Supermarket checkouts

Guess it depends on the customers and perhaps age related our self services are always full and the 2 or 3 check out little used
I much prefer to do it myself

I use self scanners and have done since covid . It’s so much easier , just scan and pack into your bag . No unpacking on the conveyor belt and then packing again . You need a staff member for alcohol and painkillers ,
If I’ve a few items I go to the self service machines .
A friend works in Sainsbury’s and she says the till staff are redeployed to picking for online shopping or restocking shelves . So the staff aren’t losing their jobs.

Septimia

A matter of principle?

I hate self-service checkouts (except for one or two items) as something invariably goes wrong and I have to wait for a member of staff to sort it out!

That’s EXACTLY what I was about to say! I have tried doing self service, really I have, but have never managed it yet without calling someone. Also, an employee at my local Tesco whom I have got to know quite well over the years, told me that management were encouraging self-service so they could cut down on staff! Logical and probably the right thing to do economically, but what a shame it would be not to be able to exchange a few words with the checkout person while my food is being scanned?

I do like the zapper that you scan as you go, only Tesco have them in our area, but I must admit I have the big shops delivered and only ever go in if I need just a few things , I have done big shops with it in the past but I hate it when the staff come to do a spot check as they disrupt my packing. I don't mind that staff need to authorise items as in ours at least ,during busy times, they have 3/4 staff on these tills. I remember many years ago , going to an out of town store on an Christmas and the queues were horrendous 6 people waiting at each till and about 20 tills open ,everyone had large trolleys full to the top on , a young couple waiting to check out with just two rolls of wrapping paper, unfortunately nobody was in a good mood and they waited a while before they were moved to the front , self service is a dream for those situations.

twiglet77

I always use a hand-held scanner where possible, so I can pack straight into my own bags and don’t have to unload onto the belt. Sometimes it calls for a random check but that’s more than compensated by the time saving over the course of a month.

I much prefer this method of shopping too, it really does cut down the time spent in supermarket queues.

In my local store the other night I was queueing behind people with large trollies piled high. I refuse to use the self-serve as I break them and staff have to come anyway.

A staff member who is familiar to me spotted me and said she would help me on the self-serve, which she did whilst we chatted. The only thing I had to do was enter my card, she packed it all well and I think this was the right solution for me at the time.

If I have to use one I often pretend to be useless and get help. It is not right that jobs should be lost and the public be doing their jobs without pay.

If they offered say, 20% discount on the self serve then that would be a fair payment I think.

Random question - does anybody remember those deep “trolley bags” Sainsbury’s used to sell which had wooden dowelling as handles. They were made of a plasticised fabric with a twirly sort of Art Nouveau Sainsbugs logo and they were as deep as the bigger deep trolleys?
They were a brilliant idea, you could fit three across a big trolley thus holding everything BUT when you got to your car, the damn things were too heavy (and of course deep) to lift clear of the trolley and into the boot.
I wonder why they never really caught on?

I like scan and go, or whatever it’s called in different shops. Food packed in bags in the order I want it, no unpacking and repacking and only the occasional 12 item check.
Many staff have been redeployed and some prefer to be on the move picking for home deliveries rather than sitting at a till all day, though I don’t know if they’re given the option.
My DGS says no option, but then he likes to be on the move and it makes the day pass quicker.

At least it’s not like the banks, where the use of ATMs and credit cards has meant loss of jobs and bank closures.

I’ve just popped to Tesco for a few bits it was heaving with already long queues at tills. There are 10 self scan tills 5 of which were not being used I was at the till less than 2 minutes even though I had to have security tags removed it’s a no brainier isn’t it? Really! the more you do it the less things go wrong. There and back in 25 mins. Give it a try when it’s a quiet day and you’ll never go back to manned tills.

Ah Maw funny you should mention those bags. On my exit from Tesco last week I noticed a woman who had some smaller versions of those bags in her trolley.

