No self check-out at Costco

[Nick1994]

I really like the self checkout machines, and only go to a cashier when I have tons of groceries and it would take too long to do it myself. I'd much rather do it myself than wheel my cart into the lane with the weirdo cashier that works there.

 

[DBMaster]

I was in the local Wal Mart Neighborhood Market recently. I always use the self checkout myself. In this case I don't think they had any manned checkout open. A guy asked a store employee where the cashier was. The employee told him to please use the self checkout. His reply was, "I'm sorry, but I don't work for Wal Mart." It was all I could do to keep from cracking up. But, you know, he's right. I do know people, including my mom, who will not use self checkouts.

 

[andrewg]

I avoid Costco when practical. Almost ALWAYS packed full of obese families looking to serve that gluttony lifestyle.

The employees are rarely helpful...and the annoying old ladies always trying to have you sample some glop on a cracker (if you can get past the behemoths...mouths watering...eight deep).

No doubt they have great prices and pretty good quality.....if you don't mind overwhelming consumerism and Americans at our worst.

Just my opinion.

 

[MalfunctionProne]

If there is no security then it is ridicously easy to steal from with those Self Checkout machines.

 

[MalfunctionProne]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I was in the local Wal Mart Neighborhood Market recently. I always use the self checkout myself. In this case I don't think they had any manned checkout open. A guy asked a store employee where the cashier was. The employee told him to please use the self checkout. His reply was, "I'm sorry, but I don't work for Wal Mart." It was all I could do to keep from cracking up. But, you know, he's right. I do know people, including my mom, who will not use self checkouts.

Though more people view it as a convenience, and dont perhaps like interacting with cashiers.. This is an "interesting" take.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
It is rare for me that the self checkout only involves myself. It usually gets jacked up on the weight of the item, code won't scan, or I'm buying beer and I need assistance to finish the transaction anyhow. I usually stand there waiting for someone to come help me.


When self checkouts were first being implemented, I ran into these situations a lot, but over the past couple of years they seem to have ironed out a lot of these issues.

I remember when Home Depot first started using them, the scale would get hung up on small packs of hardware, or small packs of sandpaper. Now they let you just "skip bagging" and go on to the next item without an employee doing an override.

I have to say, Wal-Mart's self checkouts have gotten pretty good, at least locally. The attendant is always there, and they are good about spotting things that will require their input and keeping things moving quickly. For example, when I have bought beer at the self checkout, the attendant comes right up before I even scan anything else and has me scan the beer first so they can go ahead and punch in their override code.

While I understand the arguments for having actual cashiers, I do appreciate a self-checkout option being offered, especially in stores with a large volume of customers. It just makes sense...if I'm just buying a few things and want to get in and out quickly, I don't want to spend half my time in the store standing around in line behind people with 5000 things and a coupon for every one of them. That's not how I'm trying to spend my time. In fact, I avoid certain stores at certain times if I think that's what I am likely to encounter.

Self-checkouts will not completely get rid of cashiers; there will always be a need or demand for an actual person to help out. It doesn't make sense to make EVERY customer stand around and wait though. Especially with stores refusing to man more than a couple registers at a time. I don't think self-checkouts have eliminated jobs...the jobs were already eliminated. For as long as I can remember, big box stores have never had more than a couple registers open at one time. The self-checkouts just make service/wait time better for customers.

 

[javacontour]

Let's do the math.

Costco: Two pounds is $5.98 + 40 minutes of your time. or ($2.99 +20min)/pound.

Winco: One pound is ($4.18 +5min) pound.

For 35 minutes more of your time, you saved
$1.19/pound. Let's assume you would get two pounds at Winco, costing 2.38 more.

Apparently, you are willing to work for $4.08/hour if I've done my math right.

My time is worth something, I'd probably have gone to Winco for a pound or two of cheese.


Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I was there for 40 minutes the other day waiting to buy a single block of cheese. People waiting in line in front of me with their giant Costco carts piled high to the ceiling. You think any of those people would offer to let me go ahead of them? Not in a million years. The most selfish self absorbed people in the world shop at Costco. Over at Winco with their self check out machines, I would've been in and out of there in 5 minutes, but it's $5.98 for two pounds against $4.18 for one pound at Winco.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Let's do the math.

Costco: Two pounds is $5.98 + 40 minutes of your time. or ($2.99 +20min)/pound.

Winco: One pound is ($4.18 +5min) pound.

For 35 minutes more of your time, you saved
$1.19/pound. Let's assume you would get two pounds at Winco, costing 2.38 more.

Apparently, you are willing to work for $4.08/hour if I've done my math right.

My time is worth something, I'd probably have gone to Winco for a pound or two of cheese.


Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I was there for 40 minutes the other day waiting to buy a single block of cheese. People waiting in line in front of me with their giant Costco carts piled high to the ceiling. You think any of those people would offer to let me go ahead of them? Not in a million years. The most selfish self absorbed people in the world shop at Costco. Over at Winco with their self check out machines, I would've been in and out of there in 5 minutes, but it's $5.98 for two pounds against $4.18 for one pound at Winco.
Yup, my time is everything. I'd much rather spend a lot more money on something that I can get without having to deal with stupidity, such as Walmart in December.

