Sainsbury’s try out in one store.

Im with Urmstongran, never used a self checkout and never will. Its doing people out of jobs and I'll go somewhere else if they do away with manned checkouts.

some are just being stubborn about it - I don't feel stubborn about technology in general and have had a computer since the early 80s (when ours cost more than our car!!!) ... but some of us are particularly concerned about keeping people in work. That's my point about the self-service checkouts.

I have worked on a checkout and am happy to self checkout, but in our town the queues for these are usually longer than the manned tills.
Our, 18 month old, Lidl was built without self checkout. I asked why and was told that shoplifting was a big factor as well as IT issues and the need for a member of staff. Lidl have an excellent checkout system and hardly ever have queues. Why can't other supermarkets follow this model?

Davida I do cringe every time someone associates being old with being a bit too thick to use new technology. From what I have seen of people older than myself is that many of them are using technology happily while some are just being stubborn about it. I've not seen any examples of elderly people trying to use it with a good attitude and failing. After all it was our parents' generation who pioneered computing.

I am with you Davida

I don't mind using self service if I have a few items, but I don't want to be forced to do it, and I'm certainly don't want to go down the pay by mobile route. What's wrong with using your card for goodness sake................

I use the scanning system in Sainsburys & it saves me so much time as you just scan everything as you pick it up & then pay at a terminal at the end- no queuing & you put everything into your bag as you go round. It is brilliant & so much quicker.
I love it.

A bit off piste here but they have also ditched their “Basic” range and replaced it with more expensive items. The self service tills are in my opinion just another money grabbing idea, and they’re always going wrong.

I'm with Urmstongran on this. Pay more people, open checkouts!

I’ve just been to Sainsbury’s this morning, and two assistants were trying to get people on this self scan. They didn’t ask me , thank goodness, they looked to be targeting younger shoppers who would be keen to do it. First time I’ve seen it in our not very big shop.
It doesn’t interest me at all, now I’m retired I don’t mind waiting to be served.
My son works in retail, on the management side. He is of course very keen on anything that saves the firm money and increases profits. I just wonder what everyone will do eventually. People need jobs.

Well I have tried the smart shopping and it's a bit of a pain as it takes ages to get the phone and the item steady enough to scan properly. And as for fruit that needs weighing I have no idea how. It says the scales will print out some bar code, but the ones in our shop are just the old analog ones. And today it was offline anyway

theres a fair few that did away with checkout near me, and i hated it and avoided them but, now i go to them shop and take myself through the checkouts, i have the odd hiccup but if its going to happen you cant stop it so get on board

This bright and useless idea has to come from someone paid an enormous income and with nothing better to do.

No, I wouldn't use it. I am lucky in that I have an abundance of supermarkets close enough to use including another Sainsbury's. Hopefully it isn't somewhere where there is no other option.
They sometimes really nag you to move to the self service. Once they asked me what seemed like every few minutes and I had to struggle to stay polite.
I don't want to do someone out of a job and I quite like having a little chat with the cashier if we're both in the mood.

Clever Sainsbury's. Just think how much they are saving on staff wages. They will probably just have a few 'helpers' but this is nothing compared with the number of checkout operators they would normally need.

I'd be voting with my feet. There are plenty of other supermarkets available.

I did notice someone using their phone app last time I was in Sainsbury's. It struck me that is was very useful for knowing how much you had spent as you went round - handy if you are trying to spend up to a certain amount for a money off offer.
That apart I do not and will not do online banking even though I have a smart phone. I hate the self service tills although I do use it if I have just a few items in Lidl otherwise the queues for ordinary checkout are usually too long and I'd be there all day.

Maybe you need to rewatch the programme before leaping and hopping about. It was a short term trial. When the (unsuccessful) trial was over they said they would be reinstalling the tills.

But why let the truth get in the way?

Of course, it's all about saving on staff wages - but not good for customer service. It will become the standard. I prefer to order online and have most stuff delivered. I just pop out for fresh fruit and veg, bread and milk mostly.

I'll have to go back to Australia - the till operators even pack your shopping for you there (with a smile).

lefthanded
Thurs 20:15:51

Before they know it they will be serving no customers at all!

I do use self scan without a problem and pay using my phone it means I don’t have to carry a purse/bag or money. I do hate standing in a queue and it means I’m in and out quickly as there is never a queue at the self scan section. They still have a full compliment of normal tills though.

I hate self-service tills. I always seem to have something that doesn't scan properly, or some other problem, so I always avoid them. I wouldn't shop in a store that only offered self-service checkout. And I definitely don't want to use my smartphone!

Never use self service check outs or scanners and will definitely never put an app on my phone to supermarket shop.
The Sainsbury's where I shop is next to a sheltered housing complex and they have about four or five manned tills thankfully. If they go completely self service then they lose my custom immediately.

Pleased to say that our little local supermarkets all have proper checkouts with real people who chat and pass the time of day while they scan. Several assistants are students earning dosh to help them through college/uni as my own DC did. It gives them the additional benefit of learning to communicate with all walks of life. Some of the older cashier's do the job for the company as well as the cash.

I have on occasion had to use these self service things, but always manage to muck it up!

For many shopping is the only time they interact with others. Scanning onto phones will just isolate even more.

DH tried it in our local Sainsbury’s, with Apple Pay on his phone. You still had to wait ages for the transaction to go through and get a receipt. He won’t be doing it again.
I can’t see it catching on.