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afraid_of_zombies ,

Hate those things. Every time I go up them it seems like a quarter of them are broken so there is still a line. Also the guy babysitting the machines doesn’t appreciate when I yelled at the machine “EXPECT THE ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA!”. Been tempted to start randomly leaving ice cream by the machines. Oh I am sorry did the scanner get sugary syrup on it?

And now of course it is am excuse to have even less normal lines open. So the choices are dealing with crap tech or stuck behind old people with coupons.

rabiddolphin ,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

The machines don’t like when you accidentally spill cooking oil on them

Trainguyrom ,

Now that AI is getting decent, it can be quite fun coming up with creative insults when its foisted where it shouldn’t be and creates significant extra friction for otherwise mundane daily tasks.

normalexit ,

In a new stadium in my city you swipe your credit card, pick up food or drink in a little monitored area and walk out with your items. It is an interesting idea but it is also creepy. That’s probably what stores will be like eventually – at least the ones with the resources to implement something that expensive and complex.

As far as self checkout, I don’t mind it for small orders or when it is more convenient for me at the grocery store. Unexpected item in bagging is a bad consumer experience, and buying produce/alcohol is also a pain. If I feel like I am going to run into trouble I head for the traditional lines.

I really despise the ones at big box hardware stores that show a video of you checking out. I’m not stealing, don’t judge me or make me judge myself with that unflattering angle.

cranakis ,

I go to the cashier’s and try to never self checkout. It has always seemed like a way to reduce the number of employees. The price of goods sure hasn’t gone down as a result. People need jobs. These stores are rich enough. I realize that’s a little naive but that’s where I am with it.

icermiga ,

The human checkout gives a better service but the shop does not charge me differently for different checkouts. For shoppers, the equation is simple.

normalexit ,

I’d always rather shop at a store with real life helpful employees who are happy to work there because they are treated well and properly compensated. I hope companies continue to see the value in that approach.

Shellbeach ,

People need good jobs. I doubt there are tons of people whose dream job is to be a cashier.

Trainguyrom ,

you swipe your credit card, pick up food or drink in a little monitored area and walk out with your items.

The only time I used one of those was at a conference center and I was trying to get a cheap lunch. The item I wanted was out of stock in the computer system so it wouldn’t let me purchase it and the item I grabbed was charged as something else entirely (netting me a $3 discount at least)

Vending machines have been around for years and their faultiness has long been a trope in media. I’m not holding my breath for employee-less checkout

brenno ,

In Brazil I only see more and more places adopting it, does not seem a failure

Drewelite ,

I feel like this is a symptom of the writers saying, “What would make a good headline?” And not “Would this headline be misleading?”

pulpy ,

Same in Europe, it seems a success.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Business owners are told it will save them money, they’re told that everyone in the “first world” is doing it, and they’re told that customers love it.

All lies. But business owners routinely make foolish decisions in hopes of trimming costs by a few percentage points, only to discover they’ve been fucked sideways by slick marketing teams and smooth talking salesmen.

abhibeckert ,

Business owners are told it will save them money

Which translates into the customer paying less, assuming you have proper competition where the customer can choose the store next door (all shopping centres in my city have that - two competing stores that sell exactly the same products - so they have to compete on price).

they’re told that customers love it.

A lot of customers do love it. The ones that don’t can still use regular checkout. Or just ask for help at the self checkout.

It’s really not that hard, scan barcode, put in bag. Occasionally put an item on the scales and select from tomato or red apple on the touch screen. What’s difficult about that?

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Which translates into the customer paying less

That’s never how this works. Business profits go up long before customers see any kind of discount.

You get discounts when there’s a surplus of something, and the purpose of these self-check-out kiosks isn’t to create a surplus of grocery stock but to conserve and transform labor costs.

A lot of customers do love it.

I’ve never seen a customer’s eyes light up with joy upon seeing a self-checkout aisle. Customers enjoy shorter lines, but when everything is self-check out you’re still all in the same line. And self-check out is slower, so you’re often stuck in a longer line.

