Supermarkets & large stores

Those machines hate me - they don’t like my bag either 😳

‘Am I just being awkward to resent having to put my shopping through the self serve?’ Not at all MacCavity2. Fair enough for those who like it, but our local (large) Sainsbury’s make it virtually impossible not to. There are only four tills anyway with two massive areas for self serve for baskets and trolleys, but no tills open at all after about 6 or 7pm. I will use the self serve but my husband won’t and asks them to open a till, which they always do, with good grace but it’s a big deal finding somebody etc. There’s also a huge risk of making an innocent error, which is always my fear. I also feel offended when they pick on me for the ‘random’ check. We are literally doing somebody’s job, yet we don’t get staff discount plus we run the risk of getting in potential trouble if a mistake is made.

Lidl near us certainly employ fast checkout operators. They are always smiley and polite but not chatty, even when the customer in front of me had bought £128.30 of goods, the conversation was only about need for an extra bag and a leaking package.

I have used self-service and self scanning since forever. I don't have time to queue up and empty all my stuff only to pack it up again.

I only use live shops assistants because I like to have a chat as they're scanning, Apparently Lidl and Aldi employ only people who are really fast on the tills.. and they still manage to be smiley and chatty.. it makes shopping so much more pleasant having personal contact and I use the market where the traders are always upbeat

M0nica

My tactic is to point out how badly designed the self-service tills are and how unsuitable for large shops, especially if you have several bags to fill. I point out that if they want shoppers to use these tills they need to be designed to suit the size of shop the consumer is doing. If the customer has a large trolley full, they need a machine that you can get the full trolley one side and an empty trolley the other and transfer shopping from one to the other.

It is amazing how many times I can caause problems with the system if forced into using the self-service system when I do not want to.

What it needs is consumers to rise in non-violent protest by trying to make the machines adapt to their convenience, by the time every shopper on every self-service machine has made it necessary for them to have an assistant with them through out the self select process, for a month or two, they might have a re think.

"My" sainsburys used to have trolley sized self checkouts but they took them out sometime during "lockdown" and have put more of the small ones in. Last time I used them I noticed load had "card only" notices on them, I had cash I wanted to use and picked one without the notice. Then got told off by the assistant as it wasn't a cash one and I should have known because all that row were card only. Sigh.

To be honest I usually use the scan as you go round wands these days. Because it saves MY time packing straight into my bags and not wasting time queueing and having to take my stuff out of the trolley and then re pack it.

They should offer a discount or bonus voucher if you use the self checkout. They always alarm for me especially when using my own bag. I like Amazon Prime with no checkout. I wish they were larger and had trolleys

Absolutely hate self scan! Much prefer to go to manned till. Most of my friends and neighbours say the same thing, luckily our local supermarket has quite a few staff and no problems going to our manned tills

I'm totally with you on this one. Only use self service if I only have a couple of items and in a hurry, otherwise I'd rather wait and keep someone in a job. The self scanners and I don't get on, they always play up and it's amazing how stressful that is. I also think it's nice to chat to the checkout person. Soon we'll become a society that one day won't know how to converse with others!

I do both, use a cashier for a large shop and self check out for a small basket. Have used one designed for trolleys, didn't like it as no sign telling you which side for unloading so put items on wrong side and had to move everything when a staff member came round and noticed what I had done. No offer to help. I'm with you.

The thing I resent with the self scan checkouts is the video capture of everything you are doing. I once had the dreaded 'unexpected item in the bagging area' and when the assistant came she made me stand there whilst she watched back the video of everything I had done, to make sure I hadn't put an unscanned item in there. It was mortifying, and I felt on trial in front of other shoppers.

I won’t use them on principle.
They are taking away jobs for people.

I love selfscan checkouts! I don't have to mess around with queues and people, nor listen to cashiers having to make pleasantries. It's fine for those who prefer it. I don't.

I have mental health issues (granted more managed now than they manage me - however if your having to manage something it's still an issue in the first place) regarding anxiety and such.

I also love Tesco self scan, where you can pick up before starting your shopping. It means it's packed and ready to go and I've never had to queue for a machine.

Best thing for me. I know alot of people who use them for similar reasons, mental health issues or otherwise

Tenko

I’m another self scanner fan . I started during lockdown and it’s so much easier to pack as you go , instead of unloading at the till and then packing . Some cashiers are really speedy when scanning and then you struggle to pack quickly to keep up with them.
It’s also more hygienic as I’m the only one handling my stuff . And there’s very rarely a queue at the self scanning machines , whereas there’s always queues at the tills.

