Checkouts in supermarket

I find the self-service check outs quite useful, although it does annoy me that we cannot pay in cash if we use one, but have to use a Visa card or similar.

Netto has had them for years, as have the other Danish supermarkets owned by the same business man , but now the Co-op has invested in self-service tills which are much more cumbersome to use, but doubtless we will get used to them.

In supermarkets you can still find staff who can and will help if the tills are unco-operative, unlike the railway stations that have NO-ONE at all on duty, so if you can't get the ticket machine to give you a ticket, you are sunk!

I'm far too fussy to do online grocery shopping. I don't trust anyone else to pick my food for me - I've been known to look through every pack of something on the shelf (I'm talking about fresh/chilled items here) before I find one I like the look of.

MissInterpreted

I'm far too fussy to do online grocery shopping. I don't trust anyone else to pick my food for me - I've been known to look through every pack of something on the shelf (I'm talking about fresh/chilled items here) before I find one I like the look of.

MissInterpreted
That’s one of the things that keeps me going shopping for myself.

@grannyivy I hope that Waitrose intends paying us for the time that we spend being trained to use their checkouts (AKA learning to do job they should be paying someone to do).
If only!

I cant remember the last time I physically went to a supermarket. It was over 10 years ago. I just dont have the patience for all that trekking around. Putting the shopping away after the Tesco driver has delivered it is bad enough.

I absolutely hate self-service checkouts, and avoid if I can, if not in a hurry I'd rather stand in a queue and wait. It's nice to have a chat with another human at the checkout, after doing the shopping which I can say is definitely not my favourite pastime! There's always a staff member hovering around for when the machines cock up, always happened to me! So I'd rather have a sociable shopping experience. And keep people in a job!

Age has nothing to do with this new trick of making as much money for little effort as possible. Supermarkets are only interested in their profits they do not care how they get it, to hell with the customers and if it's cheaper then staff so much the better. My daughter refuse to use them, she had a loaded trolley with a weeks family shopping, two children under 5 and not only had to queue for the self-service checks outs but was expected to check all the items out and pack them herself, as you can imagine chaos ensued.

I refuse to use them because my feelings are 'if they do not have the curiosity to serve me then they can't have my money' its that simple. Why should I queue up to serve myself, it's like having a dog and barking yourself. Not only that, the workers of all ages have lost their jobs and we have lost yet another someone to talk too, all be it for a few moments once a week.
No I have gone back to the convenient store, and happy to spend my money in the smaller shops no matter how 'inconvenient' it is. So much nicer

I must be the exception! I love the scan as you shop and then just pay at the end. I only load the trolly once with everything being packed as I go and then I pay. I hate the manned tills now they take so long and you load your trolly, unload it then re-pack! Why would anyone want to do that?

Pinkrinse

I must be the exception! I love the scan as you shop and then just pay at the end. I only load the trolly once with everything being packed as I go and then I pay. I hate the manned tills now they take so long and you load your trolly, unload it then re-pack! Why would anyone want to do that?

Ditto!

Supermarkets do not pay me a wage therefore I will not under any circumstances use a self service till, I’ve been known to put a basket on the floor and walk out before now.

Pinkrinse

I must be the exception! I love the scan as you shop and then just pay at the end. I only load the trolly once with everything being packed as I go and then I pay. I hate the manned tills now they take so long and you load your trolly, unload it then re-pack! Why would anyone want to do that?

No, you're not alone - I said the same earlier in the thread! So much easier!

MissInterpreted

I'm far too fussy to do online grocery shopping. I don't trust anyone else to pick my food for me - I've been known to look through every pack of something on the shelf (I'm talking about fresh/chilled items here) before I find one I like the look of.

I know what you mean there. It's annoying if some things arrive short dated. If and when I get out I do like to go to the local butchers. Did that today. It's more sociable and I can choose things. And I like to support local shops when I can as well. Online order means I can get more at once though and things for the freezer as well. Even when I didn't have mobility issues and was younger I struggled with lots of shopping bags!

HelterSkelter1

I suppose if you have a big shop you can use self scan which means you are not unloading onto the conveyor belt and then reloading into your bags. So it saves time and effort...until you have a random check of course.
I am very happy to use the self check out tills. I often have to wait however for someone to check I am old enough to buy paracetamol. I use a Waitrose trolley and my shopping trolley and if I get in the way well I don't give a damn.
I shop every day so have only 6 or so items.
I do miss the nice check out staff to chat to except one who would talk about every item I bought. That was irritating.

