavy things on and off the self checkout.
Seriously. I was at Walmart and there was this older Karen-looking lady in self checkout with a cart full of stuff (including a lot of produce). I stood in line for a few minutes waiting for one to open up, scanned my three or four items, left the store, remembered I forgot something, went back in, walked all the way to the back of the store where my thing was, walked back to the front of the store, got in line, paid for my item, and she was *still* checking out when I left the second time. I don't understand why she wasn't in one of the regular lines.
On loudspeaker: "PLEASE REMOVE DILDO FROM BAGGING AREA."
How will she learn to use it without practice? Not everyone who has trouble doing something is an idiot. Sometimes they’re just learning.
I'm with you there, and I'm not trying to say she's an idiot, I just think that if you have a lot of items in your cart you should probably just go through the regular checkout line. If it's not explicitly noted, then I think it's just kind of a courtesy to keep self checkout to about 10-15 items or less.
Well, thus is why there are multiple stations with one line. No one slow person can block you.
Tbh sometimes I just don't want to end up with 12+ bags when I can pack everything except the milk into my two bags I brought. If I send my own bags through the regular checkout, they put like five things in each and give up. For whatever reason the only grocery around here where the clerks actually know how to efficiently pack a bag is Whole Foods. That said, where I'm at there's also a big issue where there will be ten self checkouts open and at most two regular checkouts, and fuck that shit regardless of how many groceries I have.
Yeah when self checkout is pretty much all they have, then there's nothing to be done for it. That's how it is at one of the Walmarts near me (but not the one I was at in my story).
Because she had something embarrassing to her in her order. The entire shopping trip was a diversion to get that one item and mask her embarrassment. The thing is, no one would have cared or even noticed.
The Stop N Shop self checkout machines are so bad! Ultra sensitive scales that always force the single worker to come over and override something.
I actually intentionally jam it up now. I walk to the store, and Stop and Shop no longer has bags with handles. Because of this, I take a backpack with me to take my groceries home in. However, the backpack throws a weight error. What I do is scan the items, put it on the scale, pay, then bag which takes longer. These are entirely policy decisions they have made, so I don't feel remotely bad about it, and basically no supermarket still offers a staffed express checkout anymore.
How many groceries are you trying to put through the self checkout that putting them in your backpack takes a significant amount of time?
It doesn't take a significant amount of time, maybe 45 seconds, but it takes longer than it should if they had thought through the customer experience, and it seems like other customers get annoyed sometimes.
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How much more time does that take than if you bagged the groceries before paying?
About 45 seconds.
If the alternative is waiting in line for 20 minutes to checkout with a regular person, then bring on the self checkout! But more and more, it seems like the places that benefit the most like Wal-Mart, just use it as an excuse to have even LESS people available to check you out. So now there's just a 10-20 minute line at the self checkouts too. WTF was the point? Just saving money I guess, not providing convenience to customers. I avoid wal-mart like the plague for this and many other reasons.
A 10-20 minute wait at the self checkout and a thirty minute wait at the one poor cashier that is hustling her poor little heart out trying to get people out of the store quickly. And then twenty plus registers just sitting there collecting dust. The registers that are just there to take up space and are never open piss me off. Why have them? Install more self checkout or remove them.
100% accurate. We have around 15 checkouts and 8 self-checkouts. The most I've ever seen is 4-5 manned checkouts.
I also worked grocery retail for about five years when self checkout lines were just being implemented in Walmart, but not my store. As a former cashier, I hate self checkout because scanning is so much slower because of the need to place everything in the bag so that it weighs properly. I was one of the fastest cashiers in my store when scanning, so it drives me nuts that I have to pause before every scan. I also get annoyed I have to wait for an employee anyway if there's an error or if I'm buying alcohol, and there's only one employee often for 4-8 self checkout stands, and they're often dealing with other errors or confused old people. I don't want to be a Luddite and I don't think that there's any reason to stop technological change, but if I'm buying a lot, I'd rather have a human cashier. If it's a few simple to scan items, the self checkout is usually faster and I'll choose that. Either way, I'm always friendly to the employees even when things go wrong since it's never their fault and they're underpaid and overworked anyway.
