Have we come round to self-service checkouts?

What people are seeing is the disappearance of a job that suits many people who have part time jobs. The supermarkets love this self-checkout because it means that YOU are doing the drone work that they paid someone else to do.
Is this seriously an improvement? Right now, there’s a double exit, with manned checkouts and self-checkouts. If self checkouts become the ONLY checkout, there will be even bigger queues than exist now, with no comeback on the shop, just hollering at slow customers who can’t do it quickly…
My life is worth more than being a supermarket checkout queen. I like service. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water…

With the terrible effect of so much unemployment on the economy and on people, why are we cutting down on yet more jobs?

The benefit to the shopper of self-service checkouts is that it is only necessary to handle each item once: pick up from the basket, scan and put immediately into a carrier bag. With the staff operated checkout, the shopper has to handle each item twice: (1) pick up from the basket and place on the conveyor and (2) pick up after scanning and place in the carrier bag. All the shop assistant has to do is to scan items as quickly as possible; it’s the shopper that does all the work.
Another advantage of the self-service machine is that it counts small change and shows a running total of the balance remaining, so it is convenient to off-load small change. By contrast, when a shop assistant is waiting to be given money it is tempting to whip out a note and be given change, thus increasing the weight of coins carried around in the pocket.
Thirdly, at the self-service checkout I don’t mind using a credit/debit card for payment, even for small amounts. I feel that a shop assistant at a standard checkout might frown on me for offering a credit card for an amount less that £10. Recently, I’ve decided to make more use of my payment cards to avoid handling money, as I’ve read that notes and coins are often contaminated by other people’s faeces.
Finally, I use self-service checkouts because I can be rude to the robotic voice without causing offence. If asked for a Clubcard I often reply “You STUPID woman, I’ve told you before I haven’t got a Clubcard!”. It’s one way of venting anger at Clubcard time-wasting.

As someone who operates the self scan checkouts, the reputation these machines have is unfair. I spend my entire shift biting my tongue as customers regularly s**g off the machines to me and rant about how much they hate them. If you hate them so much, please, dont use them. It appears that many customers who use the self scan machines, do not have an understanding of how they work.

The main issues:

1. Scanning an item and then messing around trying to get it in the bag in the ‘right’ way before placing it in the ‘bagging area’ (this is a SCALE, it weighs items so it can check that the item you have scanned is the one you have placed in the bagging area. To prevent for example scanning a 60p chocolate bar and placing a TV in the bagging area).

It is HIGHLY ADVISABLE to scan all items through and pack after the shop however many customers are able to scan and pack without an issue as long as each item is placed in the bag and left alone, not constantly picked up, put back down or shuffled around. If this is your requirement, go through a manned checkout where you can mess around with your items to your hearts content, but dont expect the machine to understand whats happening when it has a scan code that gives it a weight to match up, and then this weight is coming on, going off etc etc.

2. Taking a large trolley load through a self scan machine with a small bagging area. This makes absolutely no sense to me and will always take far longer than going through a manned checkout. So please no comments about how it is supposed to be quicker.

3. Unexpected item in bagging area. This happens when: customers take too long to place the item in the bagging area, customers scan an item incorrectly, or when an items weight has been entered into the system incorrectly causing the machine to recognise the weight as an error. 90% of the time if you arent messing around with the items in the bagging area, this doesnt happen. It often is abused by people stealing from supermarkets as self scan attendants are so used to having to quickly clear the prompt without thoroughly checking the bagging area due to irate customers. In reality if the machine says unexpected item, 7 times out of 10 it is correct, something has been entered incorrectly. However due to how irate customers get, although it would be easy to explain what has happened to cause the machine to respond in this way, this is not done as customers then become defensive and irritable.

4. People who complain about approval needed. Please note. The machine does not have the ability to look at you and judge your age. Clearly approval will be required for absolutely all age restricted items on self scan checkouts. If this offends you or irritates you that you are being held up, please feel free to go to a manned checkout. It is essential for public safety that this procedure is followed. NB: Tesco self scan checkouts do not request approval for the purchase of paracetamol. This is illegal due to both age and quantity restrictions and Watchdog are investigating.

5. When using self scan checkouts the public appear to lose the ability to either hear or read. The machine gives instructions clearly for most eventualities if you would just look up and see what the message on screen says.

6. Swiping a baguette in front of the scanner as if it were a light saber, will not result in the barcode being read, so throwing said baguette at the screen is unnecessary.

7. Whistling self scan attendants as if they were dogs is not acceptable.

8. Neither is grabbing them physically.

9. If a self scan attendant is with another customer and you can see them assisting the other customer, please dont persist in shouting. One at a time. There is a traffic light system on the self scan machines and the attendant will attend asap.

10. The assumptions made by the general public about supermarket workers to be frank are disgusting and discriminatory. My friend with 2 degrees who is working on her masters and working part time has been told she must be stupid as she is working in a supermarket. This is not an isolated incident. The people who do work there full-time do a sterling job in my opinion to remain upbeat and customer orientated on the majority of occasions despite having the same conversation upwards of 300 times per shift and being subject to a complete lack of respect.

11. Men. If you come across an attractive female on your checkout, please. Just because you’ve got her trapped doesnt mean its a free pass. Try to show some respect. Also frequent comments about how her hair looks better…how old she looks… flabbergasted. Would never dream of having that conversation with a random shopworker who has to put up with whatever comments you choose to make, when actually, her skin is crawling.

12. Please for everyones information: If the lights above the window where you scan the items is RED, this means the scanner is OFF. GREEN for GO, RED for STOP.

I also work on the manned checkouts. I do not mind taking my time scanning the items as I believe customer service is of the upmost importance. I will gladly pack for customers and regularly do so. I try to ensure all customers are made aware of any promotions they may have missed and particularly take my time ensuring the elderly customers of which we have a lot, are not flustered and are well looked after. HOWEVER. I accept this is not always the experience with checkout attendants. One point of interest I will mention is that manned checkout workers are targeted on the number of items they scan per minute, and can lose their job if this is consistently too low. The target in one supermarket is 22 items per minute. This is a fairly fast pace. For me as I work part time to fund my postgraduate degree, this is not an issue. For full time workers this may be more important.

Anyway. Just some thoughts.

Does anyone know the legal stand point when a self serve machine at the supermarket repeatedly refuses to take my banknote in payment……do I still have to ‘force’ payment?