The one upside of self-checkout is that you don’t need staff to operate the machine, so if you’re doing a quick in-and-out handful of items purchase during a slow day, it can be faster than waiting in the one line that has everyone in the store backed up behind it. But, again, that’s because stores want to conserve on labor. Not because there’s some fundamental benefit to self-swipe. If all the aisles were fully staffed all the time, there would be no discernible benefit to self-swipe.

iarigby ,

What are they talking about, self checkouts are great. It makes the shopping experience more fair for those with fewer items

AnomanderRake ,

I feel the people who don’t like self checkout keep trying to push the idea that it’s bad or putting people out of jobs, rather than just admitting it’s convenient for most people. If i want to buy one or two items I don’t want to queue up behind 5 people with a full trolley.

mint_tamas ,

I don’t like self checkouts, but not because of that. Probably depends on what chains you go to / where in the world you live, but it was almost always very slow and full of errors for me (most of the time, incorrectly detecting the weight of either side, thus stopping the whole process and making me wait for a human to unlock it). And even if everthing goes well, I have no chance to even reach half the speed that a cashier can.

The one exception is a clothing store that used RFID tags. You put the items in the box and everything is instantly scanned, no mistakes. If it were like that everywhere, I would much prefer it.

AnomanderRake ,

I’ve never seen a clothing store using RFID tags before but that’s quite interesting technology. I’ve just done some reading up on it and I hope more places start using it it seems convenient and something I’d like to see adopted on a large scale.

GreatAlbatross ,
@GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk avatar

It’s pretty great. Though I’m sure it’s built into the price (assuming they’re talking about Uniqlo).

On the other hand, being able to walk into the supermarket, fill a trolly, then walk through an archway to get rung up…That would be pretty amazing.

havocpants ,

Don’t know what country you’re in, but Decathlon in the UK (and possibly other countries) does this. There are no traditional manned checkouts in there at all.

Nollij ,

This is a very good point- consider all of the friction points that make self-checkout slow and cumbersome. How many of them apply to manned checkouts?

The weight thing is absolutely the most frustrating, and I would put money that it’s not an effective theft deterrent.

I don’t know if it’s intentional, but the places around me seem to have largely solved the problem of cashiers being faster, by putting the slowest people on earth as cashiers…

tocopherol ,
@tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

If it always has issues it makes sense you wouldn’t like it, where I use it there are rarely any errors and there are usually regular cashiers still if you don’t want to self checkout, personally I’d rather scan my groceries than have someone else do it. I do agree it would be much better if they had an RFID system like you mention though.

topinambour_rex ,
@topinambour_rex@lemmy.world avatar

Before they put self checkout, we had a fast lane, 10items max. Now no more of fast lane.

EncryptKeeper ,

Most grocery stores I’ve been to in the U.S. have regular self checkout and express checkout 10 items or fewer.

T156 ,

Especially those ones where you can grab a hand scanner to scan your items as you go, and use it to put everything into the terminal when paying.

Spedwell ,

Having express self-checkoit is great. The Kroger near me went full-self-checkout. They have large kiosks that mimmic the traditional checkout belt kiosks, except the customer scans at the head of the belt and the items move into the bagging area.

If you have a full cart, you scan all the items, checkout, walk to the end of the belt, and bag all of your items. Takes twice as long as bagging while a cashier scans (for solo shoppers), and because of the automatic belt the next customer cannot start scanning until you finish bagging, or their items will join the pile of your items.

It effectively destroys all parallelism is the process (bagging while scanning, customers pre-loading their items with a divider while the prior customer is still being serviced), and with zero human operated checkouts running you get no choice

Nollij ,

Depending on the system you have, some of them have a divider bar halfway down for that exact purpose.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

If you have a full cart, you scan all the items, checkout, walk to the end of the belt, and bag all of your items.

