Self-checkout etiquette - is it rude to start scanning while someone else is still there?

[bcla]

Then don’t use the self checkout. I’ve not been to a store that ONLY has self checkout.

Tesco did that with their Fresh & Easy experiment, but that didn't end well. I think if there was someone who needed help (someone blind or with limited mobility), an employee would come and help with the scanning and bagging.

 

[robinb]

Our local Costco has only been open a couple years. When it opened it had 4 self-checkout. Within a year all four had been removed.

Our local Costco had self-checkout lanes which were removed after about a year. I was a bit of a pain to stand in a long checkout line when I only had a few things and was behind someone buying for the apocalypse. Then, about 8 months ago, the self-checkout lanes reappeared.

The grocery store where I do the majority of my shopping has two types of self-checkout: under 20 items and over 20 items. The under 20 items lanes look like all the photos on this thread. The over 20 item lanes are the length of a regular checkout lane, but the lane splits up into two bagging lanes with a separator arm that funnels the grocery into one of the lanes. It can take a long time to bag a full cart when you're alone so this keeps things moving. When I'm done paying, I flip the separator arm to funnel the next person's groceries to the other bagging lane.

 

[pweyl36]

Weird boundary issues if people can't manage how lines work. I know I'm sarcastic but when people do stuff like that I generally comment on my invisibility cloak.




I usually grab my purse and pull my cart behind me on lines and have done so for years, it started when someone literally rammed my back with their cart, only gonna deal with that once. Nowadays I can more easily unpack my cart from in front plus first it gives me the 6 ft I want because I can already control my distance from who is in front of me & the cart creates a nice a buffer behind me. Once, last year, a coughing wackadoodle behind me decided chatting and touching the stuff in my cart was the way to make friends and I have never been so grateful for the buffer.

I do this as well

 

[mrodgers]

Some people are so self-absorbed they don't even think.

This. My mother is that way. She's practically climbing on your back while you're entering your pin number into the machine to pay for your stuff. It's a bully thing, they are use to bullying their way into situations and no one tells them different so they think it's normal.

 

[Robber Baron]

In self-check I always wait until the person before me is completely gone.

One thing that bugs me is when I go through the manned checkout lane I usually go down to the end of the conveyor and bag my own groceries. It never fails that while I am there the person behind me moves up in front of the register and puts their purse up on the counter, or, starts fiddling with the pay machine. Then they seem suprised that I come back to pay for my groceries. Exactly who did they think the cashier was ringing things up for?

 

[Donnainnj]

Do those who dislike self checkout because “it’s not your job” feel the same way about pumping your own gas?

I live in NJ, what do you think?

 

[FigmentSpark]

In self-check I always wait until the person before me is completely gone.

One thing that bugs me is when I go through the manned checkout lane I usually go down to the end of the conveyor and bag my own groceries. It never fails that while I am there the person behind me moves up in front of the register and puts their purse up on the counter, or, starts fiddling with the pay machine. Then they seem suprised that I come back to pay for my groceries. Exactly who did they think the cashier was ringing things up for?

lol - that's when you say, "no, really, after you. I don't mind if you pay."

 

[Magical2017]

The only store near me that does is Walmart, though I never go there since the in person shopping experience there is terrible. Even the Target near me is gravitating to self checkout only. Last time I was there only 2 non self checkout

Do those who dislike self checkout because “it’s not your job” feel the same way about pumping your own gas?

I shop at Trader Joes, Safeway, and Wegmans. DH goes to Aldi and Safeway when he shops. Each store presents its unique challenges. Sometimes I go to Target. I don't feel comparing grocery shopping to pumping gas is the same.

1. I don't make the same mistakes when I pump my gas that I do when I check out. I rarely need a gas attendant to help me pump gas or even to get my gas discount. It takes very little time. I know the price so I pay and go.
2. I usually have several hundred dollars worth of items, scanning one at a time. I bring my own bags. The little bags at Safeway like you to dump your items into their white plastic bags (some stores in our county still have plastic bags), and when I place my own bags on the bag holder, it beeps and I need an attendant. Sometimes the produce causes an issue and I buy a ton of produce.
3. There is almost always a discrepancy with the sale price vs the price that comes up at Safeway. I shop there for convenience but I always have to let them know that certain items are on sale. A cashier can correct it while the self check out errors require me to stand at a customer service desk that is rarely manned and/or has a line of people waiting.
4. It's not that "it's not my job," but I do like to wait in a human's line because of all of the above. There are certain check out clerks I like and have known for over 20 years. I would rather speak with them than scan my own items.
5. If there was still an option to have someone pump my gas, yeah, I'd probably get in that line. There is not, so it's a moot point.