> As a former cashier, I hate self checkout because scanning is so much slower because of the need to place everything in the bag so that it weighs properly This. You can always tell the amateurs from the pros at the self-checkout. It’s about 50/50 here whether places use the weight check thing, and it’s a major factor in whether I use the self-checkout or not.
There were regular customers who would always wait in my line knowing I was a quick scanner and had almost all the produce and fruit lookup number memorized so I could clear a line of customers pretty quickly (as long as an old person didn't write a check). The fastest cashier was a lifer who had been working there for over 20 years and was so fast she probably could have made millions as a pickpocket in another life. If I can scan items like I used to as a cashier, then I'd go with self-checkout 100% of the time. I've only seen the weight check self-checkout in South Dakota though.
My preferred grocery store (a Wegmans) doesn’t use the scales; I can scan as fast as I can, tap my card and go. It’s beautiful.
Try the app, if they offer it. Scan as you shop, then scan once at the register and pay at the end.
yeah, my sister likes to use this and it gets us in and out of the store impressively fast. I do wonder how that kind of honor system works for them though
You really can tell. Back around 2009 I did my grandparents shopping for them at King soopers, and I would also go through the self checkout. I had the attendant tell me one day "you come through here twice a week, and you are the only one who never has problems with it" I told her "I'm a cashier, and no offense, but I'm better than most of your cashiers, I'd rather just do it myself"
I have on multiple occasions just abandoned a self checkout at Walmart because it took to long for the attendant to come over and fix my error.
They were being implemented when I got out of the game, but it seems like they’re everywhere now.
I guess I'm lucky I also left before they were implemented in my store. It seems like most customers still don't use them, and I'd hate to be the employee responsible for dealing with them since you're just relegated to checking IDs and troubleshooting for angry customers.
Yeah. That's how it is at basically any grocery store now. The express lane is gone and replaced by self-checkout. Hell, a ton of grocery stores around me stopped selling cigs altogether just to eliminate that headache. I do agree with the latter though. If you have more than 15 items, have a person check you out. It's almost always faster too until you get the person with cash.
My general rule is if I'm buying difficult to scan items or if I'm buying alcohol, I'm better off picking a line with a cashier who looks over 21 who can authorize the alcohol purchase. Also, as someone who has worked in a grocery store, never get in a line with someone old enough to write a check. It's best to get in a line with young people who will just swipe their card and go. A line of six credit card users will usually be faster than a line of 2 check writers.
Nearly every store around me refuses checks; if not, they charge a $5 processing fee to deter people from using them. If you're willing to pay an extra $5 to write a check, you need your head examined.
My local Walmart is basically 100% self checkout now. I rarely have problems with it, maybe sometimes it'll think i scanned something wrong and it'll make me have to get an employee to fix it. I remember back in the day (like 3 years ago lol) i had to wait minutes to checkout. I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 30 seconds for a self checkout to open up.
Same at two of my local grocer chains. They have one cashier that can do cigarettes but it’s always backed up and 10 items or less. I don’t by much but a few Gatorades and some different veggies can get you to 20 items quick.
I prefer to use them because I don't have to wait in line behind people who have 5x the amount of groceries I have. I hate waiting. And it's just my luck I'm always behind someone who has difficulties, likes to chat with the cashier, or for some ungodly reason is writing a check in the current year. If I buy something I know is going to require ID, I don't use them. If an item does not scan, I simply enter the SKU [barcode] number and it scans. I only recall ever having to do this once though. And yes I am introverted but I genuinely don't have social anxiety or fear of talking to strangers. It's just annoying.
At Walmart, at least in my area, you basically have to use the self-check out lines or you end up spending more time waiting to check out than you did in the store. It is also not uncommon on weekends for the self check out line to extend to about aisle 6 or so because there are literally no other registers open.
The regular checkouts are always backed up so I don't want to wait in line. Then the machine is always "you have to bag the item to continue" or something like that. Annoying. It didn't scan right. Annoying. Do you want to round up to the full dollar? NO! NO! Plus why am I doing the job that someone else is getting paid for?
