Maybe those Self-Checkout aisles will go away ...

[kenny]

I sure do hope so!

Sort the reader's comments at the bottom by "Reader's Picks"!
I love some of these comments!

A Grocery Chain Just Fired Its Self-Checkouts

They’re bringing the humans back.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i hate those things
they do people out of jobs
i try to never use one
and if i absolutly cant avoid it i always get something that requires human intervention to make it scan

so good job Booths

i had just read this on my Springsteen forum
its big news it seems
people over there hate them too

 

[dk168]

I love them, often find them to be quicker especially when I only have a basket with a few items.

DK

 

[MissGotRocks]

We can only hope! I hate them for many reasons, but having a computer bark at you about putting the items in the bagging area, take the item out of your bag, ringing for customer assistance - bah humbug! Shut up already - I am doing the job of the customer AND the store personnel! Hire people to do the work as they need jobs and I need decent customer service!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

As someone who deals with anxiety with social interactions, I appreciate the self-checkout option and use them almost exclusively. Since Aldi installed them, I tend to shop there more because I always found the cashiers were so fast I couldn’t keep up! I would practically be throwing things on the belt just to keep up lol!

I’m all about giving people options, so have some self-checkout for the people who want them and human cashiers for the people who don’t.

 

[RMOO]

They are great for people who only have an item or two to purchase, relieving them of the wait behind a fellow customer with 50 items. However, I went to a craft store recently, and there was not a single register being manned by a human, literally none. You checked yourself out, scanned your own coupon, bagged etc. The stores will claim it helps them keep costs down, I personally think it just keeps larger dividend checks going to shareholders, and larger executive bonuses.

 

[tyty333]

I love them...especially when I only have a few items. I can get in and get out pretty quickly. Our Publixs has a lot of cooked food available
as well as subs. I see a lot of people running in at lunchtime and just grabbing lunch food. I think the self-checkouts are great for that
because most of these people only have a few items and are in a hurry.

I know some stores have gone to mostly self-checkout (for big orders and all). I don't like that either. We have a large older population
where I live and some of them are not up to learning how to use the machines and I dont think they should have to.

I would prefer if stores kept a mix of both.

 

[luckygreen317]

I love the convenience but we have to expect people to be honest. In Target, I have seen numerous times shoplifters “forget” to scan an item or just walk right through without even paying!

 

[dk168]

@YadaYadaYada my local Lidl is only a short walk from home, and is one of their biggest in the UK, and still has not installed self checkouts.

However, I know what you meant about being too fast and not being able to keep up.

I only just discovered they have bag holders at the end of their checkouts, so that one could hook one of the bag handles on it to make it easer to put the shopping into the bag, and I have been shopping there since 2006!

DK

 

[Lookinagain]

I like them. Unfortunately, they do impact jobs, but if I'm not buying much, I just prefer them. If I'm in a line with a cashier and someone with just a few items is behind me, and I have a lot, I always let them go before me. But others don't do that and I hate waiting in a long line when I only have a few items. If the store has an "express" type line with a cashier where patrons are limited to something like 12 items, I will use that instead of self check out.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@YadaYadaYada my local Lidl is only a short walk from home, and is one of their biggest in the UK, and still has not installed self checkouts.

However, I know what you meant about being too fast and not being able to keep up.

I only just discovered they have bag holders at the end of their checkouts, so that one could hook one of the bag handles on it to make it easer to put the shopping into the bag, and I have been shopping there since 2006!