Okay? But there’s no cost savings on my end and I don’t have all the codes memorized, so it takes longer than if a dedicated employee handled it.

with zero human operated checkouts running you get no choice

The humans are still there, though. They’re hovering over your shoulder to make you did the job right and you’re not buying booze under-aged and you didn’t steal anything. All the business has done is off-load the manual labor onto the customer and slowed down the checkout process as a result.

Spedwell ,

Yeah, I was complaining too. Or am I not understanding you?

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Definitely crossed our wires.

tocopherol ,
@tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I have a lot of anxiety, sure I can just ‘get over it’ or ignore it and go to the actual cashier, but I love having the ability to scan things myself, it is also much quicker because I usually have less items than most. They still have the employee there, there are still other cashiers so I’ve never seen it get too hectic where I go.

MedicPigBabySaver ,

My own bag. Hand scanner. Zip through the store while loading my bag. Easy check out. Hell no I don’t want to use the cashier line.

Snekeyes ,

I don’t think that’s what the article is talking about. The cart and hand scanner are different.

MIDItheKID ,

I know entirely too many people who don’t use the hand scanner, and it’s crazy to me. It is by far the most efficient way to shop. I get irrationally angry when there are people in the self checkout line with a whole cart of groceries. This line is not for you. Get with the times.

MedicPigBabySaver ,

Ha, as if.

gerowen , (edited )

For most of my shopping, which takes place at our local Walmart (I live in the US), I actually really like using the self-checkout. Now when we make a big grocery run, having a person there makes things easier because they can scan and bag, I can unload things onto the belt and my wife can pull bags off the little turnstile thing and put them back in our cart, but most of the time I’m just running in to grab a handful of items so when I leave I can just walk up to the kiosk, scan my stuff, scan the QR code with the Walmart app on my phone and walk out the door. It’ll auto pay with the privacy card I attached to my Walmart account and give me a digital receipt to show if somebody wants to see it at the door. They even have a thing now where you can pay a monthly subscription for “Walmart+” where you can scan and pay for your items as you shop.

lordkuri ,

monthly subscription for “Walmart+” where you can scan and pay for your items as you shop and never even have to go through the registers or kiosks at all.

This isn’t entirely true. You still have to stop by the self checkout and scan a code on the screen there and confirm a few things, but it is way faster.

gerowen ,

Thanks for clarifying. I hadn’t actually used that particular feature so I must have misunderstood the way it was worded in the app.

gerowen ,

Edited my original comment for accuracy.

MeanEYE ,
@MeanEYE@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t use self-checkout for one reason only: if I am doing the work, why am I paying the same price. It’s just another scheme by the business people to get them more money.

There are far better ways of queuing, and they can always hire more people to deal with the demand. But no, they figured out hiring fewer people makes it inconvenient for many, which is an incentive to use self checkout, which gives them even more money on top of already high margins.

Same thing with gas stations. No thanks. I’ll happily leave a tip to people providing the service, but it’s a matter of principle. You don’t go to a restaurant and rummage through their refrigerator to get the meal, nor should you serve yourself anywhere else.

gerowen ,

If I go to a buffet style restaurant like Golden Corral where there’s a long table full of precooked items, I’m gonna go up to that table and rummage around and fill my own plate, 😜

uriel238 ,
@uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

My troubles with self checkout usualy has to do with the confirmation weight scale which slows things down tremendously. Sam’s self check out featured a lack of scale (Sam’s also had a scan-as-you-go app my wife loved).

Death_Equity ,

The two places I go to that have self-checkout seem to have disabled the scales. The only thing that is an understandable hassle is having to check my ID for alcohol.

One of those places knows me well enough to authorize the sale before I can get my ID out, which might be a sign that I have a different problem than the hassle of having my ID checked at the self-checkout.

50gp ,

they also often dont work with any discounts or bulk buy

EngineerGaming ,
@EngineerGaming@feddit.nl avatar

And my biggest problem is that the self-checkouts I see in stores around me do not accept cash (even though earlier there WERE cash-accepting models - in the chain now merged with another). So even if there are faster lines to the self-checkout, that doesn’t help me much.

