But it’s not just customers who don’t like it – some major companies are rethinking their use of the technology.
*****
That's fine, but is Walmart going to open up more registers?
I use self checkout quite a bit, especially if that asshole dog Jack is out in the truck which is most of the time, or if I'm just getting a few items. There's no way in hell I'm standing in a line 10 deep when there's only 2 registers open, knowing at least one person in front of me is going to have a problem with their payment method. It sucks when you spend more time standing in line than doing your actual shopping.
Tale of both: 1) Walmart just remodeled in the past 2 months, ALL self checkout. In Walmart we get incidentals and I usually don't mind self checkout for speed, but the checker interaction is missed and that personalizes the shopping experience. 2) Costco - We have Sam's and are new to Costco which is far better. Our Costco is ALL checker checkouts with another person unloading and reloading, what we used to call the "bagger". It's vastly better, personalizes the experience a little.
ReplyDeleteOther than you, who gives a fuck about a "personalized checkout experience?" Let me get in, get my shit, and get out. Fast.
DeleteWell now, see, grew up in a smaller community, whether it was an Acme, Shop-n-Save, or the drug store the checkout person was often someone I knew. Point being is we are separating as a society, not communicating (Covid Lockdown crap solidified that), and that is not a good thing. As most males I shop with purpose, but to do ALL the friggin' work for the same COG's is moronic, let alone on top of Shrinkflation and general inflation, which means we are paying for all aspects of hitting the store but only getting 60% (if that) of what we used to get for the same money.
DeleteI'm with you as far as the clerks go which is why I pay my utilities in person, and I do have my favorite clerks at the Piggly Wiggly. I may not stand in their line, but I always make sure to say hi or bye to them.
DeleteCommunity is everything in a small town.
gonna hire on to deal with the public being a bunch of self-righteous douchebags for minimum wage? nothing like being looked down on by a boomer who has decided there is something wrong with you because you are standing at a cash register, and that they no longer have to be polite to a lesser human like YOU. --and me mentioning that boomers do this is based on pure repetition and experience. yes, there are aholes of every age, but there are waaaaay more aholes in the boomer camp. the ones who are older are polite even when they are in terrible pain.
ReplyDeleteOh, fuck you. It's the younger generations that expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter and you know it.
DeleteDon't bother to reply, I won't post it. I'm tired of your Boomer hating rhetoric.
Thanks Wirecutter. I get very tired of the Boomer Bashing.
DeleteMe too, and that's all this guy does. Fuck 'im, let him waste his time writing out long winded replies that won't get posted.
DeleteMy experience is that most boomers started out doing the menial jobs and have much respect for any kid who dares to enter the work force. Most of us boomers are retirement age and grateful for the assistance. Those of us still in the workforce either love to work or can't afford to retire.
DeleteBlow it out your ass, child. There will come a day...
DeleteUnclezip - the troll has claimed in earlier comments that he's a Boomer himself.
DeleteIt must suck going through life hating yourself.
Is this the same dude as Camperfixer, he of the "I gotta have a personalized checkout experience" ilk?
DeleteNah, not the same guy. Trolls always do it anonymously. Besides, Camperfixer knows how to use proper grammar and punctuation.
DeleteMost of the time we use the self checkout. We don't have a big grocery basket full of items because we shop every other week and go to multiple stores. Yes, why do people wait until the groceries are all checked to pull out a checkbook and then write the check?
ReplyDeleteI can't use a "self check out" ever since the barcode tattoo on my forehead faded.
ReplyDeleteYou're claiming that you've expired?
DeleteAt my age I'm way passed my use by date
DeleteI can save 20-50% using self-checkout. AMA.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, I'm not trained for this, sometimes I get confused, did I forget to scan something? What ever the reason my food bill has lowered, I'm grateful.
DeleteWhat's it like to proudly proclaim that you're an ass?
DeleteAs opposed to Anon@1010 showing that he is?
DeleteIf there's a self-checkout available, I'll use.
ReplyDeleteNo dealing with other people, and it's faster. I'm there to get my shit and get out.
If there's a hand scanner, it's a LOT faster.
Just noticed last week that my local Walmart has added back the manned (wo-manned?) checkouts. There were a lot of checkers standing around looking bored. Interesting turn anyhow. I'm GenX but I find that most everyone I interact with react very nicely when treated with kindness and respect. And if they don't I just assume they're having a shitty day. Don't pay them much mind and move on.
ReplyDeleteIf you're buying alcohol, you have to wait on an employee to key in the purchase, pain in the a**.