DK

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

the one that anoys me the most is MacDonals
we have breakfast on a saturday about 6.30 before i go to work
there are no regular registers now
and no one cleaning the tables
also i hate mayo and it is really difficult to navagate the stupid machine to work that out
its not like service has got better just because they bring your order to your table
and all those jobs gone, school kids, uni students, recent graduates -all sorts of people used to work at MAcDonalds
not everyone is cut out for being a brain surgeon, some people are happy working a cheeckut
what are those people going to do now ?

at my work we know that part of our social obligation is to talk to people - notas much durring the lunch rush but at slower times when we can
there are a lot of lonely people out there who might only have a shop person to talk to that day
we try to always find time for the old people and also we have several regulars with special needs and shopping with us is good for their socilaization skills
i have had people tell me they feel better for coming in to buy a donut or a sandwhich from us just because they had someone to talk to

im not saying personal service when buying a a donut and a pie can cuire the world's problems but how much is socila issolation a factor in a lot of today's mental health issues?



we had one older lady last week said she comes in for the entertainment

 

[dk168]

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

I had only come across packers a handful of times, never in UK unless it was a charitable organisation raising funds, like the Scouts/Guides etc...

DK

 

[kenny]

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

Right after high school I had a job as a bagger for a few months.
Once an elderly woman said, "Put it all in one bag, but don't make it too heavy".

Then they moved me to the night shift when they restocked the shelves.
They emptied so many cardboard boxes that they needed "rippers", who just ripped up the boxes so they'd lay flat.
Then we'd put the cardboard into this huge press that compressed a zillion of them into a bale that was super heavy for recycling.

I hated the obnoxious heavy-metal music the stockers played over the crappy-sounding PA at FULL BLAST!

Ah, memories.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Was at the grocery store today. Due to theft, they have limited the self checkout to 20 items. I didn’t count but visually thought I had more than 20 items. Self checkout was full anyway. There were three manned registers with long lines and full carts. So what to do? No choice but to wait in line. Seems they are rather less efficient than ever!

 

[canuk-gal]

Was at the grocery store today. Due to theft, they have limited the self checkout to 20 items. I didn’t count but visually thought I had more than 20 items. Self checkout was full anyway. There were three manned registers with long lines and full carts. So what to do? No choice but to wait in line. Seems they are rather less efficient than ever!

I believe shopping online and delivery are viable options. While you might not get the "perfect portion" of Romaine, there is little stress shopping. And personal shoppers and delivers are employed.

 

[Lookinagain]

I believe shopping online and delivery are viable options. While you might not get the "perfect portion" of Romaine, there is little stress shopping. And personal shoppers and delivers are employed.

True, but sometimes you get a shopper who has no idea how to differentiate between good and bad produce, or that liquid coffee creamer is not the same as the powdered stuff, or that 1 lb. of meat is not the same as 3 pounds. I did use grocery delivery during the height of Covid, but honestly, I was often disappointed with what I got. The first thing I started to do when we could go out, was go to the grocery store so that I could pick out my own items. If you get a good shopper, then you are in great shape. But otherwise, not so much.

 

[Lookinagain]

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

One of my local supermarkets actually still has baggers. Not sure how well trained they are though.

 

[Calliecake]

We can only hope! I hate them for many reasons, but having a computer bark at you about putting the items in the bagging area, take the item out of your bag, ringing for customer assistance - bah humbug! Shut up already - I am doing the job of the customer AND the store personnel! Hire people to do the work as they need jobs and I need decent customer service!

+ A million.

 

[kenny]

Like @Lookinagain, the main reason I won't food shop online is I'm so dang picky.
I take nutrition and thrift very seriously.
Quick & easy food prep is not on my menu.

If I was a good American and ate brand-name processed food, IOW prepackaged stuff with a bar code, I'd consider it.
"Hello, I'll take some Star Wars Oreos, Hamburger Helper, 2 cans of peaches, Extreme Doritos, Barbie Fruit Loops, and Disney Pop Tarts." etc.

I source food from 8 different stores.
I want healthy food requiring lots of labor since I make stuff from scratch at home.
When there is a Nutrition label I read it, primarily for the ratio of carbs to fibre.
Fibre offsets the absorption of sugar.

Instead of supporting the corporate ad budgets of General Mills and Nestle I buy brandies staples in bulk when I can.
When store X's Fuji apples, tomatoes, meat, etc. don't look good enough or are too expensive I'l wait and get them at store Y.