 

[Donald Duck Family]

3. There is almost always a discrepancy with the sale price vs the price that comes up at Safeway. I shop there for convenience but I always have to let them know that certain items are on sale. A cashier can correct it while the self check out errors require me to stand at a customer service desk that is rarely manned and/or has a line of people waiting.

This. I shop at Safeway too and find at least one price error every trip. Funny how the error is never in my favor.

My local Harris Teeter is even worse. There it is not just the sale prices that are wrong but items often ring up at prices different than what is marked on the shelf.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This. I shop at Safeway too and find at least one price error every trip. Funny how the error is never in my favor.

My local Harris Teeter is even worse. There it is not just the sale prices that are wrong but items often ring up at prices different than what is marked on the shelf.

This is just my experience but in the situations where there is a price discrepancy it has on average taken less time for a correction at the self-checkout than it has at the regular check out. The only time I think I've had a very easy time in the regular checkout vs self-check out was at Target when I could pop up what was shown on the app and get a price match for it (on items that qualify for it). What I do think is more possible to happen at self-check out is the awareness of such a price discrepancy. With your attention on scanning the items yourself you may not pay as close attention to the price whereas when the cashier is scanning an item for you and bagging it your attention can often be singularly on what the item rang up as.

In the post you quoted the person said they had to go to a different place to get a correction, this means their self-check out area isn't staffed with employees who can handle it right there (which is not the case in any place I've presently been to). It's the case at the places I've been to if I'm at the regular checkout and miss a price discrepancy I have to go to the customer service desk (where it sounds like the PP has to go). I do think some stores make the process easier and some harder. I remember for a while there were some Walmart locations near me where the cashier would have to physically walk back to the aisle to physically see the pricing issue, that was at the regular checkout and took way too much time, whereas the self-checkout employees would adjust on the spot.

 

[Donald Duck Family]

This is just my experience but in the situations where there is a price discrepancy it has on average taken less time for a correction at the self-checkout than it has at the regular check out. The only time I think I've had a very easy time in the regular checkout vs self-check out was at Target when I could pop up what was shown on the app and get a price match for it (on items that qualify for it). What I do think is more possible to happen at self-check out is the awareness of such a price discrepancy. With your attention on scanning the items yourself you may not pay as close attention to the price whereas when the cashier is scanning an item for you and bagging it your attention can often be singularly on what the item rang up as.

In the post you quoted the person said they had to go to a different place to get a correction, this means their self-check out area isn't staffed with employees who can handle it right there (which is not the case in any place I've presently been to). It's the case at the places I've been to if I'm at the regular checkout and miss a price discrepancy I have to go to the customer service desk (where it sounds like the PP has to go). I do think some stores make the process easier and some harder. I remember for a while there were some Walmart locations near me where the cashier would have to physically walk back to the aisle to physically see the pricing issue, that was at the regular checkout and took way too much time, whereas the self-checkout employees would adjust on the spot.

For myself, I have found that it is often quicker to get fixed if caught in the checkout line when I can immediately point the error out to the cashier, they have a vested interest in a timely resolution since they can't help the next person in line until they finish with me. When in self checkout I am at the mercy of having to flag down a worker and wait for them to be available to help me. If they are helping the multiple other self check out customers then I'm on their schedule now.

 

[Moliphino]

What I do think is more possible to happen at self-check out is the awareness of such a price discrepancy. With your attention on scanning the items yourself you may not pay as close attention to the price whereas when the cashier is scanning an item for you and bagging it your attention can often be singularly on what the item rang up as.

In my experience it's the opposite. In self checkout I am scanning everything myself and can pay full attention. With a cashier, they're scanning while I'm still unloading, getting my card out, moving the cart, etc. and I'm not fully paying attention to what's being scanned.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For myself, I have found that it is often quicker to get fixed if caught in the checkout line when I can immediately point the error out to the cashier, they have a vested interest in a timely resolution since they can't help the next person in line until they finish with me. When in self checkout I am at the mercy of having to flag down a worker and wait for them to be available to help me. If they are helping the multiple other self check out customers then I'm on their schedule now.