ReplyDeleteGet their attention before you scan it.
DeleteDepending on the store some can verify “over 21” with their handheld device.
Everything is about saving money for the company, which doesn’t lower the price of goods, but creates a worse experience for the customer. Check yourself, bags cost money, bus your own table, etc, etc. I don’t have a key to the break room, and I seem to have missed the training day, if the item doesn’t scan the first time it’s not my problem. I avoid self check as much as I can, stood in line at Costco with one item the other day because I hate those things so much.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, when was the last time anyone saw someone getting help with a “carry out”? Used to be fairy common that ladies and elderly people would be ask if they needed help, not anymore.
I see older folks ask for assistance occasionally at my Walmart. About half the time the person in line behind them will offer to help them if they'll wait while they're being checked out. If not, the cashier will call for help.
DeleteAt the Piggly Wiggly, they don't have to ask, the bagger will always offer to help.
Baggers at Publix always ask if they can help you out to your car and load groceries.
DeletePublix baggers offer to help carry groceries for pretty much anyone with gray hair (or maybe it’s just me). Plus, Publix tends to hire baggers who might be, euphemistically speaking, unemployable in the broader economy. Most of these kids are extremely nice, hardworking and eager to help. I’d call it a win for everybody.
Delete2020, Salem, Oregon.
DeleteWal*Mart was quitting the ammunition business, so I dumped a couple grand into their close-outs.
Two sporting-goods clerks offered to help me get my two carts out to the truck.
.
I tip... but they didn't know that.
A couple fedbux each, made their day.
When I was younger, I did a year at the WalMart store. Customers were horrible 20 years ago, now, they are worse. Why put 20 check outs and only ever staff 2? I go to the grocery store who have 5 staffed check outs, hardly any waiting. Hate big box stores.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I usually do as much of my shopping as possible at the Piggly Wiggly. I hardly ever have to wait in a line and if I do, it's for just a couple minutes.
DeleteIt sucks when you spend more time standing in line than doing your actual shopping -- one of my Top 10 pet peeves.
ReplyDeleteI end up using the self checkout a lot. The thing that gets me is, even though I'm obviously a geezer, when I buy cough syrup, the machine demands that a kid who looks as if they're not old enough to be trusted with the key has to come over and verify that I'm old.
ReplyDeleteOur closest grocery store is a mom and pop operation about a third the size of Krogers. They have about 90% of the stuff we normally buy. It's clean, not over-run by ferals and I don't think they even have self check out. There's always a few open cashiers and the compete for your cart.. Each station has a bagger and you literally have to tell them ' no thanks' as they try to take your groceries to your car.
ReplyDeleteThis past Saturday, the weekend before Thanksgiving, we did have to hit Krogers. At 10 am, they had one cashier on duty.
I guess they didn't check their calendar when making work schedules.
Why go in at all to do ANY checkout? Curbside pickup costs zero dollars extra, even at Walmart. Plus, especially places like Safeway grocery, at least, butter was $1.79 a pound this week limit 4, and they had a $5 off $50 and a $10 off your next app order. New York strip $5.79 a pound. All those discounts are hidden in the app. Why waste your time going in any place and dealing with people at all? No impulse buys, you can plan out what you want, shop all the loss leaders easily, no dealing you your fellow humans, drive up, get it delivered to your car, drive off.
ReplyDeleteThat's fine if you have a smartphone, which I don't, thank God.
DeletePersonally, I don't mind getting off my ass to shop, it's just the aggravation of standing in a long line that gets me.
Besides, I've heard too many stories about substituted items if the item you want is out of stock, and a lot of the time my wife wants a specific item or brand.
That's fine if you don't mind someone shopping for you, which I don't. Did Curbside during The Lockdown as I refused to wear a useless mask just to buy a few groceries...prefer to select my own stuff and maybe prowl a couple of aisles in case I forgot something or see "what's new", especially desserts.
DeleteSelf check register are great if:
ReplyDeleteYou have a few items
Know what you are doing
In the industry, they are known as "Shrink machines"
The stories I could tell........................
Every time I use self checkout I get an asshole checker.