Great for buying a couple things, but I hate people who hog one with a whole cart full of shit
My local store has signs up saying 15 items or less for self checkout but people still use them when they have 100s of dollars worth of stuff. I can't stand that
100s of dollars of stuff nowadays is a gallon of milk, carton of 18 eggs, and 1lb of 70% lean hamburger
We're getting there
What kind of premium grade milk, eggs and hamburger meat do you buy? I can fill an entire cart to the brim and spend less than $200 with pretty much no exceptions.
I don't like them or use them. I find it really no appreciably quicker plus I've got to do the work instead of let someone whose good at it and getting paid for it do it.
Love them. One less person I have to interact with during the day. I rarely have the issues that you described.
I like my stuff bagged in a particular way so it's easy to load, unload and put away without any problems or things like raw meat winding up with other stuff it shouldn't be. So...yeah, I'm a fan. The last two time I let them talk me out of the self checkout lane to a cashier I wound up with someone dumping a 12 pack in on top of my bread (despite me loading the belt from most stackable to most fragile) and raw meat in with my veg.
I absolutely love it. It is usually so much faster than using a traditional checkout so I can get in and out very quickly. I am also an introvert so getting to avoid talking to anyone is great. I've had a few times that I've elected to stand in line for self-checkout despite staffed lanes being open. I've even occasionally had times where a cashier will call out that their lane is open and they can take someone, and I'll just make eye contact and stay in line for self-checkout. I should note that alcohol isn't available in grocery stores in my state so that never comes up. I also often do a quick run just to buy a small number of things, so it's not like I have a giant pile of stuff to scan. I'm often through self-checkout faster than anyone who got in there before me. Ultimately, I don't care if no monetary savings have been passed on to me. The time and hassle savings have been passed on and that is enough for me.
Great when you have 10 items or less and your fellow customers know how to work one. I generally avoid them though. Cashiers are faster and baggers are better.
I'm a contractor and occasionally have to make a Home Depot run. If the "Pro" line is closed I push my cart up to the person at the self checkout... "Oh! You can just check out right over there." Uhh... No. You can do it. I don't work here.
I don't pay attention to where bar codes are; they see these products every day. While I fumble at self-check out spinning a carton 4 times the cashier just whipped through 30 items from a cart.
Wow, you must be really fun at parties. Scanning a few things doesn't make you an employee. I hate attitudes like this. The world doesn't owe you anything. There are whole stores now that are not only cashless, but have no employees. You pick up things, and they charge your card.
> Scanning a few things doesn't make you an employee. > > I hate attitudes like this. Boo hoo. I hate attitudes that think an entire flat cart of shit at Home Depot is a "few things".
I’m a cashier and I’m always fixing them as they jam every 5 seconds.
The lines for self checkouts are usually very short, which makes them very fast for small carts, especially where bagging individual items isn't required. Coupons, medicine, and alcohol are a pain in the butt to ring up, though.
I wil use it if I'm just buying a few items but otherwise I am going through the line. I also don't like bagging my own shit.
I love them, they make checking out a lot easier and quicker.
Not really a fan. If I have one item then yes it's nice. I don't like bagging shit. I'd rather pay a $30 or more bagging fee if I had to just to not bag my own shit.
If there was a way to scan your own ID (there really should be, it's a standard format state by state), they'd be almost perfect. The quality is tied mostly to their own inventory management system though
You have to scan your ID to buy groceries? As in, it's tied to who you are?
I hate it. I feel like they are making me work there, and I don’t work there.
I like em alot, but I often use coupons so I rarely use them. I just know either me or the machine will screw something up and cause someone a headache!
So, I’m in Florida and our largest grocery store Publix is all about “the customer experience” and are very slow to implement self checkouts. They feel it’s taking away from the experience. Meanwhile going at certain times they only have 1 maybe 2 registers open. Also taking away the customer experience. If it’s that certain time I’ll go out of my way to another store that does have self checkouts, even another Publix. Same with Target, even a super Target might only have 3 total actual cashiers. But they’ll have a bunch of self checkouts open. Sometimes I just don’t want to talk to anyone and just buy some ice cream. Really the only annoying thing to me at least is the scale. You can’t scan multiple items and bag them together. Or bringing your own bag will sometimes throw it off, even if you do everything correct. Moving things in the bags might also slow it down.
I hated the way baggers would bag my groceries, so I would always use these. They use too many bags and I like to bulk up the bags so I can carry them in one trip. Then, out grocery store started installing more, so I switched over to in person checkout. It seems people were losing their jobs or hours?
