Opinion on "express self scan" checkouts?

[Vern_in_IL]

Walmart is really pushing these, typical scan your own sheet b.s.

If I only had one or two items, yeah, but it is totally BS if you have a full cart. Kroger doing this as well. I want a bagger and paper bags please!

 

[MrMoody]

Yes, someone who does it all day can do it a lot faster than I can, especially with the self service registers crippled the way they are, waiting for you to bag each item etc. Assuming the cashier resists the urge to chat instead of working.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I think they are perfect when I just have a few items...saves me from getting behind the person who goes to the cashier with three items and then takes 15 minutes to pay for whatever stupid reason.
I didn't like them at first, but my wife started using them right away and I got hooked quickly.

 

[SZR48207]

It's the only way I shop anymore.

 

[Chris142]

I hate them. I always end up having to get an associate to approve something I have like ammo or spray paint. Might as well go to the regular checker.

 

[FlyNavyP3]

The most frustrating part of these is the inevitability of someone else in front of you who takes an eternity to scan a seemingly small pile of stuff that takes what seems like an hour to find a bar code scan it and deposit the item in the bag. Then comes the fiasco of them trying to pay at the end. I don't mind these if there's no line and I only have a few items, full cart I want a human cashier and bagger. I also prefer paper.

 

[lewdwig]

I use the 20 items max self scan at Meijer...I've learned 20 was a much smaller number when I went to school.

 

[skyactiv]

It's not just Walmart. Home Depot, Kroger, Meijer and a bunch of other retailers have them.
If I'm buying lube in the pharmacy section, I'd rather use a self check out.

 

[rshaw125]

Went to Sam's club yesterday. They have doubled their self check outs. Customers were complaining because they had loads of items and the regular check outs were 3 - 4 deep.
I went to Aldi after and got some deals. None in Sam's. I think I'll go to Aldi more often.

 

[javacontour]

It wouldn't be so bad if the machines were not so dreadfully slow. If I could scan and bag at the rate cashiers are allowed to do so, that would be great.

But the machines are so much slower.

Computers are fast enough, they should be waiting on the human, not the human waiting on the machine to let me scan the next item.

I really hate the self-checkouts as they are cumbersome and slow.

Originally Posted by Vern_in_IL
Walmart is really pushing these, typical scan your own sheet b.s.

If I only had one or two items, yeah, but it is totally BS if you have a full cart. Kroger doing this as well. I want a bagger and paper bags please!

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted by Vern_in_IL
Walmart is really pushing these, typical scan your own sheet b.s.

If I only had one or two items, yeah, but it is totally BS if you have a full cart. Kroger doing this as well. I want a bagger and paper bags please!


Last time I went to Walmart I noticed they added a whole bunch of self scan checkouts ... I think there were only two normal checkouts open and about 6 or 7 self checkouts going. Probably a cost cutting move - less checkers required.

 

[PimTac]

Some just do not want to change. Remember the old cash registers where the number keys were depressed and then the cashier pulled on the side lever? I do.

These scan it yourself machines are getting better and better. What is better is the technology to scan the items yourself as you shop rather than doing it up front. Either a scan device at the store or using your smartphone.

Fred Meyers (Kroger) near me is doing this now with a device you get at the entrance. This is the next step.

What I also like about Fred Meyers is that they have assistants at the scan stations. Last week she did all the scanning for me since we had a bit of stuff. I really appreciated that.

 

[cjcride]

Getting used to them now.
The stores should give a 1 or 2 % discount to encourage more use of them.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by FlyNavyP3
The most frustrating part of these is the inevitability of someone else in front of you who takes an eternity to scan a seemingly small pile of stuff that takes what seems like an hour to find a bar code scan it and deposit the item in the bag. Then comes the fiasco of them trying to pay at the end. I don't mind these if there's no line and I only have a few items, full cart I want a human cashier and bagger. I also prefer paper.
I find it the other way around: people are trying to price match, paying with exact change, taking forever to find their cards, not being able to scan a points card (my personal favorite). It depends on the cashier, how busy the store is and the age of people in the line.

 

[simple_gifts]

Not doing it until I see 10% discount on my cost.

Might as well leave the crap on the truck and give me some box cutters and access to a pallet truck. WT....

Went to McDonalds and they had a robot ordering system; took me 1 minute to order one item, rather than 5 seconds, and I walk up to the counter and the girl is playing on her cell phone with her back turned toward me.

I guess companies think training 1 person to train 6000 others is cheaper than just having a well trained cashier.

A friend of mine moved from running a register to supervising 4 self checkouts. The upside is she doesn't have to worry about the $$ drawer.

 

[Kestas]

I use them as an opportunity to get rid of my excess pennies and small change, and to break a $20 bill.

 

[Kruse]

A couple of months ago, I was driving through Purcell, Oklahoma after dark and I noticed that I had a headlight out on my F250. I pulled into the local WM to get a replacement headlight and as I walked into the store, I noticed that it was extremely crowded and that they only had a single checkout counter that had a cashier. The rest were self-checkouts. I managed to find a replacement headlight bulb and then headed to the self-checkouts. I had left my wallet in my vehicle, but had a $20 bill in my pocket. After waiting about 10 minutes in the self-checkout line (the single checkout line with a live person was much longer), I managed to scan my headlight at the self-checkout and proceeded to pay.....only to find out that it did not accept cash!
Of the ten self-checkouts, only two of them accepted cash and I had to wait in line all over again.
Okay, I can see their plan to eliminated cashiers. But having their plan to eliminate cash sales really burned my buns that night.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I am getting more accustomed to the self-scans, as long as they work correctly. Meijer self-scanners are sensitive to the bagging area, sometimes not recognizing you have a lightweight item in the bag. The conveyors at Meijer are also sensitive, not recognizing lightweight items either.

Then sometimes, the scanning computer stops and it calls for an associate to help you. In other words, you can't scan anymore - not until someone comes over and uses a bunch of numerical keys - or even a real key, to unlock it for your next item.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by Chris142
I hate them. I always end up having to get an associate to approve something I have like ammo or spray paint. Might as well go to the regular checker.


Same here however, I have been having better success lately without issues. When there is a problem with the scanner, an associate is near by to help. So I can say that it's getting better.

 

[MNgopher]

The reason the speed doesn't keep up with what the cashiers scanner can is because the system is weighing what you've scanned when you put it in the bag. That is part of the loss control mechanism - that you've actually put the scanned item in the bag. That is a problem on featherweight items, when the scale has to handle much more weight than measuring things that sensitively.

I'll use them when they save me time and I don't have something weird to scan.