SultanOfSwing

Maf'ks would just try to separate it out into two transactions or something it bet, but I love the giant alarm idea to shame them into being sensible and going through a normal aisle.

And then we get to the big one - the aisles themselves. Why do they have 20 of them, when there's only ever 5 open even on a Saturday morning when we're 5-6 deep at each one? I've never even seen all of them open at Thanksgiving or Christmas either.

scrubbedexpat091

Do you buy airline tickets online? Check in online?

if yes, both those example cost people their jobs that needed jobs, and less hours for those who survived all the cut backs.

Why such the fuss over self check outs in retail?

Look at how much automation has cut jobs in the last 100 years in manufacturing, compare a manufacturing plant today vs 50 years ago.

Automation is coming and nothing we can do to stop it, the stores around me that use self check out pretty much don't staff cashier lanes anymore except during very peak busy periods, so no choice but to use self check out, the stores don't want cashiers and within the next 5-8 years I would say most major big box stores will have done away with cashiers completely.

Our skytrain (public transit) has been automated since it was built in the 80's, like airport trains that go between terminals but on a much larger scale.

SultanOfSwing

They should have the self checkouts (they will always need at least one employee to field questions, and unbreak the broken machines that didn't like how fast you were scanning), and then staff the rest of their ****ing aisles at peak times, thereby killing two birds with one stone.

Not using self checkouts on principle is a nice idea, and I understand the sentiment, but let's not pretend that the retailers aren't just going to cut corners, costs and therefore employees elsewhere anyway.

scrubbedexpat091

Pet peeve when family expects you to drop your life for something in their life and get all pissy when you say you can't because work, we are not all professionals with weekends off and the ability to just take days off.

zargof

It wouldn't surprise me if they start charging you a fee for using a cashier instead of self checkout in the future.

SultanOfSwing

Wouldn't be in the least bit surprising. Boo-hoo, it's your fault we have to employ people and pay them a living wage so we'll jam a fee up your ass.

Leslie

Which really pisses me off because my whole thinking is ... "Why should I use the self check-out if they're not going to give me a discount?"

BEVS

UUmmss.

I'm not very good with self-service checkouts , not that there are many. I can think of only two places.
Usually a cashier comes to assist .

I'm the same with the check-in / get luggage machine at our local airport but at least there I can see I am merely one of a crowd of confused people.

scrubbedexpat091

I am sure its a matter of time.

Steerpike

Have there been studies on the amount of losses due to theft / accidents with self-checkout at stores? When I first saw them, I was shocked and assumed theft would be rampant. I guess as long as the losses don't add up to an annual salary, then they don't care too much.

I was thrilled to see self-checkout at the Costco in Scottsdale; still not implemented at the Costco in Concord, CA ...

spouse of scouse

Yep, same here. They employ less staff, you do the scanning and packing, and the price is the same. I won't use them unless I only have a couple of things, the check-out queues are long and I'm in a hurry. Not often all three align!

spouse of scouse

If an item hasn't been scanned, whether at a staffed or self checkout, an alarm sounds as you exit the store.

spouse of scouse

When I did my shopping this morning, there was a huge queue at the self-checkouts and only one register open - a '12 items or less' one. I would have cheated an gone through that one, but Sultan would have tracked me down and killed me.

SultanOfSwing

Under normal circumstances, you're damn right (though I wouldn't have killed you, just stood behind you and tutted loudly), but if it was the only aisle open, that's on the store. There should always be at least two regular aisles open at all times.

With that said, IMO, self checkout should only be for people with less than 10 items as well. If you take a full trolley through one of those, you deserve an entire month of marker-top shits.

spouse of scouse

Self checkouts are the norm rather than the exception now where I live. Supermarkets, hardware stores, they're bloody everywhere.

Glad to hear you wouldn't kill me, tutting I can deal with. I've been told by shop staff to go through an express checkout when I've had more than the allowed number of items, because it's the only checkout open. I've only taken them up on it a couple of times, and I did get 'chatted' by the woman behind me once. I pointed to the staff member and told her to take it up with him - which she did, very loudly