I agree with you. Bonus no listening to talking strangers.

I have to use a disable buggy to allow me to get round and choose my own things. I do use delivery for tins bottles and heavy things but I want to choose my own fruit and veg etc and get ideas of things for dinner etc. If I have a few things I can put them on the checkout and the staff put them into my bags which I give them first. I put things onto the checkout in a sensible order , heavy things first etc. Have a couple of bags so that I dont have a heavy bag to pick up at home and that works well. While the checkout person is putting the stuff through I move to the other end and get ready with card to pay etc so take no longer than other shoppers. I would not want, nos should I have to use self service, and I do buy on a market and at local butcher and baker , but would change supermarket if there was only self serve. I once went into a pub which I did not know and they said they only accepted cards. I then said cash is legal tender and we will go elsewhere, which we did. The assumption that everyone can have a card or wishes to and they can dictate is unacceptable. Besides many valid reasons people choose not to use cards , in our area there are several dales where you would not get any signal to be able to pay by card and there are no banks very close so cash is the only sensible thing in that area. The banks and stores have used the pandemic to push cards and self service at us. Whilst I have no problem with those who can and want to use them, to make cash buyers second class citizens is absolutely not acceptable to me.

Ive been to Aldi and Sainsburys this morning. I had a heavy shop (compost) in Aldi so did not want to use self serve as the bags are heavy so used their manned checkout. Lovely man who did not stop chattering the whole time. Sainsburys was reasonably busy and only a couple of checkouts open. I went through the self serve with a high rise trolley, which was fine but there was not enough room really for my trolley and the packing side is too small once I had loaded my bag and needed room for animal food boxes. I prefer to use the manned checkouts unless I only have a couple of things and need to get through quickly. I do remember there used to be an under 10 or 8 items till.

I’m another self scanner fan . I started during lockdown and it’s so much easier to pack as you go , instead of unloading at the till and then packing . Some cashiers are really speedy when scanning and then you struggle to pack quickly to keep up with them.
It’s also more hygienic as I’m the only one handling my stuff . And there’s very rarely a queue at the self scanning machines , whereas there’s always queues at the tills.

When self-service tills first arrived, I made a point of politely mentioning my dislike of them and that they would ultimately take jobs but was usually patronisingly told that it would not be so. Think I was correct!

Our Waitrose does have one or two manned tills but it is encouraged that customers use the self-service tills and there is always a problem, necessitating the intervention of staff. Not just with me but almost every customer - the member of staff positioned there must walk miles, dashing from customer to customer (Waitrose's bonkers bonus scheme is partly to blame!).

We also have a Lidl and the self-service queues there are long. How is this a service to the customer?

One thought.... do you remember queues from tills to the back of supermarkets at busy festive times of the year?
Perhaps we should be grateful for the barcode system which has speeded things up a bit.

The first supermarket to open all their tills again could be on to a winner but (sigh), yes, prices would have to rise - again!

Romola Has anyone else had a problem checking in online with RyanAir, for instance? Or making an insurance claim online?

Yes. We accomplish all possible tasks on computer. It's easier, don't have to leave home. I hate to leave home, apart from dog walks.

Oh for the days of Assistants who assisted, rather than colleagues who...?

I absolutely detest them. Refuse to use them. It’s the big business freeloading onto customers what should come as part of the service. I will not be giving them my free labour. A totally disgraceful practice

I have a fear of getting something wrong and being an accidental thief. I don't want to be a thief. I do want to pay for what I buy. On days when you are lacking 100% concentration it is too easy to go wrong. - The supermarkets themselves make concentrating very difficult with all the music and announcements. I think these things really change the nature of shopping - and pricing, as they must be pricing in a higher level of losses.

Finally I converted DH (now deceased) to self-scan for all the reasons there are. It really makes sense in supermarkets. But in other areas it annoys me that a lot of admin labour is outsourced to the customer.

Has anyone else had a problem checking in online with RyanAir, for instance?
Or making an insurance claim online?
Or changing broadband and installing the new router?

I could go on. To be fair, most of the government websites are excellent, including those for tax affairs.

I'd be interested to know what other grans think.

I much prefer self checkouts. I can pack at my own speed - which is pretty speedy but I can get panicked at manned tills if it goes through too quickly.

Our local Tesco, which is a 5 minute walk from the hose, is exactly the same. When they first introduced self serve I refused to use it and I still don't if I can help it. One of the check out staff told me that the number of people they employed had halved since they introduced self serve and the level of shop lifting was unbelievable. I think we can safely say that the supermarkets have streamlined their processes at the expense of the customers.