More self checkouts being allocated

Well Ambergran I am one who is concerned about jobs and I very very rarely shop online. I can’t be the only one.

Astitchintime

When we do the main grocery shopping we always use ‘scan and shop’…..no queues at checkout and no rush to pack groceries either.
If we pop in for a ‘forgotten’ item then we’d probably use the self checkout tills although I do find them tedious as our store has had new ones installed and they’ve had teething problems.
It’s a sad state of affairs when ‘progress’ means people are losing their jobs though.

The one and only time I was persuaded - warily- to try Scan'n'Shop was the day there was a massive digital glitch on the shop's system.

Scanners stopped, card systems stopped and it was glorious chaos.

Oh, for the days when we used to shop at Home and Colonial.

We do our weekly shop (Tesco) early too, like Calendargirl. During lockdown we went at 6am when the shop opened, but now we go after 7.30 as the first till with a real person doesn't open until 8 (last week it was 9 ). When that till does open, there are always people who prefer to use it. We're retired and so have time to wait and want to keep local jobs open, like others on this thread.

We also wait in M&S in a queue for a real person, and it's interesting that as soon as a new till opens up, there is a queue for that one too.

I don't like self-service tills, as apart from the jobs issue, something always seems to go wrong. If manned tills disappear completely, we will use self-scan, but I hope that never happens.

We do our once a week shop at Tesco, get there around 7am - first checkout operator start time at ours. There are usually two tills open by the time we are ready to go through and always queues pf 3/4/5 people with trolleys at both while the SS tills next along may have one or two people buying a few bits. How anyone manages to go through the SS ones with a trolley full I don't know. Whenever we have tried to use one there is always some hold up because something is wrong.

Our local Sainsbury doesn't open manned checkouts until 9am. So on the rare occasion we go there it has to be a mid morning visit.

Our local small Lidl store doesn't have any SS tills at the moment, but the larger one across the town does. We started to use that when it first opened, but when they stopped manning tills most of the time we switched back to the old smaller shop.

If I'm going to be buying from a store I want to be served not do it myself. Would be interesting to know how much stuff gets "lifted".

I have never used scan and shop, as I am a technological half wit. I confess, that I do a lot of my shopping on-line (predominantly due to mobility issues), which is very frustrating, as himself has difficulties with translation, eg: loaf of bread = muffins; laundry liquid = dishwasher tablets; ketchup = chilli sauce and last week, Tesco had no loo rolls at all!!

Whatever happened to the days when Safeway's would p rovide a packer at the end of the checkout AND there would be the unconditional offer of the shopping being taken to your car?

Also, in more honest and trustworthy times, the person in the queue behind me would offer to unpack my trolley, whilst I packed at the other end of the conveyor belt? I was always extremely grateful and said "Yes please". It also speeded things up!

Agree!

I always use scan and shop as it’s much quicker. However last year my nectar card got hacked- I didn’t know this was a thing but apparently it’s quite common although I’m told that Sainsbury’s have now improved the security. The first I knew about it was an email from Sainsbury’s asking if I’d used £60 worth of points in a random London store I’ve never been to. (I save my points up all year to use at Xmas). I had my points restored to me and a new card issued, I was also advised to lock my points which I did, but then couldn’t work out how to unlock when I wanted to use them.
Anyway, after all this I kept being selected for the “random” checks on the scan and shop. I asked the assistants whether it was because my card had been hacked, and all except one denied it was the case. The one who said it was probably linked advised me to contact customer services about it, which I did and then it seemed to be ok.
This all put me off scan and shop for a while, but I use it again now as so much quicker. I’m afraid it’s here to stay, but I do feel sorry for those who want a human to talk to.

Until you get used to them, there may be glitches, but honestly it does n ot take long to accustom yourself to using a self-checkout.

What is annoying is that there are different kinds of checkouts in the different chains of supermarkets, and most of them do not accept cash.

When my husband had to surrender his driving license for medical reasons we swapped the weekly trip to the supermarket for online. Best move we ever made. Now I only nip out for the odd few items in between online shops, so I don't mind too much using self-service. I dread to think what it would be like using it for a whole trolley load.

I hate self service checkouts. They are always stopping and requiring a shop assistant to wave a magic card to restart. The assistant is always a distance away and I am last in order to be seen. The card is waved, machine restarted only to stop as soon as said assistant has disappeared.
We always have to go through the age verification when buying alcohol etc. I always have to smile politely (through gritted teeth"when I am told "oh just about old enough!" Yuk!

