Who like me HATES auto checkouts in Supermarkets

jimbo45

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Hi there
I'm in favour of decent automation - but I REALLY LOATHE the supermarket "self checkout" systems -- apart from them taking longer --If I buy booze etc the wretched process halts until the only ONE available person in the store checks that I'm over 17 (or whatever the legal booze age is in your country) and this takes AGES.

In any case half the fun is having a bit of a banter and chat with the sales girls (or boys) .

Imagine if this type of approach was done in Bars -- would you enjoy bars with no bar tenders.

I hear the Vatican is going to install "Self confessional" Robots in some of its Catholic churches due to shortage of priests.

What is the world coming to -- are we getting more and more afraid to interact with REAL people -- also these types of jobs are useful for working mums / dads / part timers / students etc. The supermarkets make enough profit to keep extra staff on -- after all these jobs don't pay much more than minimum wage - about 12 EUR per hr where I am -- maybe less where you are --but not a great deal.

I've walked out of several B&Q branches in the UK because there are ZERO "Manned tills" at all - and I'm not the only one whose done that apparently.

I LIKE technology etc. so I don't have problems with the newer stuff.

For instance I buy train tickets where possible using M-Tickets (mobile application) but we should be very careful of eliminating all the human interaction in places where it serves a useful purpose.

The supermarkets could keep some for those who like them (apparently a minority of shoppers) while still keeping some manned tills too so the shopper can choose. The ultimate goal of the supermarkets is actually to replace the manned tills completely.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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All the ones that I have used were manned as they are not set up to take cash only CC and I do not like them either.
 

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I absolutely refuse to use self service checkouts in store, B&Q here in the UK seems to be the worst place for it with only one till manned and sometimes none and if there is nobody on a checkout I'll leave my goods before playing shop assistant.

IMO shop assistants have shot themselves in the foot with this one, they should of refused to have them or made sure they were a disaster from day one to protect their own jobs.
 

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Next they will be letting you walk out without paying :party:
 

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Early on when introduced, I tried one once > That was enough.

A supermarket chain here in the area recently took them out and replaced them back with with lines with cashiers. While at the service desk doing some business I asked a manager why. She said most customers don't like them and went on saying the data of a survey they performed showed they were actually losing business as a result of them, theft rate was higher, and the speed rate of them wasn't as high as the manufacturing company said it would be. They eventually had to have personnel of legal age for alcohol sales watching over them, as Jimbo mentioned. Also someone smart enough to figure out system or customer faults and watch for theft. She said they just weren't worth it.
 

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I absolutely LOVE self checkout and use it whenever it's available. For me, it's much faster than going thru the regular checkout line, unless I get stuck behind an idiot who can't figure out how to scan things or whatever. I never buy booze so have never had to wait for someone to check my id. :D

I also prefer using an ATM at a bank over going to the teller. These days I can do the majority of my banking using my phone, I can even deposit checks via my phone. Wish they could come up with a way to dispense cash via my phone!

I don't mind social interaction but at the grocery store or bank, I'm more interested in getting in and getting out quickly rather than chatting with the cashier.
 

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Hi there
ATM's are a pain - I often don't have ANY cash at all -- 99.999% of my transactions I can do via phone (scan technology - for amounts equivalent to around 50 EUR including taxis) or - the rest I pay with plastic -- in our bars for example almost nobody ever uses cash except tourists - even for small orders. I think actually for a small country we are almost the world's nr 1 in using phones for cash transactions !!. We are also testing the contactless phone system too - but there are a couple of security issues to be sorted - in case you lose your phone etc.

I'm not against technology - but supermarket auto checkouts are the PITS - and as for ATM's -- definitely should be relegated to the scrapheap -- standing outside on a windy street corner where all sorts of "dubious individuals" can hang around - or even inside -- if you've ever been to London just have a little look at the goings on at Oxford Circus Metro station -- a favourite scam is for someone to distract the users attention - saying "You've dropped something" --and while the victim looks on the ground their card plus cash is stolen and the "perps" run off . --Still surprised that people get fooled by this scam though.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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Z3r010

IMO shop assistants have shot themselves in the foot with this one, they should of refused to have them or made sure they were a disaster from day one to protect their own jobs.

Good idea, but how would the staff go about doing that? There is no job security nowadays, they just have to put up with it. If they put in the extra effort to compensate for fewer staff, that just "proves" the management were right to reduce staffing levels, and they keep cutting.

Staff have no say. Only the customers do - by keeping their wallets shut.
 

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I will NEVER use "auto-checkout" and I'll stop shopping at the stores who move to this method of shopping. I pay good $ for products and part of that price is for the service at the store. Are they lowering prices for this "feature"? I think not...
 

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I've used them at the local Home Depot store. It's quick and easy once you've done it once or twice. No big deal as far as I'm concerned.
 

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I avoid them. Supermarkets might get the message, eventually.
 

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I won't use them. Let's keep some live people working. A Guy
 

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Hi there
seems to be roughly in agreement with a Poll commissioned by Morrison's supermarket chain in the UK - it reckoned 85% of customers didn't like them - so even on our "small sample" here it appears that their finding matches the people on this board - the vast majority don't like them. It doesn't though have to be an Either OR situation- why not have a few for those who like them and keep the manned checkouts for those who still prefer to use those.

However whether Corporate Greed is too strong to resist - time will tell -- incidentally a trend is also beginning to emerge - a lot of people have started shying away from huge supermarkets and are going back to the smaller stores in town -- whether this is due to people having less money to spend these days or not is unknown --obviously you aren't going to a gigantic hypermarket size store to spend say 10 Dollars--. Also in the large supermarkets one tends to buy far more than you really want or need - just the scale of those places has this effect on people whereas in a small "convenience" type of store you tend to buy just what you need.

I'd urge everybody who doesn't want to have all the checkouts replaced with those self service ones to write (not email but actually WRITE to the CEO) saying they will go elsewhere if all the checkouts are replaced -- plus one can do all the normal stuff like Twitter / FB etc etc.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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When the local Woolworths chain introduced self serve checkouts they found that they had a massive increase in carrot sales (only a few cents/kilo) and a decrease in other more expensive fruit/vegs.
 

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Morrison's supermarket chain in the UK

Hard to find those, I think they are mainly oop north. I have been into them a few times, they seem pretty good.
 

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When the local Woolworths chain introduced self serve checkouts they found that they had a massive increase in carrot sales (only a few cents/kilo) and a decrease in other more expensive fruit/vegs.
What on earth could self-server checkouts have to do with what type of fruits/vegetables someone buys?
 

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When I am just shopping for a few things, I use the self checkouts. I'm not interesting in standing around waiting in a line for somebody to buy 145 grocery items so that I can get my 7 things.
 

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pparks1, I totally agree with you. That happens to me all the time. Its either that or I'm stuck behind someone who wants to take their sweet old time or have no clue what they're doing and need help every 2 seconds.
 

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The Safeway where I shop has self checkout. 2 "15 items or less" checkouts, and the "regular" checkouts. So you don't stand behind someone doing the shopping for a month if you have less then 15 items. A Guy
 

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