If there's an aisle with a human cashier I'll use it (though they're disappearing).
I don't mind waiting in line.
Actually I like it because Bibi is sticking out of the front of my shirt, perched on my collar.
People, especially kids, notice and inquire, bringing joy to others and to me.

I'm a non-conformist in many ways, including food.

 

[MissGotRocks]

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

Yes, and I also remember being able to pull your cart up to the curb and employees would load the groceries in your cart. Sort of similar to having your gas pumped, your oil checked, and your windshield cleaned by employees. Those days of service are long gone!

 

[Karl_K]

remember when supermarkets had a person to do the bagging
its an art getting everything in those bags quickly and orderly
great little after school jobs too

I did that for about 9 months to help pay for college/living.
We not only bagged them put put them in cars for people at the drive up area.
I liked working the drive up and being outside.
We had contests to see who could bag faster and get it right.
My manager was extremely picky about everything being bagged properly.
The store has been bough out 3 times and moved twice but still has baggers but these days instead of young people they are almost all over 55.
A lot of the back in day "kids" jobs are now done by people over 55.
Sad really, kids sitting home playing video games and older people doing low pay jobs.

 

[Lookinagain]

instead of young people they are almost all over 55.
A lot of the back in day "kids" jobs are now done by people over 55.

That is true. What I do see at my local store that still has baggers, is that they hire disabled people of all ages for this job, which I applaud. They also used to have the baggers take the carts to your car for you, but that stopped a few years ago. I think some patrons didn't like the fact that they felt like they had to tip the baggers who did this, even though the store had a no tipping policy. So the service was stopped.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

As someone who deals with anxiety with social interactions, I appreciate the self-checkout option and use them almost exclusively. Since Aldi installed them, I tend to shop there more because I always found the cashiers were so fast I couldn’t keep up! I would practically be throwing things on the belt just to keep up lol!

I’m all about giving people options, so have some self-checkout for the people who want them and human cashiers for the people who don’t.

Aldi is like doing an autocross. You're on three wheels trying to make time.

 

[dk168]

I doubt with staffed checkouts will go away anytime soon, like cash is unlikely to disappear soon.

DK

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I did that for about 9 months to help pay for college/living.
We not only bagged them put put them in cars for people at the drive up area.
I liked working the drive up and being outside.
We had contests to see who could bag faster and get it right.
My manager was extremely picky about everything being bagged properly.
The store has been bough out 3 times and moved twice but still has baggers but these days instead of young people they are almost all over 55.
A lot of the back in day "kids" jobs are now done by people over 55.
Sad really, kids sitting home playing video games and older people doing low pay jobs.

in the small village i used to work in the checkout chicks were almost all older ladies because the rates (property taxes) were so high they had to keep working
i used to enjoy looking at their very sparkly diamond rings
at the bakery i work with several older ladies who are over retirement age. the rates are expensive here also

 

[Karl_K]

in the small village i used to work in the checkout chicks were almost all older ladies because the rates (property taxes) were so high they had to keep working
i used to enjoy looking at their very sparkly diamond rings
at the bakery i work with several older ladies who are over retirement age. the rates are expensive here also

High rent plays a big part here also.
A lot of people in their 50s were forced out to early retirement or companies failing and they are to young to collect social security so they have to work and its the best they can find.
Others social security just dont cover expenses due to being poor and not a high enough work credit combined with their 401k getting destroyed by the bankers in 2008 and never recovering.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Karl and Daisy, that's a sad truth. I'm 67 and can't retire because of my awful property taxes.
At least I have a job. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Calliecake]

Yes, and I also remember being able to pull your cart up to the curb and employees would load the groceries in your cart. Sort of similar to having your gas pumped, your oil checked, and your windshield cleaned by employees. Those days of service are long gone!

How I miss gas station attendants pumping gasoline. Seriously, it‘s been many decades and I’m still mad that this service is gone.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Karl and Daisy, that's a sad truth. I'm 67 and can't retire because of my awful property taxes.
At least I have a job. Thanks for your thoughts.

i hope you work with really nice people