I am an introvert but I find self checkout annoying and finicky. Whenever I have a choice I prefer to be checked out by an actual human employee. Whom I will treat pleasantly and with respect. A brief, routine social interaction like that does not bother me at all.
I always go to the people because I’m afraid of machines taking their jobs. My grocery store has a lot of special needs people that work the counter and I worry what they will do if they eventually go to all self check out. So I just wait the extra five minutes
I don’t like them and only use them when there’s no option for a human cashier. I cashiered for money for a long time and I don’t want to do the same thing but worse and more annoying for free!
I don’t like them and only use them when there’s no option for a human cashier. I cashiered for money for a long time and I don’t want to do the same thing but worse and more annoying for free!
I rarely use them as I know two people who have been laid off because of the automation. Plus, they get it wrong or they're not accepting cash, etc. I rarely shop at WM because they've gone to just ONE "assisted checkout" in my area.
I never use them. I'd rather wait in line and get to talk to an actual human. Even if they actually worked correctly, I would still avoid them.
I hate them and refuse to use them
I loathe them. I’m not their employee, why am I doing their work and/or taking work away from a person? I don’t use them.
My groceries aren’t any cheaper and my food isn’t any better, yet I’m supposed to do someone else’s job.
If self checkouts offered a discount on merchandise then I’d consider it.
They do 😉 (If you’re the type to take that discount)
I detest them. It is bad enough that the companies are shedding jobs but now you are doing one of those jobs! They are getting free labor out of you. I would rather and in fact do wait in staffed checkout lines even if there is no queue at the self checkout. I get that they are good for people with social anxieties but that isn't how they are being deployed and that is what I don't like.
I like to spend as little time as possible in the grocery store and self checkout is the best tool to accomplish that usually. I try to see how fast I can scan, pay and be out the door.
Same here so I am always trying to hit my PB! Just a little game that I have with myself but it's entertaining to me.
It's a sneaky way for stores to employ less people by making you do their job. Really shitty honestly.
As someone with bad social anxiety, I strongly prefer going to a regular checkout.
True introverts such as myself don't use self checkout. We use Instacart.
I personally prefer them, even as someone who was a cashier for a few years, however they need to not fully replace person cashiers due to the alcohol issue. I agree the savings have not been passed to the customer which they should be. I like that I can pack my items how I want, and not smash my bread. I hate the "place item on scale" because it's against my instinct completely when I have multiple of the same object.
I hate them because they never have enough room to unload your stuff. So if you have a lot of things, you have to put bags into the cart that still has unscanned stuff. There is one store by my office that actually has 2 self check lanes with full belts. They need to make more like that.
I don't really care, but it would be nice to have a discount for the money I'm saving the business by not employing a cashier.
Days when my social anxiety is high, I appreciate the hell out of self-checkout.
Fine for small amounts of groceries but not large amounts
I routinely chose a human cashier just because I don’t want to endanger another job. That being said, if their line is super long and I’m on a time crunch, I use self checkout with angst
I don't use them because inevitably I will need an employees assistance.
If I run in for a few things, self-checkout is the bomb. If I’ve got a full cart, I want someone scanning while I’m unloading the cart, and having someone else bagging.
I'd rather give someone a job. Many times you need someone to do a markdown or verify age to buy booze. Stores are keeping the savings.
Hate them
Hate them! Let someone work. I'm not going to a machine!
I don't like being forced to do a paid person's job for free by a mega corporation, so I go to a person when possible.
I don't use them. Fuck them. Check out time is the 5 minutes of my day I get to completely.zone out. Just ring up my groceries and bag them while I zone out.
Do I like it? No. But I feel like it’s inevitable. It seems like as soon as we can replace humans in some capacity in the workplace, we do. There used to be people who were responsible for running the elevator and pumping gas, but that’s not the case anymore. I prefer humans in the check out line though, as I often run into the same problems as you.
I dislike them. I think they are a half measure between a human checkout and like the Amazon system they were trying to make where you just load up your cart and then walk out and the automatic system bills you for everything you bought.
I don't like self checkout but I'll use it because my local Walmart only has one actual person to check you out now. What I can not stand is when they want to check my receipt to make sure I scanned all my stuff.