ReplyDeleteOff the topic, Don't know if y'all are aware. Gillette original shaving cream changed the fragrance. It's now some tooty fruity smell. Pisses me off. I've used this stuff from day one of shaving and I'm now 74. I don't know if they are trying to attract queers or women but they sure lost this man as a customer. Found a site where lots of men are pissed about this. They claim barbasol still smells the same. Not my favorite but still it's a man smell
ReplyDeleteI occasionally get a chance to talk with a sharp young man who is an assistant manager at the local Walmart, north Mississippi outside of Memphis, and his explanation is he can't get or keep help, especially help smart enough to run a register, and the self checkouts are helping with that problem, now that's his opinion what Ms. Walton is thinking could be a totally different thing. I did read that businesses in general were rethinking self checkout because of theft. I have also read that in the future you'll load up a basket, run through a scanner that gets everything in there at once, and then you'll go through a self pay.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much ready to go now. Inventory management in those places is done via unique RFID chips in each package. There's even the device you can roll your cart through after payment if you want to zap all those chips, which is not a bad idea, now that each of them are associated with your credit card. If you didn't do that, someone with access to the data could track you wherever you went just by the tags in your shoes or pants.
DeleteWhere it's been tested, though, customers are absolutely convinced it rang up too many items. Even though checkout took a couple seconds, the customers tend to tie things up for several minutes making sure there wasn't a mistake, that they really owe that much.
Shop early morn and never the first of the month. Remember when tobacco was on the shelves? Now you have to go to a counter to get if because of theft. The first of the month, at said counter, the porch monkeys are pulling out one hundred dollar bills buying lottery tickets. Course gotta make a big show of flashin those bills that they have because we work. Then gotta yell at each other about their numbers. I gots da numma's dis times. I'm at the counter cuz they are the same cocksuckers that were stealing the tobacco. Frosts my balls.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've never bought a lottery ticket in my life. Never will.
ReplyDeleteNobody cares except you.
DeleteLast month, looto was over a billion with a 'B'.
DeleteI bought a looto ticket for each of my favorite koshers... including the fruit-fairy over-seer at the self check-out.
.
I see nothing wrong with being nice to folks.
Probably some kind of personality disorder.
I go in to Publix and Aldi. But I can't even remember the last time I was in Walmart. Curbside pickup or delivery. Ends up being cheaper because when I'm in the store there's always something that I didn't plan on being on sale, marked down, or I had just forgotten that I wanted one. Impulse purchases are the bane of my existence.
ReplyDeleteEven before Wally World went to self checkout they pissed me off. Both local Super Wallys had 30 or more checkout lines, with 4 being staffed. Last time I went, 4 non self checkout lines with 1 being open. I commented to one employee while shopping that if I had to do the self checkout it was gonna be buy one, get one free. She told me I shouldn't do that. I said; You're right. Left the buggy sitting there and walked out the door. Publix just opened a store nearby. Always have cashiers WAITING for you to checkout. Cost me a few bucks more than the Ingles or Kroger, but worth it. Big Orange and big Blue are now the same, plus they have the lowest IQ help they can find. I go to my local Ace. I'll pay the extra to have intelligent folks to deal with and ZERO self checkout
ReplyDeleteI don't do self checkout, most times I shop mid-mornings so there's seldom a line at the checkout when I'm done shopping.......
ReplyDeleteTo each their own on how you live your business
JD
I do all my shopping mid mornings during the week and I still hit big lines.
DeleteIt used to be the best time to go around here was Sundays around 10 AM when everybody was in church. Either everybody else caught on or we've had a bunch of heathens move in, I'm not sure which, because now the Walmart is packed during that time.
Well that sucks... Shopping day for me is normally Tues morning, 9ish, and it's usually has people but lines tend to move along.. Now tomorrow who the fuck knows what I'll find, fingers crossed 🤞
DeleteJD
remember the good 'ol days when you had to WAIT for somebody to pump your gas? same thing, only different.
ReplyDeleteSelf checkout is an absolute outrage when it is the only option. I absolutely hate Walmart over this. If we had any competition, I would never shop there.
ReplyDeleteFinding a Caucasian cashier and customers helps. In my experience.
ReplyDeleteI can see Walmart losing their self checkouts on account of rampant theft. They've discovered that they don't in fact have the right to check anybody's receipt on the way out of the store.
ReplyDeleteIt's different at Costco because that's what you signed up for. And I LOVE the self checks at Costco. It makes it feasible to run in there for 2-3 things, and even if there's 200 people in front of you in line (a daily thing where I live) it moves surprisingly quickly. I do feel for the employees having to endure "Thank you for shopping at Cost-co" thousands of times in a shift.
Speaking of Costco, I just got a new phone for the first time in 5 years. On sale for "free" and $150 in gift cards, and somehow my monthly data went from 6GB to 60GB for the same rate. I'll find a way to use it all, somehow.