Booths is getting rid of their self service checkouts.

My OH's podiatrist chatted to him the other day about the dwindling services offered on the NHS to elderly patients - some like my OH with diabetes - apparently even being blind does not automatically enrol you for such services. You will be asked if there is a reliable 'friend' who can cut your toenails if you can't actually see them, if you have no family able to perform the task!

Crikey! When I worked as an auxiliary nurse in our nearby large hospital, 20+ years ago, we weren't allowed to cut people's toenails.

My Dad is pre-diabetic and I have arranged for a mobile podiatrist to visit him at home regularly.

I always use the self-scanner on the way round the supermarket if that service is available. It usually saves time, but if the machine at the end goes wrong it can be frustrating waiting for someone to sort it out as there are very few staff available to do so now.

I really think that supermarkets should have a variety of different ways of paying, be it self-scan on the way round, scan items yourself at the checkout or manned tills. Everyone has their own preference and forcing people to do one or the other doesn't seem right or sensible. I know our Aldi is very popular with a lot of people even though it is very small because they still have proper tills and no self-scan.

Ive complained a few times in writing to Sainsbury. We are a small market town with no real employment apart from schools. Majority of folk retired or unemployed so have time to shop. Self service hardly used. (I refuse) Ive left a whole trolley and walked out.

I watched the ITV programme on the behind-the-scenes at M&S last night.

They are building a huge new flagship store at Stevenage, and the new manager was grumbling about the till queues at the old shop, apparently far more self service tills needed to cut down the wait.

Didn’t sound like they were planning on doing away with the SS tills anytime soon.

Urmstongran it has been suggested that you are probably correct.

Baggs

*their first duty is to their customers.*

Actually, in business terms, their first duty is to their share holders/owners. Not a nice thought, perhaps, but a true one nonetheless.

Of course, it makes business sense to be nice to customers too. Getting the balance right is the issue.

You're right Baggs. That's the motto.

But businesses need customers.

If one supermarket starts to re-think their model and gains more customers then others will be forced to 'up their game' as the saying goes. I will certainly swap my allegiance to a supermarket that has more manned checkouts.

We may not be their prime consideration, but they cannot afford, literally, to ignore our demands - we have some power!

I like having personal contact when I go shopping so I really applaud them

Booths used to be known as the Notthern Waitrose.
My M&S has gone even more self check out with only one till manned - which I usually wait for.
I hope other supermarkets re-think manning tills - as Tesco says ‘every little helps’.

their first duty is to their customers.

Actually, in business terms, their first duty is to their share holders/owners. Not a nice thought, perhaps, but a true one nonetheless.

Of course, it makes business sense to be nice to customers too. Getting the balance right is the issue.

So many firms are trying to save money by cutting back on staff, but their first duty is to their customers. I refuse to use a card when shopping and I don't use stores with self-service check-outs.
The u-turn on ticket machines at railway stations shows clearly what happens when enough people complain or boycott.
People power....let's use it!

Supermarkets have stiff competition. They all want (need) to maximise their profit margin. I don’t really think this is anything much to do with elevating customer experience. I would suspect it’s to cut down on shoplifting. Apparently some shoppers have become expert thieves at these self service tills.

Cynic that I am.

took me a while to make sense of the title.
hadn't realised booths was the name of a shop.
was imagining some kind of payment booths.
anyone remember the cashier in the booth at the far end of sainsbury's, with the mosaic floor, and separate counters, marble, for cheese etc, with hair-netted assistants who actually served you. sighs.

These options - self-service checkouts, etc - are convenient, sure, if you only have a few items.

I don't believe though that customer convenience is the prime motive for introducing them - but of course that is how they are 'sold' to the public.

Competition is fierce in food, manufacturing, industry, etc and, as Sainsbury's says, "every little helps". Every penny they can shave off the running costs, every human being they can not have to employ, makes them more competitive. That's the bottom line.

Artificial Intelligence is taking over from human beings, 'bots' are already answering your "frequently asked questions" on various sites... which is why you spend inordinate amounts of time on the 'phone waiting to speak to an overworked (and possibly poorly-paid) 'operator' who has had to be employed to answer the more complex issues that the bot can't.

Friend of mine, late 80s, has to travel miles to a town - by taxi, there is no public transport, to attend a class instructing the use of a specific piece of medical equipment used by her DH. The use of this equipment used to be overseen by a visiting nurse - and that service from the NHS is "no longer available". If you are wealthy of course, you could hire a private nurse, but that's an option mostly beyond the purse of the average citizen.

I'm just waiting for the day when your NHS dentist (are there any left?) hands you a phial of Lidocaine, dental pliers, and an instruction manual on how to remove your infected tooth .

My OH's podiatrist chatted to him the other day about the dwindling services offered on the NHS to elderly patients - some like my OH with diabetes - apparently even being blind does not automatically enrol you for such services. You will be asked if there is a reliable 'friend' who can cut your toenails if you can't actually see them, if you have no family able to perform the task!

The problem with automation is that if it 'goes down' - everything grinds to a halt, and because everything's online and automated, there's very few humans who can take over. You can paralyse a country through a cyber-attack - damage their economy. Doing it all online is convenient and saves time for the average individual - until there's an outage, and then it's chaos.

The bottom line in business and in public services is all about cost-cutting. But I think we should fight to keep humanoids employed as much as possible - oh, and keep cash as a reserve option!

Good news about Booths, I hope they train the staff on the tills though. They seem to get through a lot of staff where we live and the new people haven't been trained to use the tills, the queues can get really long while they phone for a supervisor.

I have to admit that I prefer self service (except needing blooming permission for buying a can of cider)
Most younger people use scanners and they seemed well used in my local Asda
I ve never heard of Booths I believe they are a northern company

Our nearest Waitrose has just installed a lot of self-service tills - the three wo/manned tills had queues as did the self-service tills where customers were being helped by staff.

The timing seemed ridiculous just before people start Christmas shopping with their trolleys loaded more than usual.

Apparently many people use a scanner as they go round now, although I've rarely seen anyone using one!

I use them for small shops, just a few items, otherwise I use the manned tills. There must be a lot of mistakes and deliberate fraud too, how much that costs the shop I’ve no idea.

Good for them not sure id get rid of them all they are handy if you only have a few items and are happy to use till and manage your bags. They do need improvement though. I was doing just that in Sainsbury a few days ago and the till stopped three times so I had to wait for a very grumpy assistant to come over. All the tills were doing this so he was not best pleased and who can blame him.

Good for them! I hope they are going to start a trend.