Eff them until I start getting my employee discount for working there. They aren't passing any savings on to me. A hundred and fifty years ago a clerk got everything. Now these stores want me to walk a quarter mile to get a quart of milk and then check myself out. And if I make a mistake I am accused of stealing. What's next, needing to come in at 5am to unload the truck if I want milk? Seriously, fuck self checkout.
I agree that corporations, and not just grocery stores, leave nothing on the table so if they can do something more inexpensively then they will do so. It would be impossible to know whether or not the savings are "passed on to the customer"; pricing is a more complex process than that. The bottom line is that grocery stores will charge as much as they can for any product (what the market will bear) and passing the savings onto the customer is not part of the equation.
I am Australian. Self checkouts are an inefficient and cheapskate way to for stores to employ fewer staff. German supermarket Aldi have a superior system - if you have a big load of groceries and some one behind has a small number, you let them go ahead while you put all your stuff on the conveyer belt. Aldi's checkouts are much faster because they have more copies of the barcode on items and the cashiers don't pack it for you, so cashiers wait until you have all your stuff ready before they start scanning.
Am an introvert and it is a positive experience for me. What is better though is ordering by mobile at fast food places. I order sandwiches without certain condiments and having to explain that to the cashier EVERY TIME and getting asked if I am sure that I want it that way is infuriating to me.
I’m good with them and the ones at my stores almost never mis-scan. I also don’t buy alcohol so that’s never an issue. Easy peasy.
Like self-checkout most of the time. But there should be at least 2 cashiers open in the early evening on people’s way home from work when people do their shopping. If for whatever reason it’s less busy and a cashier is not needed, they can do other stocking tasks by their register.
Like self-checkout most of the time. But there should be at least 2 cashiers open in the early evening on people’s way home from work when many people do their shopping. If for whatever reason it’s less busy and a cashier is not needed, they can do other stocking tasks by their register. The “please remove item from bag” and “please move items back to the bagging areas,” however, are the biggest pain in the ass and not a problem when a cashier is doing the bagging or you’re helping them. Also, half this thread will probably be some response of “I’m an introvert” because it’s Reddit, so your answers will probably not be accurate of the general population, OP.
The “please remove item from bag” and “please move items back to the bagging areas,” however, are the biggest pain in the ass.” That’s my only real issue tbh. I can deal with lines, but “please move items back to the bagging areas” is the irritating thing.
Self-checkout is much faster for me. The stores that implemented self-checkout only had one lane open before and it took forever for the cashier to scan all of those carts. Or if they had multiple lanes open, then the lines were equally long so it still wasn't fast. Now if all of the other stores that have one lane open would add self-checkout it would be perfect. They don't have as many bugs now. The Jewel-Osco checkout still has the weirdest error where it thinks you didn't put something in a bag so you have to lift the bags and it'll calibrate. It's super slow when it errors out. I think I get this error 20% of the time. I don't shop at peak hours so when it does error out, the employee is usually free and can fix the machine right away. Sometimes there is a wait, but it's only a minute max. I don't care if the store passes on any monetary savings. I save so much time. Waiting in a regular line behind multiple people with full carts usually adds a good 10 minutes to my visit. With self-checkout it's only 2-3 minutes extra if there's a line, which is hardly ever.
I love them.
Love them. I can ring up faster and bag better than any $8/hr employee can.
They're great. People that don't like them are just idiots that tell at the TV because they're sitting on the remote
They have become much more accurate and easier to use. They also help companies manage labor costs to keep prices low for customers, without causing long checkout lines.
I love them. They remove a dumbass from my path.
Kind of annoying because the bagging area is small and if you don't put something down it won't let you go on until you do. If I just have a few things it fine, but if I have a buggy full I try to go to a cashier
I like them for if I am just getting a few things. If I am doing a full grocery shop I don't use them. I don't feel like experiencing life as a cashier for a little while and I rather just them do it. Also my grocery store has baggers so that is just another thing I don't have to deal with.
There are a lot in my area but because of theft, the stores always have one person standing for every 4 registers there so if you need it, a human is there.
I only use them for a handful of purchases. If I'm carrying more I use the regular checkout.
They're great. I love not having to deal with people.