I knew one assistant quite well after several years and when she left she said it had been a horrible place to work for the last couple of years and she was glad to retire. And this was Waitrose where all the staff used to be happy.

My friend works for john lewis, she says its not the decent company it was 10 years ago. She hates it.

SaxonGrace

Supermarkets do not pay me a wage therefore I will not under any circumstances use a self service till, I’ve been known to put a basket on the floor and walk out before now.

Your choice, but more polite just not to shop there.

Years ago, there were no supermarkets. Everything we bought was lifted from the shelves, weighed out and bagged by the shop assistant.

Now we are expected to collect our own stuff from the shelves
and 😱😱 they don’t pay us a wage for doing it.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 no wonder she looked at me gormless RM2

Rosie51

* superfluous 'as' in my comment before Rosie'sMaw2 feels the need for a grammatical correction

Actually I am glad she corrected me- I’ve never had to do piece/peace time-so wasn’t sure which spelling & too lazy to look it up. I know now 😊

I rarely do a big shop as I live alone and tend to shop a few times a week so I actually prefer the self checkouts. The only time I go to a manned till is if I have something that requires a member of staff's intervention eg. buying alcohol. Even then I use the smart shop tills in Sainsbury as it is the only way to benefit from some of the nectar offers. It took me a while to get used to the smart shop option but I've used self checkout for years now and generally prefer it..

Piece work I meant 🤦‍♀️

I will not use the self check outs. If I have to do the work myself then I want a price reduction.

Marydoll

Pinkrinse

I must be the exception! I love the scan as you shop and then just pay at the end. I only load the trolly once with everything being packed as I go and then I pay. I hate the manned tills now they take so long and you load your trolly, unload it then re-pack! Why would anyone want to do that?

Ditto!

Double ditto! I love scan and shop, so quick, so efficient. Even on those very odd occasions you're randomly selected for a scan check it takes but a few minutes and you're on your way. The assistants are very efficient and professional.

I had the impression that more stores were RETURNING to proper tills, due to the backlash of customers yelling about becoming unpaid checkout staff, and the rising problem re SHOPLIFTING!

If you don't like self-service, TELL the firm how you feel. Assure them that as ALDI has rocket fast tills, AND opens up a new till lane if needed, THAT is where you'll be going from now on (assuming you do have an ALDI nearby).

If you DO happen to venture into a place that worships self-service, then make a point of calling for help, LOUDLY yell at them at the stupid over-sensitive nature of the tech, and make sure you slap every button on the till, and bounce your shopping bag repeatedly up and down in the "bag area" until the wretched thing cries out for assistance on its own.

Rocket fast tills requires rocket fast packing, I don’t see ANY of that at Waitrose manned tills.

With AI whether we like it or not we are going to get more technology and less personal service. We havn’t seen discounts for scan as you go yet, that will probably be the next change.

We normally do self scanning, but we popped into Sainsbury’s one afternoon, I didn’t have my purse, and my husband only had cash, so we went back to the old fashioned way
When we got to the checkout, every one was closed, and I had to go and ask them to come and open one, which to be fair, they did.
But I think manned checkouts will gradually disappear.

I do shop and scan for a big shop I much prefer it to standing in a queue no loading unloading loading trollies pack as I go and use my phone to pay I no longer even take a purse out with me. Smaller shops I also use self service tills there is often either no till open or a long queue at the only one.
I don’t mind the odd till check it takes a couple of minutes. I hope manned tills remain for those who like to use them.

DrWatson

I had the impression that more stores were RETURNING to proper tills, due to the backlash of customers yelling about becoming unpaid checkout staff, and the rising problem re SHOPLIFTING!

If you don't like self-service, TELL the firm how you feel. Assure them that as ALDI has rocket fast tills, AND opens up a new till lane if needed, THAT is where you'll be going from now on (assuming you do have an ALDI nearby).

If you DO happen to venture into a place that worships self-service, then make a point of calling for help, LOUDLY yell at them at the stupid over-sensitive nature of the tech, and make sure you slap every button on the till, and bounce your shopping bag repeatedly up and down in the "bag area" until the wretched thing cries out for assistance on its own.

🤣👍🏻