Ah yeah that's the complete opposite of my experience. The lack of interest ironically for me has always been the regular check out person. I'm not sure it used to be that way but seems that way now. Like I said Target seemed to be the easy one.

I really don't have to flag down a worker there's either one stationed in the area or right by it. Honestly sometimes the self-checkout employees are a bit in the way lol but that only happens at Costco when they just start scanning things for me like bottled water, toilet paper, etc. I'm okay doing it myself but that was the case when the self check out was there before so I think it's just Costco's corporate way.

The way the new self-checkout layout at the nearest Walmart to me where it's now normal aisles (which very few people seem to like) there is an employee watching at the entrance to the aisle and from what I can tell it's usually 1 employee per aisle if busy and 1 employee per 2 or so aisles when not. Each aisle has 4 machines IIRC.

I guess it's about perspective in some cases because while I want in and out fast enough and a reason I primarily choose self checkout my longest most frustrating, trying on my patience experiences are almost always regular checkout. I do think it can be down to just pockets of areas. It appears self-check out is highly desired in my area and so stores invest in at least making it a somewhat pleasant enough experience whereas it seems they have just made the regular checkout like the DMV lol. One of the more grocery stores (vs a Walmart/Target like store) even put in self-check out and you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In my experience it's the opposite. In self checkout I am scanning everything myself and can pay full attention. With a cashier, they're scanning while I'm still unloading, getting my card out, moving the cart, etc. and I'm not fully paying attention to what's being scanned.

That's me too but it was one of the reasons I could think someone may find the price issue more of a pain point in self-checkout and was thinking that might correlate to the perceived hassle of correcting the issue.

 

[goofyernmost]

At our local supermarket, the self-checkout lines (there's 2, it's a small town) have a long conveyor belt and your items transport down the belt and stack up at the end. You have to keep scanning and then pay. Only then can you push your cart down and bag everything.

OK, I can see how that can be problem. I have never used one of those. I have always used the single kiosk ones which is why I could not picture what was happening. We have those others but I have never used them for that specific reason. I prefer to bag as I scan. I forgot about those others. If those were the ones that were part of this conversation then yes it is rude. BTW, I've noticed that due to a high rate of pilferage some stores are discontinuing the self check out. Once the labor shortage has calmed down that will be a good thing for employment.

 

[kymom99]

Our local Costco had self-checkout lanes which were removed after about a year. I was a bit of a pain to stand in a long checkout line when I only had a few things and was behind someone buying for the apocalypse. Then, about 8 months ago, the self-checkout lanes reappeared.

The grocery store where I do the majority of my shopping has two types of self-checkout: under 20 items and over 20 items. The under 20 items lanes look like all the photos on this thread. The over 20 item lanes are the length of a regular checkout lane, but the lane splits up into two bagging lanes with a separator arm that funnels the grocery into one of the lanes. It can take a long time to bag a full cart when you're alone so this keeps things moving. When I'm done paying, I flip the separator arm to funnel the next person's groceries to the other bagging lane.

They had those double things like you described at our local meijer, but then they changed them to the smaller ones.

 

[bcla]

It’s getting really weird. Not self checkout, but today I was right there in a parking lot where someone was loading items into his car, and found the hood of my car to be a convenient place to put a pumpkin. I didn’t say anything, but I think the guy noticed I was there and moved quickly. But no “sorry about that” or any acknowledgement that he shouldn’t have done that.

 

[mylilnikita]

It’s getting really weird. Not self checkout, but today I was right there in a parking lot where someone was loading items into his car, and found the hood of my car to be a convenient place to put a pumpkin. I didn’t say anything, but I think the guy noticed I was there and moved quickly. But no “sorry about that” or any acknowledgement that he shouldn’t have done that.

People never cease to amaze me and not in a good way. The putting something on my car wouldn’t bode well lol. If I was in a real mood that pumpkin would be rolled off my hood lol. Then again my car is antisocial and I tend to not park near other people.

 

[lovesmurfs]

It’s getting really weird. Not self checkout, but today I was right there in a parking lot where someone was loading items into his car, and found the hood of my car to be a convenient place to put a pumpkin. I didn’t say anything, but I think the guy noticed I was there and moved quickly. But no “sorry about that” or any acknowledgement that he shouldn’t have done that.

Sheesh! I wouldn't even let my kids play in other yards or go in other people's driveways. I just don't get it.