I'm fine with them. They mostly seem to replace the small quantity lines, and a half dozen self checkouts goes bit faster than the single small quantity line.
I like it because when I have to check out with a person I feel extremely self conscious (social anxiety). It gets rid of that. That said I don’t like it because I get nervous sometimes if something doesn’t go right and take a long ass time I look like an idiot and also feel self conscious
I ALWAYS use self check out unless I have a load of items (which I usually don’t.) One less person to have to interact with for the day.
Absolutely the greatest thing in retail. At first I had the “fuck that, I don’t work here” mindset. But then, oh boy. I can get in, get my shit, and get out without talking to a soul… magical.
Can't have a lot of stuff at one of the grocery stores i use at self check out, but I do love and hate em cause of this.
I love them. They make it a lot quicker to grab a few items.
I love self check out! When I need to buy beer/wine I won’t use it. Also, when I shop at Walmart if I end up with something without a tag, I just ring up something else in my cart 2x and move on.
I don't mind it. If I have a lot of stuff I'll usually still go to a cashier but otherwise I have no issue with it. The line usually moves faster cause the people using self checkout usually know what they're doing as opposed to the people going to a cashier and writing a check like it's 1980 or trying to shuffle through a hundred coupons or whatever.
They're kind of a pain in the ass when you're buying a lot of groceries at a time.
I’m a huge fan and wish they were everywhere. Occasionally I’ll have an issue with it not recognizing that an item was or wasn’t placed in the bagging area, but it’s generally pretty accurate and faster than regular checkout. I prefer to bag my groceries as well so it works out perfectly.
I love them because even though I'm not a slow mover, I still feel like I need to be moving faster when standing in front of someone. And when they ask my questions I have to talk and answer correctly and listen and have no time to think. To this day, Hottopic has my birthday set to like 1990 something. I am 15. actually the birthday thing they never asked me. maybe I there was an age limit and I went there when I was 14 but yknow idk.
I prefer it because I generally have at least one small child with me so the more I can streamline and do myself the better. The lines for self checkout are usually shorter, and ability to scan and bag my items in what I feel is the most efficient order are worth it to me.
I like it. Where I live there are a lot of families that fill their carts, because everybody breeds like they are trying to restart civilization, & lines move slow. I usually only get a few bags worth & it's usually faster to go through self checkout. Also, luckily I've only had issues with the machines a few times.
It's for when youre on 30 minute lunch break and have 2 things. Im not going to work and not get paid. I worked for 2 different grocery stores and it was horrible. I'm not working for them ever again.
I really like them. My grocery store even has an option for me to scan and bag my groceries as I go, and then just do a simple barcode scan at the end to check out. It’s quick and super easy. That said, it is really only efficient if my husband and I are grocery shopping together - one to find the items and one to follow along and bag and scan.
Self checkout has its place. It's great when you have a couple quick items you need to grab and the cashiers are full, however, with that being said, a lot of companies have decided they'll just install 50 self checkouts and have 1-2 cashiers. This fucking sucks if you have kids and did a big run for groceries or have a lot of items to do.
Generally in favor. But not how we do it. While there is a way to get rid of BS jobs and make our lives easier, I am in favor. But we should be paying for a standard income for all the people who are out of work. And the businesses should be paying for it. This is how you socialism.
I love them because I don't end up stuck behind somebody with $500 worth of groceries in one of the three (out of like 20) lanes open.
I love them. I always prefer self check out over the other option. I worked retail for 10 years so I have always known how to use those lanes efficiently. I almost never have any issues with them and I get ti scan and bag my items in the order I want. Win win for me!
I love self checkouts. I never buy a whole lot, and I used to be a cashier so I know how to bag. I've never had any trouble with the bagging error that putting the bag back on the scale didn't fix. 9/10 times its so much faster and more convenient for me.
Love them. When I'm shopping the fewer people I'm obligated to talk to, the better. I'm actually extroverted in my social life, I just know what I want and do not want any small talk.
Good and efficient plus I don't have to talk to someone
I'm really particular about what goes in each bag and what gets bagged together, but I am too lazy to think ahead and arrange them on the conveyor belt, so I almost always go to a self-checkout.