For the moment I choose not to use it. I like that human connection.
I have two friends who work at our Sainsburys & usually have a catch up with either of them. It evening & quiet, so not holding anyone up.
Plus if I do I big shop the table at the side is tiny. First time I used it, I started putting the bags I had packed in the trolly, the blinking thing went mental! Got told off for doing that. But really how are you supposed to balance all that shopping on a tiny table 😳
I’ve been going to farm foods. No loyalty cards. Good old fashioned check outs. Cheap!

I had an assistant get quite shirty with me once. She was trying to persuade people to move from the queue to the self serve tills. I wouldn’t go and told her I objected to the job losses which might affect her one day. She merrily replied “Oh, no. We aren’t losing jobs - we still have plenty to do like filling shelves.” So who was doing that before? I was speechless.

Dylis

I hate self service checkouts. They are always stopping and requiring a shop assistant to wave a magic card to restart. The assistant is always a distance away and I am last in order to be seen. The card is waved, machine restarted only to stop as soon as said assistant has disappeared.
We always have to go through the age verification when buying alcohol etc. I always have to smile politely (through gritted teeth"when I am told "oh just about old enough!" Yuk!

That’s me. So blinking annoying. You can hear the customers pecking & tutting. So how people think it super quick is beyond me.
Usually there is a massive queue

Well, I prefer queuing up.
The manned checkouts are always busy and popular at my local Tesco’s store.

As others have mentioned, to run a large weekly shop through the self scan is difficult owing to lack of space.
I could see myself getting into a right pickle with them.
I don’t think staff are losing their jobs.
They are probably being redirected to the self scan machines.

I absolutely refuse to use them 1.if I wanted a retail job Id apply for one 2As a trade union member I refuse to participate in people losing jobs!

Lathyrus3

I’ve never used Scan and shop so enlighten me🙂

How do they stop people slipping in unscanned items or scanning a cheaper and putting in a more expensive one or scanning 100g of cherries say and then just adding a few more?

Not that I’d ever do such things. I still have prickles of conscience over a small wedge of Brie that lurked unseen in the corner of the trolley.

It just seems the possibilities are endless.

I’ve done that scan & go. It is better than self serve.
Yes people do slip the odd pepper in there.
They do check so many customers bags though.
You can use cash, or card.

Greciangirl

Well, I prefer queuing up.
The manned checkouts are always busy and popular at my local Tesco’s store.

As others have mentioned, to run a large weekly shop through the self scan is difficult owing to lack of space.
I could see myself getting into a right pickle with them.
I don’t think staff are losing their jobs.
They are probably being redirected to the self scan machines.

When they try & redirect me I just tell I am ok stood where I am 👍🏻

Trying to guide us all towards shopping online.

Greciangirl

Well, I prefer queuing up.
The manned checkouts are always busy and popular at my local Tesco’s store.

As others have mentioned, to run a large weekly shop through the self scan is difficult owing to lack of space.
I could see myself getting into a right pickle with them.
I don’t think staff are losing their jobs.
They are probably being redirected to the self scan machines.

You might as well queue up in the manned checkpoint, unless you are doing scan & go.
Plus you can’t rant at the till about prices going up yet again 🙄😂

I asked the assistants whether it was because my card had been hacked, and all except one denied it was the case.

We had our Nectar card hacked too, and got the points back. I don't think it made any difference to the number of times we got random checks. When we first started we were picked every other time but it got less and less. Then we stopped shopping at Sainsbury for a while, went back, and it all started again but now it seems to have eased off again. DH joked that we never buy alcohol and they are expecting it so they're checking that we've scanned it!

PamelaJ1

Well Ambergran I am one who is concerned about jobs and I very very rarely shop online. I can’t be the only one.

We rarely shop online either. Mainly because I like to try things on and see what I am buying.

But going by what I have read on GN over the years a lot of people stopped visiting shops a long time ago. Some people because they are physically unable to, others because they would prefer to sit at home and shop.

Why would anyone not use it? I love it! Pack as I go, only pick up each item once, whereas on a manned checkout you pick it up 3 times.

Better things to do with my time than queue and wait in a supermarket. 🤷🏼‍♀️

AuntieE

Until you get used to them, there may be glitches, but honestly it does n ot take long to accustom yourself to using a self-checkout.

What is annoying is that there are different kinds of checkouts in the different chains of supermarkets, and most of them do not accept cash.

Ours do. I went to card only till & said I want to do half n half, the assistant faffed about but I was able to use my cash.

Pinkrinse

Why would anyone not use it? I love it! Pack as I go, only pick up each item once, whereas on a manned checkout you pick it up 3 times.

Better things to do with my time than queue and wait in a supermarket. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I like it too, but I want to keep these manned till going. My aunts get flustered using any other method.

One of our Matalan stores has totally gone. TBF, I didn’t shop there much.