Self service isn't quicker for a large shop. Trained checkout operators are bound to be faster at beeping the products through while you pack (at waist height too, so no stooping). On a self checkout you are doing both jobs. I use self check outs regularly for small to medium shopping but for large amounts they really are slower. You also have to wait for restricted products to be confirmed or any other blips in the system.

I won’t use scan and go as I am not loyal to one supermarket but shop around. Self check every time for me unless a big shop, but M&S Simply Food near me does not have enough self scan tills. There are always queues. I understand that in large M&S stores there are even self scan on clothing departments. Can see abuse happening there 🤔

I always use the normal checkouts. I am not in a hurry and now know several of the people on the checkouts and have had many pleasant chats to people in the queue. It makes shopping more than just buy groceries.

I think people cofuse self scan and with self check out. Self checkout yes its probably quicker at a manned check out for a big shop but self scan means you scan the item and put in your bag there is no scanning at the till as you've already scanned and packed it. One zap into the till and pay. But each to their own. 🎅🎄✨️

Happy Christmas xx

I never use the self service check out as I consider it is doing someone out of a job. Yesterday the queues at the manned check outs were moving faster than the self service ones as there seemed to be lots of problems.

Just been into Marks, heaving. Long queues even for the self service. Staff sent us to the clothing self service, which was much quicker

I am with you oldwoman and don’t use self scan for the same reason.

Just back from a packed M&S food hall. The main problem was the men! For some reason lots of men were trying to 'help' their wives with shopping. They blocked the aisles with their trolleys, didn't know where anything was, had to discuss every choice with their wives and had lovely chats with other male shoppers. Some thought they'd be clever and not use a basket thus dropping lots of items that then needed cleaning up this blocking more aisles!
This time of year requires precision shopping by experienced shopper's who know the rules and the store layout.
Rant over. .....and relax!

That apostrophe was nothing to do with me. Phone!!

husband always goes self service but when i try flipping lights flash or it says object not recognised or I have not put item in the bag when I have done it! i get so stressed and flustered I cant wait to get out of there. I stick to manned checkouts

Turned up at my local supermarket at 8.00am this morning, half an hour after it opened, so the first rush of early early customers were already on their way out. The shop was busy but everyone seemed to have a list and was working their way round the shop briskly and efficiently. I was round and out in 45 minutes, including using a manned (it was a man) till. No queue. Arrived 20 minutes early for my collection time at the turkey farm.but got it early as well and was back hme to enjoy a leiurely coffee by 10.30.

On self-service tills. They are OK only as long as you areonly buying a few items and do not put them in a bag until you have put paid. Picking a cloth bag up to put goods in before you finish shopping almost always ends up in the alarm system ringing.

They also do not work for trolley loads of goods as there is never enough space at the scanned end of the system for all the shopping and anyway, I like to put things through the scanner and straight back into my trolley where my bags are all lined up for loading and even the so-called special trolley self scanners cannot cope with that. I also find the space allocatted to self scanners is too small and cramped, especially when shoppers have pushchairs or shopping trolleys.

We’ve done the Christmas shop today, and queued for ages. The self service checkouts are my preference, but they are no good if you have a trolley full of food because the area to put yourbags to pack them just isn’t big enough for everything.

Yes, Monica it’s getting the self-scan till to recognise my cotton shopping bag that causes me most delay, especially when I have more than one bag for a small trolley shop.
The bags invariably need to be approved by a store colleague.

If I have a big shop I always use a staffed till and enjoy a pleasant chat while we work.

Popped into Sainsbury this morning although parking was a squeeze the store was running well all checkouts open and we sailed through- also bagged a nice flower vase for £8. Bargain.

I loathe grocery shopping any time of year. (Well, any shopping actually.)

We did our usual weekly shop on Thursday, then popped into Tesco’s soon after 6am on Saturday for milk and suchlike.

No intention of shopping today or Christmas Eve.

Will do this Thursday’s weekly shop on Friday, then back to normal, (thank goodness).