BorgDrone ,

Self checkouts don’t have those here. Just scan all the barcodes. What is even the point of the scales?

uriel238 ,
@uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

I believe they were introduced as an inventory control mechanism, though they got way worse as customer-supplied bags became the norm.

BorgDrone ,

But they already know what is sold by the scanned barcodes. What do the scales add to that?

uriel238 ,
@uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

It allows them to confirm what you bought is the same as what you scanned. It also makes sure you didn’t miss-count your multiple items. (Either double-scanning an item or failing to scan an item.)

Having now lived in lower-class areas and gentrified areas, stores that can afford a self-checkout kiosk tend to trust poor people less. (At the same time, they over-estimate their losses from theft or accidental shrinkage).

BorgDrone ,

Here they just do random bag checks. When you press ‘pay’ there is a chance you get a notification to wait for an employee to check your bag. They then scan a random number of items from your bag (up to 10) and see if it matches what you scanned.

rabiddolphin ,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

I want my goods squeezed out of a cold unfeeling robot’s bowels right into my home just as long as I don’t have to see another filthy human because I use linux and think I’m a fucking cyborg

Dusktracer ,

Relatable.

Mojojojo1993 ,

Fuck this bullshit article.

I fucking love self service. I don’t want to deal with people.

Just let me buy my stuff and get out. I don’t want or need small talk.

I want the disgusting supermarket shop to be as cold and sterile as possible.

I bring my own bag. I’d Honestly rather just scan everything as I go. And just pay as I walk out.

Current system is stupid. Walk around shop picking things up. Then take everything out and rebag

spinelessorange ,

There are stores trialling exactly your preferred method. One of my local supermarket chains has portable barcode scanners on a wall. You pick one up, scan your groceries as you collect them, then take the scanner to a self checkout that links to the scanner. At that point you pay for your items and leave.

icedterminal ,

Best Buy started doing this with their app. I’ve used it multiple times already. It’s so convenient. Scan the barcode with your camera in the app, it adds to the cart, pay when you’re done.

Anecdotal experience: Unfortunately, products that are locked up create a problem. I went in for two items. One of which was a single RAM stick for laptops. The employee refused to give me it even though I was literally going to pay for it on the spot as I had already collected the other item I wanted. He insisted it goes to the register per policy. I quickly got the barcode as he held it, then paid. “There. Paid for. See” as I showed him the screen. Dude was so annoyed as he handed me the RAM.

Mojojojo1993 ,

Yup had these a few years ago in UK. Just not all shops do it.

Willy ,

They aren’t just trialing it. I’ve been shopping this way for 15 years. Once the system was down so I went to another location. I won’t shop without a handheld scanner ever again.

lemmytellyousomething ,

small talk? If you start small talk in Germany, the cashier will probably be confused…

Mojojojo1993 ,

Note to self. Move to Germany.

To do list

Learn German. Get a German job

Cheap ass rent control. C’mon.

Bratwurst. Kick on

lemmytellyousomething ,

When interacting with the bus driver, make sure to say only “Hallo” when you step in. Technically, this is even optional and only 33% do that.

When leaving the bus, don’t say anything. It’d be weird.

And under no circumstances, talk to them between entering and leaving.

The only legitimate way to talk to them is when the bus stopped, you and the driver are both outside and he or she approaches you first.

SlopppyEngineer ,

Whoa there, overachiever. Saying “hello”? A curt smile, a slight nod and a passing glance. All things in moderation, after all.

lemmytellyousomething ,

We don’t smile here, unless there is a good reason.

You need to learn a lot before moving here!!!11

Mojojojo1993 ,

I don’t smile so if fit right in

lemmytellyousomething ,

Sehr gut.

philpo ,

Nah, when you are on a late night run on an (almost, max. 2 pax) empty bus, especially the last run, especially in shitty weather, it’s appropriate to say “Nacht” when you leave.