 

[spackard]

BTW, I assume your Costco's have guys who go out with an RF-based scan gun and prescan your shopping cart, and the next cart, and the next cart, while someone is checking out. Then, all you do is roll up, say "yes, that's my cart", present payment, and are on your way.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: spackard
BTW, I assume your Costco's have guys who go out with an RF-based scan gun and prescan your shopping cart, and the next cart, and the next cart, while someone is checking out. Then, all you do is roll up, say "yes, that's my cart", present payment, and are on your way.


I have seen this a few times in different stores, but never at my Costco. It has happened at Sam's. Boy, it was nice! But, alas, that's an extra employee or two that Wal Mart corporation would be loathe to dedicate to something as pointless as "customer service."

 

[MalfunctionProne]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
Originally Posted By: spackard
BTW, I assume your Costco's have guys who go out with an RF-based scan gun and prescan your shopping cart, and the next cart, and the next cart, while someone is checking out. Then, all you do is roll up, say "yes, that's my cart", present payment, and are on your way.


I have seen this a few times in different stores, but never at my Costco. It has happened at Sam's. Boy, it was nice! But, alas, that's an extra employee or two that Wal Mart corporation would be loathe to dedicate to something as pointless as "customer service."


Walmart has customer service?

I used to love me some Walmart. Now I love Amazon.com. Though Walmart is still OK.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I was there for 40 minutes the other day waiting to buy a single block of cheese. People waiting in line in front of me with their giant Costco carts piled high to the ceiling. You think any of those people would offer to let me go ahead of them? Not in a million years. The most selfish self absorbed people in the world shop at Costco. Over at Winco with their self check out machines, I would've been in and out of there in 5 minutes, but it's $5.98 for two pounds against $4.18 for one pound at Winco.

Let me see if I have this right. You KNOW what Costco is like (always busy, long lines) and yet you go there to buy a single block of cheese to save at most a couple of dollars. Then you condescendingly complain about the "People waiting in line in front of me with their giant Costco carts piled high to the ceiling" not letting you go in front of them.

Am I the only one that sees the selfishness and bad attitude here? Reminds me of the bad attitudes I see on the roadways.

Let me add to this: As a rule if I see a person behind me with one item I usually offer to let them go in front of me ESPECIALLY if I am still unloading my items from the cart unto the belt. It is an act of generosity on my part NOT a requirement.

 

[dlundblad]

I too am surprised to see Merk using self checkout. Good job my friend!

This is why I like them.. They are very convenient. I'd rather take 20 plus items down a lane though depending on how busy the store is. All the old geezers would much rather wait the 40 minutes for one item so it's hardly busy the times I go shopping.

 

[Cutehumor]

Sam's club has self checkouts. costco pays their employees very well I heard, so they must skimp on the self checkout techology.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Let's do the math.

Costco: Two pounds is $5.98 + 40 minutes of your time. or ($2.99 +20min)/pound.

Winco: One pound is ($4.18 +5min) pound.

For 35 minutes more of your time, you saved
$1.19/pound. Let's assume you would get two pounds at Winco, costing 2.38 more.

Apparently, you are willing to work for $4.08/hour if I've done my math right.

My time is worth something, I'd probably have gone to Winco for a pound or two of cheese.


I don't see how this math is valid especially for someone who is either retired or has nothing going on that day. People normally aren't paid to grocery shop either so I don't see how he's "making" $4.08 an hr. by waiting on some cheese. It would only cost him more money to stop what hes doing and go elsewhere.

The vast majority of retired people I see are always in a hurry. I don't understand that.. I'd rather be out and about than rushing through a grocery store only to make it back home with nothing to do.

To top it all off, they are in a hurry but refuse to use self checkout. I feel people should work in retail at least once in their live to get an attempt at understanding the human race.

 

[javacontour]

It's valid math. He avoided spending $2.38 by spending an 35 minutes at one store he wouldn't have spent at another.

If that's how he wants to spend his time, that's fine with me. If it were me, I value my free time even more than my work hours. (Time and a half or double-time wages.)

Just explaining the dollar value of the time spent based on how much was save vs how much time was spent.

Maybe there is a certain intangible, having something more to complain about.

Now get off my lawn!

 

[Garak]

Merk, my view is that Costco is mainly for bulk purchases, so I absolutely stay the heck out of there for small purchases and at busy times. Everyone else there is buying inordinately large quantities of something, and I sure don't want to be in line behind them.

 

[andrewg]

I'm surprised that such a...well....mundane topic as a self-checkout line, fills up four pages! Really? It's that much of a hot topic? I don't get it...but ok.

I can't recall if my local Costco has one or not. I would never go into that place and expect to be out quickly. I suppose if it doesn't have one, it might help.....but I doubt it.

Small purchase? Why go to Costco then? To save a few bucks? Is it really worth it? Then I guess a person would just need to accept that if you want to save money on something....you'll end up paying for it in some other way....like with time and inconvenience.

Four pages of discussion about a self-checkout line? Wow.

 

[Trav]

So your time is only worth circa $4 and change an hour. You knew they didn't have self checkout when you went there, even if you didn't you elected to stand in line and waste your time.
Now its someone elses fault you wasted your time because they wouldn't let you in front of them and waste theirs? Please.

 

[Patman]

Costco definitely needs a ten items or less express lane! My wife and I go to Costco once a week, and most times that we go there we only get about 4 or 5 items, yet we end up waiting 10 minutes or more in line. It's quite frustrating. Then you wait another 5 minutes to just to leave the building too, while the person at the exit checks every single person's receipt coming out to make sure they haven't stolen anything (what's up with that nonsense anyhow?)