Supermarkets & large stores

merlotgran

I prefer self scanning as well so I don’t have to stand in a queue watching my bottles of gin and wine trundling by on full display! 😂

I do that but then have to wait for a member of staff to tell the checkout that I'm old enough to have alcohol!

MerylStreep

Notagran
27 years ? I don’t remember self scanners that far back.

The Safeway (blast from the past!) I used to shop in had self-scanning way back in the 90’s. It was a pilot scheme from the Netherlands. I don’t know if it was adopted anywhere else and we then moved house so didn’t shop at Safeway anymore.

I just can’t do self-scanning now. I forget to scan things and end up putting items into the trolley unscanned.

Much prefer on line food shopping & having it delivered!
Too much hassle in the shops- guaranteed to make me cross these days

Grannybags

merlotgran

I prefer self scanning as well so I don’t have to stand in a queue watching my bottles of gin and wine trundling by on full display! 😂

I do that but then have to wait for a member of staff to tell the checkout that I'm old enough to have alcohol!

I’m hoping facial recognition will come in to stop that.

On principle i don`t want to self scan,it is damn annoying when you have to wait for someone to pass the fact that you are old enough to have a bottle of wine.
Just like on-line banking,we will loose the personal touch and people will 100% be out of a job and banks become none existent.
I pay to be served,not serve myself.

I LIKE to either self-scan, or scan as I shop, in both Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Self-scan for a few items, and scan as I shop for my main shop. It’s usually quicker than queuing at the few tills that are open.

My Sainsbugs have still got the balance right: I don't mind waiting mostly.

Nothing against self-scanning a few items, but I shop for two each week and this week I will be doing my monthly shop, plus my friend's shopping, a basket balanced on a trolley. When you are shopping like this self scan really doesn't work.

I could never scan as I shop, I would forget to scan to items and I would never feel secure unless everything had been checked through a till at the end of the process.

I went to my local Matalan for T shirts,trousers,underwear etc.When I got to the till the only attended one was cash only and I was not carrying enough cash.I could not even find the slot to swipe the pointless Matalan membership card,so I called over a member of staff.She swiped the card for me and in a Victor Meldrew moment got her to put all of my purchases through.
I left without even buying yet another bag for life,carrying my shopping and feeling quite pleased with myself.

Here in Germany I have never seen a self-scan till. Nor do we have deliveries. The only option is to go to the supermarket and queue up at the till staffed by a human being. There is never much of a wait.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whoops wrong thread

We use Scan & Shop and have done for several years, no queuing and loading the conveyor belt, we can pack the bags how we like them. We have the occasionally random check and I completely understand the need for those; the assistant told us recently how cunning some people are at trying to steal goods.

There's always the inevitable 'age' check when buying alcohol and the restriction on OTC medication but that would apply regardless of how we shopped.

Our local large supermarket has lots of check-outs and they are mostly in use. The staff cut-backs appear to have been aimed at management rather than check-out and service staff.

Having observed the 'home delivery order pickers' in action in store I certainly wouldn't want my groceries delivered though; some are not too particular when handling certain commodities

I've started to use the Smart Shop hand held scanner at Sainsbury which I find quite satisfactory until they do their random checks on the contents of a trolley at the check out, when invariably there aren't enough staff. Depending on the contents of an individual trolley that can be time consuming.

Waitrose have woefully inadequately sized check out areas, not large enough for a big shop but I rarely do one of those there.

Generally these days I prefer self check outs but depending where you shop, they aren't always without their problems.

I'll self scan if only a few items but happily queue for a check out if doing a larger shop. I do make a point of specifically complaining to management if there are not enough tills open and explain that self scan points are far too small for larger shops. Yes I'm a pain in the neck but research shows that for every person who makes a point of complaining there are 100 others who are unhappy about the situation (whatever it is)

M0nica

Nothing against self-scanning a few items, but I shop for two each week and this week I will be doing my monthly shop, plus my friend's shopping, a basket balanced on a trolley. When you are shopping like this self scan really doesn't work.

I could never scan as I shop, I would forget to scan to items and I would never feel secure unless everything had been checked through a till at the end of the process.

I shopped like that for months - doing our own shopping (for the two of us) plus my inlaws' shopping too. Self scan worked perfectly well. I didn't forget to scan anything and never had any worries whatsoever.

I can relate to everything that you're saying, Mac. I was recently approached by a Sainsbury's rep as I entered their store, and encouraged to use a scanner as I did my shopping, then to use an unmanned checkout. I demurred, as it seemed far too fiddly, plus, I prefer a manned (or usually womanned) check-out. When , after I'd shopped, I discussed this with the checkout person. she lowered her voice and said that she'd been working there for 14 years, and during that time, staff levels had more than halved. She was looking forward to retiring soon. With the advent of A.I. things are only going to get worse, and the fabric of society is already so badly torn. A depressing prospect, I'm afraid. Is it any wonder that conversation is becoming a lost art, as so many are immersed in social media, or rely on IT/automation to service their daily lives?

NanaDana you have got my point regarding loss of jobs. In my area lots of ladies of a certain age work on the tills to supplement their pensions. Not everyone can live on the pathetic pension. Also students need to earn money so part time work is essential for some. People only think of themselves. We are getting the world we deserve.

I was an early convert to home deliveries and can’t imagine changing now. I use Tesco and Morrisons week and week about and find them both entirely reliable - much improved from the early days when produce was frequently almost out of date and deliveries were hit and miss. Once in a while, if I am feeling flush, I’ll use Ocado for M&S. I really do hate the time, effort and stress imposed by supermarkets and I am far too impatient to queue these days. On the rare occasion when I am forced to shop in person I head for the local Co-op and their self checkout, just because it’s quicker, but have managed to avoid that so far this year.

Noticed that most self scan machines are marked “card only” and I want to use cash. As for walking around scanning as you shop I would be constantly worried that I hadn’t put something in the trolley that I had forgotten to scan. In which case I would spend more time re-examining and worrying than just shopping.

I like to go shopping myself. I like to see the variety and sometimes fancy a change after spotting something different so online shopping is not for me.

I have supermarket deliveries from Waitrose, deliveries from other specialist suppliers and I buy from the local Co-op when in the High Street. If I visit Waitrose I find the till queue pretty short. I only use the scan machines at B&Q where there is always an assistant standing by.

I prefer self-serve tills, I am not quite sure why but I think it is because I hate queueing and self service tills are generally empty. There is certainly a dearth of shop assistants in all stores now,

I scan and shop and it is much quicker.

Rafichagran only if you can be confident that you will scan everything. I could never have that confidence.