You form a special bond then and there. The driver is your hero who brings you home in the most shittiest shift.

Mojojojo1993 ,

Literally the opposite of Scotland. Must say thanks or cheers when leaving bus. Weird not to

lemmytellyousomething ,

This is like applauding the pilot after they do the absolute minimum of their job (landing the plane)…

Mojojojo1993 ,

Just common decently. Thanking a cashier. For doing their job. A sales person. A doctor/ nurse.

A cleaner. Just polite

SlopppyEngineer ,

I stopped using them. It’s always something, requiring me to wait for and deal with people.

The rack with the mobile scanners is full, and scanner not in the rack is not paying, so flag someone to deal with it.

The thing double scanned an item, and it takes someone from the shop to remove the scan, so wait and then explain.

I had a coupon, but the system can’t deal with those. Again wait and explain.

And because now apparently I’m a trouble maker I get flagged for a random check by the system regularly. Again wait and deal with that.

On average, it turned out to be less waiting and dealing with people by getting in line at the regular cashier.

Chreutz ,

Scan and Go is becoming very wide spread in Denmark. It’s lovely! Cuts down the time for a quick shopping trip on the way home from work to less than half

Mojojojo1993 ,

Had it in the UK. Just not all shops. Needs to be more widespread

PixTupy , (edited )

I always use the store app to scan as I shop and just pay at the machines at the exit here in Portugal. Hate shopping any other way.

CyanFen ,

What you’re requesting is exactly how Amazon fresh works. the cart itself has barcode scanners on it

Mojojojo1993 ,

Boo Amazon. But great idea

OhShitSon ,

That system has been a thing for at least a decade in most supermarkets in Sweden, is it not a thing in (I assume) the US?

Mojojojo1993 ,

Assumption wrong.

Although may be correct. I don’t know USA shops.

In the UK some shops have had them for 10 + years but not all shops. Lidl for example did not.

Although my current area is NZ. Some shops again do have them but not all.

nicetriangle ,

Yeah the little self scanner thing you can take around the store as you shop is not much of a thing in the US.

YerbaYerba ,

My local grocery store does it with their smartphone app. I shop this way almost every time. Bag as I go, then stop at a special self checkout at the end to pay.

snowe ,
@snowe@programming.dev avatar

Your grocery store has cell service? I lose all service the second I step inside mine

YerbaYerba ,

They have wifi! The cell service is crap though.

Onii-Chan ,
@Onii-Chan@kbin.social avatar

That's fucking brilliant and would actually make me not hate shopping with a passion. That system just makes so much more sense.

Tikiporch ,

You can do scan and go at Walmart now, if you were previously only using that at Sam’s Club. It’s fantastic.

Mojojojo1993 ,

Check out USA. Not behind on tech. Congratulations

WHYAREWEALLCAPS ,

Last I checked you had to be a Walmart+ member to do that. It used to be available to everyone, but then they put it behind paying them a monthly fee to be able to do it.

DrRatso ,

Is self scan that rare around you? One of our (Latvia) two big brand supermarkets have scanners you carry around, then deposit at the slef checkout lines. The other one, however, I just scan everything with my phone, then at checkout scan a QR code with my phone and pay.

Mojojojo1993 ,

Yeah unfortunately don’t have those at our nearest places. But I know the UK had lots of them

TheSanSabaSongbird ,

Sure, it works great if you’re a single person who doesn’t have all that much to buy, but here’s the thing; if you’re shopping for a family or a multi person household or whatever, and you have to buy a lot of things at once, your self checkouts just plain suck ass because pretty much no matter what you do, you’ll get dinged with an error message every ten or 12 items and have to wait for the overworked and underpaid attendant to come free you up so you can keep going until the next inevitable fuckup.

