Vulcanoid

Depends on the machine. Safeway ones ask if you want cashback, Superstore ones don't.

Danny B

I love self service.

The trick is, when you are at Canadian Tire, buy a large tool box and discreetly fill it up with small, but expensive items. When you get to the self checkout ring through the tool box but not the other items. This is an excellent method to save money.

That story is a common occurrence at my branch of C Tire, told by my Wife who is a cashier there who opens up all the boxes when the over weight alarm goes off.

Jerseygirl

Haha...that would work if the toolbox weighed the same full of things as it does empty.

cxx

I will always use a self checkout if one's available, and will avoid store that don't have them. I can't stand the lazy people who stand watching the cashier scan the items then wait for the cashier to bag them up! Self checkout has the added advantage that you bag the items youself so you don't put the heaviest possible item on top of the most fragile which is what happens in Sobeys where they offer a (absolutely useless) bagging service.
People around these parts refuse to use self service as they claim it means less jobs but given the utterly useless job done by the baggers I can't say that worries me.

scrubbedexpat091

I know grocery stores have a problem with people say putting the code in for regular apples or grapes or whatever but actually having organic version.

I am surprised No Frills doesnt use self check out. I wish they did. They are so busy and only have like 3 lanes opens out of 5 total. They could put in a dozen self check out and and speed the experience up.

Can easily spend 10 or 15 mins in line at our local No Frills waiting and their cashiers are slow but customers do the bagging.

scilly

Our Safeways are now owned by Sobeys, to our detriment!

I hate the new owners .......... they make us buy what they want us to buy, or else shop elsewhere. They did with the west what they did in Quebec ............ spent many millions expecting Quebec and the West to be like the Maritimes. The guy who did both acquisitions lost his job about a year after the move into the West fiasco. Unfortunately, we seem to be stuck with them, unlike Quebec, where I think Sobeys eventually offloaded the stores.

However, they still operate the same way ......... the feeder conveyor belt is to the right of the cashier, she/he passes an item over the scanner, the bag stands on a low shelf to the left, and she/he puts the item straight into the bag.

As long as you, the shopper, puts items on the belt in the order that you want them packed, then everything is OK. The eggs do not go in the bottom of the bag .

Dorothy

The ones here do.

cxx

You have my sympathies. We've tried repeatedly to place the items in packing order and sometimes it helps but here some stores have a cashier and a bag packer, and if you get the bag packer they just randomly grab stuff off the conveyor belt and stuff it into bags. I usually chase them away and pack myself which seems to be frowned upon.

scilly

We used to have bag packers at the Safeway but they were done away with at least 10 years ago .......... but ours were pretty good at packing, only rarely did the eggs go to the bottom of a bag!

Packing bags yourself is frowned on at our Safeway, not sure about others, although some people do it ............. but in fact the cashier can pack the bags faster than most of the customers partly because the arrangement is so well thought out, everything is about the same level from the belt to the scanner to the opening of the bag on its low shelf.

The "you can only buy what we tell you" aspect that I notice most is that they now only stock Eveready batteries. No other choice. We prefer Duracell as they seem to last longer in our torches etc ........... so we have to go elsewhere to buy them.

That doesn't count of course the Safeway own brands that in many respects were better than the Sobeys own brands that have replaced them.

Of course, we could change our shopping habits, it isn't as if we don't have a lot of choice .............. but we happen to prefer to shop locally! Our patience is slowly being tried though

BristolUK

Well there's no accounting for different experiences is there. I find, without exception, that Sobeys staff are absolutely brilliant at packing stuff at one particular location (VH) and pretty good at the other I use (Mountain Rd).

Everything gets packed evenly and every space used. They ask me if I want "all this in one bag" because it may be too heavy and they absolutely make a point of not putting things on top of eggs and soft things.

As far as I'm concerned Sobeys is the absolute standard for service and whenever I come across someone who's done a good job I tell them they're good enough for Sobeys or if it already is Sobeys, I tell them they should be promoted to the best one.

One of the top packers at Sobeys VH is even a bloke. That's rare.

BristolUK

I've only seen the 'packer' at the Co-op (before it closed) and then only kids doing it for charity donations.

Atlantic Xpat

Nay in the UK (where they are prevalent) if the purchase involves alcohol as all benefits of using a self checkout to get out faster are negated by waiting for some spotty herbert to come and confirm that I'm over 18. Obviously never be a problem in Canada what with the state controlled distribution of booze monopoly and all that!

rawsalad

Certainly very very slow last I went. Nowhere near the Aldi speed I'm used to and even slower than Tesco!

BristolUK

Quite right too. Not only is it their job but as far as I'm concerned they are more expert at it than I am; they do it so much more than I do.

Of course there are exceptions.

Chill out. Put yourself in their shoes, customer after customer...

Rules of grocery shopping:
1) Don't change lanes - the one you move to will suffer some sort of malfunction or awkward customer.
2) If you have stuff you want bagged first, put it on the belt first.
3) If you want something done a certain way, say so. Don't assume the cashier will know because there will be someone who likes the opposite.
4) It takes as long as it takes. And a bit more. Huffing, sighing etc will not speed it up. If you're short of time, go earlier.

scilly

I would add to far too many people ..............

5. Get off that b***** phone! It's extremely rude and discourteous to be involved in a conversation when you're dealing with a sales person. Shows you don't think they are worth your attention!