Self-checkout lanes - Love or Hate em?

[distracts]

If I only have a few items and they are all things with easy-to-find barcodes, self-checkout is easier. It's a good replacement for the "10/15 items or less" lane imo. If I have a lot of items or things that don't have barcodes or have wrinkled barcodes or whatever, self-checkout is a nightmare. The machines don't work, sometimes randomly cancel the whole transaction, yell at me because my items aren't in the bagging area even though I ran out of space, won't read the barcode, expect me to know what kind of fruit or vegetable I am buying (look, machine, I picked up an apple, i don't effing know what KIND of apple it is, that's not my job), etc. I HATE how stores often have only two or three real lanes open now at busy times and even fewer at slow times.

I absolutely loathed the self-checkout at the Tescos in London - for the life of me I could never figure out how to buy the shopping bags, the helpers wouldn't show me how, they just bitched at me about how I wasn't buying the plastic bag. I would happily buy the plastic bag if somebody showed me what button to push! There weren't ever real people lanes open at all - only self-checkout. And of course I was on vacation so wasn't just toting a reusable bag around sightseeing.

We used to do most of our shopping in person but as more stores switch to self-checkout, we increasingly shop online - all from Amazon. Target is losing about $200-250/week in business from us due to switching to primarily self-checkout.

 

[distracts]

Somewhere there must be Cashier Olympics and Aldi only employs those that make the Supermarket finals.
No none but no one can pack their trolley as fast as an Aldi Cashier scans! Even if I try and prep with carry bags nicely placed in the trolley ready to accept, the items fly through scanning at twice the rate I can pack.

This is how I feel about Trader Joe's... they pack FAST and the items are fit into the bags like you have the Tetris world champion arranging them. They must have advanced training on how to pack bags??? I have no idea how they do it but I love it.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Dee Jays post was very insightful( even if she was stoned when she wrote it
Imagine how the buggy whip specialists of the day felt. Progress marches on.
This actually relates to the jewelry business believe it or not.
They set stones in China for less than 1/4 the prices in NYC. Same for casting, polishing etc.
I know of many jewelry businesses that have chosen that route.
I won’t. And somehow I relate these two issues. Not that I have the answer. But I do know if all the jewelry companies follow suit you won’t find jewelry factories in NYC....

 

[luv2sparkle]

I love them in Target. Targets lines are incredibly slow. I am usually running in for just a couple items.

I don’t think I shop anywhere else that has them.

I love Aldi but don’t go in too much. I seem to be shopping less and less these days.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@luv2sparkle, you can bring your items to the customer service desk at Target for checkout. Sometime on the weekends even the self check is mobbed so I will make my way over there since it's usually not busy.

 

[Begonia]

Nope, don’t use them. They are annoying, and that should be done by an employed person IMO.

 

[kenny]

LOL

 

[HollyS]

If I don't have coupons
If I don't have to wait just as long in that line
If I don't have produce that needs weighing

And if I'm feeling generous and all "God bless those employees watching me waiting on myself. They deserve that break!"

But in theory, I object. Take 5-10% of the total for doing it myself, 'cause I've cut employment costs for your store. That'll work.

 

[Arcadian]

Our CVS now has them. I won't use them.

 

[kenny]

They'll improve the machines and I expect eventually there will be NO more human cashiers.

But as already pointed out, many jobs of old have vanished.
While that sucks for those workers, humankind has managed to adapt.
"Progress".

 

[marcy]

I hate them and will not use them. DH loves them. I tell him "I don't work here" plus I don't like that they eliminate jobs.

 

[Sunstorm]

I love them but I live in Europe and some things may be different here.

Generally speaking I just prefer to do things myself. This way I see that the prices are right whereas with huge lines at the cashiers’ it is usually too late when you notice. You ask for a correction, you hold up the Line.

Bagging, well you have to do it yourself either way so again if you are not fast enough (like me, I prefer to bag more organized) then again you hold up the line.

Barcodes you have to get in advance anyhow. My biggest concern was also that it eliminates jobs but that is untrue. There are always at least two people at the self check outs. And when I talked to my local supers they told me they cannot find enough people! So this actually made things more efficient.

Sure they sometimes malfunction but mostly they are ok.

For a long time I thought that Aldi was a cheap sh*t store. After years I relented and went in, I love it, the price - value ratio is really good for the most part. I generally hate grocery shopping and here not a lot of people shop bulk so these stores work really well.

I absolutely love Costco, I had no idea they are in Europe now, not where I live but also had no clue Aldi was now in the US too. Well, some nice developments.

 

[arkieb1]

I scanned a trolley full of groceries the other day and the attendant had to come over 6 times because things wouldn't scan properly or work as they should. It was more than mildly annoying...