Self checkout is fine if you have something like 15 or less items, but anything more than that and it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

rabiddolphin ,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

Jeez you sure love working for free

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

The only people I’ve ever encountered IRL or online that can’t stand self check out are dumbass boomers that can’t figure out how to use them correctly. This article has the same energy as those articles that claim people don’t want to work from home.

ThatWeirdGuy1001 ,
@ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world avatar

My only critique of self checkout is, when the machine has an error, or if I’m buying alcohol, I have to wait 5 minutes for someone to come fix the problem because there’s 10 self checkout kiosks, but only one employee tending them.

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

That and if your buying more than 20 items and it’s a scale.you know after about half a cart it’s going to start bitching at you.

ThatWeirdGuy1001 ,
@ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world avatar

“Please place item in bagging area. UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA!!!”

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Please wait for assistance. meanwhile our cashier is busy helping terminal one be allowed buy floor stocked nasal decongestant, terminal three is waiting to be authorized to buy a lighter, and the person at terminal four can’t figure out the pad is asking them for their loyalty number and has a coupon they’d like to use.

fidodo ,

I just don’t use self checkout when buying alcohol or big carts since it’s too cramped. At least at all the stores I’ve been to the attendant is always available so I never have to wait if something goes wrong. Maybe it depends on how tech savvy the area you’re in is?

barsoap ,

Over here in Germany you can prove your age with your girocard, your bank knows whether you’re over 16/18 and relaying that information is good enough in the eyes of the law.

tocopherol ,
@tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

There are pretty strict alcohol laws in the US compared to a lot of countries, I couldn’t see this system working here because people would argue teens or whoever would use their parents card or ID. The drinking age being 21 here makes it different I think, there aren’t so many under 18 that would really want to drink that would abuse the system, but since you have to be 21 to buy alcohol there are plenty of people in the 16-20 range that would take advantage I’m sure.

barsoap ,

I think the age check requires a PIN, noone but the owner of the card is supposed to have it. Dunno whether the check shows up on the transaction history it probably should.

Germany is actually kinda strict about age checks, it’s the reason why not a single porn site is hosted here they’d all need that level of age auth. OTOH it’s also understood that kids will find ways to circumvent things and that’s also fine because you can’t stop them anyway, if they do so sensibly you can ignore it and if they’re not being sensible you can whip out the good ole “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed”, either way they learned something about responsibility. Learning to keep your parents on a need-to-know basis is a rite of passage.

tocopherol ,
@tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

That sounds like a very reasonable way to view it haha, plenty of parents do view the things their kids do in that way and teach them to be sensible, I was lucky to be raised that that way. Many parents here are not that reasonable though and will use as much force as they can to keep their kids from doing things they don’t want them to, and are happy to use the law to help with that, one way by supporting strict enforcement of drinking and drug laws. From the last stats I remember seeing the US actually has worse rates of alcoholism and alcohol related illness than Germany also!

fidodo ,

The machines had problems like 10 years ago, but I’ve had zero problems with them in recent years. Used to be a few of them were always broken and bulk items were hard to find, but now I’ve not run into any problems. They’re great for small purchases, but they’re too cramped for big purchases so the belts are still needed.

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

Walmart, at least, has belted self-checkout lanes in addition to the little ones. Sucks that, at least at my local one, they’re almost never actually running, and neither are the manned lanes with belts.

endhits ,

I see you’ve never had to use Kroger self checkouts. It’s almost like they’re purpose built to slow you down.

shuzuko ,

They got worse recently, too, at least locally. You can’t even turn off the insistent voice anymore, so now I have to hear it repeat “please scan your next item and place it in the bag” a dozen times, usually cut off because it takes longer for the damn machine to say that than it does for me to actually scan shit. And now they’ve added cameras which get easily confused if you, like me, usually just hold your few items in your hands while you’re scanning, thinking you’re trying to “dupe” the scanner.

Auli ,

I use them but don’t like them. Putting people out of work should not be the goal. I mean it’s like the manufactured this only have one or two tills open at a time. Then bring in self checkouts to fix the issue the problem. They could have had more cashiers in the first place.