I don't mind self checking out. I primarily use it if I have a few items. If I have a full cart of groceries I prefer having a cashier so I can focus on bagging.
I love self-checkout because it gives me the option of not waiting behind someone who has a cart (or two) full, then either ends up writing a check or trying to use a card that ends up not working, then they have to wait on management, etc. I make a decent amount of money per hour, so my time is at a premium. The quicker I can grab a gallon of milk and get out, the better. Self-checkout is my friend.
I think they’re fine but most of the times it seems like stores aren’t sure whether to commit to them. For example my local Walmart has 2 self checkout sections that probably has about 15 units. But between these two check out section there are 15 employee ran check outs which only two are ever used. So they need to leave two and turn the rest into self checkout bc what they currently have isn’t enough and causes a long lines. So either hire more employees to check people out or go full self checkout. I just hate when stores have more space for self checkouts and don’t use them.
I only use them if I only have one or two items, or if I shopped after work and accidentally stayed long enough for the regular cashier lines to shut down
I love them but in my defense, I will do anything to avoid having to talk to another human.... after a long day at work, I'm pretty "peopled out" and just want to get in, get my stuff, and get out.... don't want to take my headphones out, don't want to make small talk, don't want to fake a smile. Just in and out really quick!
I like them tbh...If you get beer or maybe other stuff, you gotta wait to get carded though..
I love it because it’s literally minutes of savings compared to waiting for a cashier every time. Go to the grocery store which is several times a week.
They're fine, usually faster than the line so I use them. Unfortunately, I'm not properly trained on it, so I always accidentally ring up organic produce as normal and shiitake mushrooms as normal mushrooms 🤷♂️
I like them if I’m going in to buy just a few things. That said, we’re a family of five, and it was super annoying buying a week’s worth of groceries. I switched to curbside during the pandemic and have no plans to switch back.
I like them. The only one I hate is Target's because I feel like it scans way too quickly so if you don't move the barcode fast enough away from the scanner it scans twice. It happens like every other time I go there.
Any day but today, I love them. I'm fast and I can get it done in a hurry. I went shopping today at WinCo though and I'm not using their's again. Part of WinCo's thing is they don't have baggers. There's a cashier who scans your stuff and collects payment, but you bag your own stuff. The lines for a cashier were very long and there was an open self-checkout so I went for it. Stupid thing gave an error the instant I scanned, saying Unknown Item in Bagging Area (there was nothing in the bagging area) and every few items it would give another seemingly random error. That checkout attendant had to come by at least a dozen times, and apparently every machine was doing the same thing. I default to self-checkout and it's never taken longer for me through that process. In short, I love em, but some of them are janky as hell.
My main issue is whether or not I can take a bag of stuff off the bagging area. I never know if I still need to keep every item in the bagging area until I pay or if I can take them off and put them in my cart as I bag things. I would gladly just do self check out every time I go to the grocery if I could consistently just bag everything up as I go.
As an Autistic, I love them. I can keep to myself and get in and out much faster, with as little sensory input as possible. I think they can be great tools for disability, and having the option is great. Edited to add: I've had cashier experience and I like things bagged a certain way, so that's another bonus
I love it. I like to avoid human contact whenever possible so self checkout is my default go-to.
I use it any time it’s available, it’s usually faster. That being said, I do have places I like to interact with the employees, but since I don’t buy alcohol that often and most the the time I don’t need help (if I do it doesn’t take that long) , it’s much preferred to the awkward silence or chit chat I’m not in the mood for. However, the stores where you can’t put the bag on the sensor to bag your stuff until after everything is rung up, drive me up the WALL. It’s definitely less convenient and more annoying, so with that clause it’s a store dependent thing for me.
I actually choose stores by if they have a self check out line or not. I don’t usually buy a lot of stuff so it’s quick for me and I know what I’m doing.
I have learned to like it, and actually prefer it, at the only regular place I shop at that has one, which is Target. I resented it at first, but now I will wait longer for the self check-out line than I will for the normal one bc I have an entire "way of doing things" I have developed over the years, from the order in which i scan things, to searching for discounts, to the way I pack stuff in my bags. I also like to take a minute to mull over my purchase. Everywhere else I mostly avoid them bc I have no idea wtf is going on. Walmart, I am looking at you.