Lesrid ,

It’s not about putting people out of work, it’s about making the people you’re selling to work for free. Bananas aren’t any cheaper so I see no reason to use self-checkout

Delta_V ,

Jobs that don’t pay a living wage should not exist. Imagine if our ancestors had accepted spending 200 calories to hunter/gather 100 calories worth of food. Low wage jobs are a trap that send people deeper into poverty.

Also, putting all people out of work forever should be the ultimate goal - automate all the things!

rabiddolphin ,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

If another human being speaks to me I run home and tweet about it

gveltaine ,

It doesn’t work everywhere. Smaller store like CvS? Sure

Being watched like a hawk in Walmart? Not a comfortable experience and would rather work with someone face to face

captain_aggravated ,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

I do just about everything I can to not walk into a Wal-Mart, and on the rare occasions I do, the self checkout there is notably worse than basically everywhere else. There’s something with the way they have it implemented where it just doesn’t work right.

Most other places it’s okay; it feels like it has improved in most places; I remember when it used to be pretty bitchy about placing items in bags and whatnot; in fact it seems a lot of places have stopped making them talk, which is a huge plus.

rabiddolphin ,
@rabiddolphin@lemmy.world avatar

Walmart is a penal colony

DarthTron ,
@DarthTron@mander.xyz avatar

I very specifically wait in line to make an actual employee scan my items and bag them. I will go out of my way to make the corporation pay someone to do the job rather than pass the labor on to me the customer. They sure as hell aren’t passing on any savings to me, so they can pay a human to check me out.

ji17br ,

The savings is your time. It’s generally much faster to go self checkout, especially for small purchases.

intensely_human ,

Failure?? It’s in every store in the world

babypigeon ,

I’ve never seen the level of problem described in the article. Self checkouts work fine around here (Massachusetts) and people seem to prefer them to the cashier checkouts.

obinice ,
@obinice@lemmy.world avatar

Hasn’t it?

They’re always faster than the queue for the cashiers, and they work fine.

The only issue I’ve had recently is they stopped taking cash for some reason, and I pay in cash. But besides that, they’re fast and work great.

daq ,

Found the drug dealer.

PineRune ,

Or stripper.

wewbull ,

…or builder.

OsrsNeedsF2P ,

I pay in cash because it helps me visualize how much I spend. Also all the delicious street food takes cash.

MrBusiness ,

You, I like.

Auli ,

Really I haven’t come across one in awhile that doesn’t take debit or credit. In Canada though

daq ,

In US most street vendors will take CCs, but I was mostly joking anyway. I don’t use cash, but do what works for you.

CrayonRosary ,

My favorite thing about some self checkouts is one big line for like 8 checkouts. You don’t have to gamble with who you get in line behind.

AA5B ,

I don’t get their point that shoppers “need to be socialized into using self-checkout”. Who ever needed to be persuaded? It’s just that they try hard to make it painful. Self checkout was always an over-complicated conglomeration of parts with poor usability, then poorly thought out additions to try to control theft and no counter space . It just never works well. Maybe we should “socialize” retailers into getting their shit together she it can work more smoothly

homesweethomeMrL ,

Consumers want this technology to work, and welcomed it with open arms.

That’s an actual sentence from that actual article. The fuck? I read it, like, four times. Is that even - what??

guyrocket ,
@guyrocket@kbin.social avatar

I think I used self checkout once in my life. I very quickly realized that they're pushing their work onto me and never went to self checkout again.

I also think those jobs matter. Not great jobs, sure. But they are jobs. I'm sure tech will eliminate cashier jobs someday but I don't see self checkout doing so.

AA5B ,

Those jobs may be important but they’re not the customer’s responsibility. My goal is to get out of there as conveniently as possibly for me, and sometimes that involves self-checkout.

Of course I was recently on the other side of this conversation when trying to buy beer at self-checkout. The other person claimed it’s easy, but I claimed the extra steps and edit made it less convenient

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