Self-Checkouts - Just A Small Rant

[Christine]

Why do the dumb people always use the self-checkout? I assume it is because they do not know they are dumb.

The other day I was at BJ's which has recently instituted the use of about 4 self-checkout lanes. Most of the time, these lanes have the shortest lines, so I try to use them. On this particular day, however, all the lines seemed equally long, and the express lane must have had about 10 people in it. I had one package of top sirloin steaks. I get into a self-checkout line where one person is finishing up and I have one family in front of me with a rather large order.

The family finally gets up and I can see him fumbling at the machine not knowing what to do. He finally scans in his BJ's card and then decides to let his 6 year old scan the items. Oh great, I think. As the child is scanning the items he is lifting them up and not letting them run down the conveyor belt. As you know, the machine DOES NOT LIKE THIS and credits his account with all the scanned items. Lights start flashing, he keeps the items in the basket and continues to let kid scan new ones. BJ's employee comes over, resets machine, and tells him to put the items on the belt. He then decides to scan himself and all goes well. Wife and kids are standing there looking like Bambi in headlights. The order is finally rung up and he is loading cart. Wife just stands there. She finally decides to push some buttons and, guess what? SHE NEEDS TO WRITE A CHECK. Now why couldn't she have it all written out? Well, because she apparantly doesn't know how to write in English, and she doesn't know that the machine can write it for her. So she stands there. Then the employee comes over and tries to do her check for her. But her check paper was so cheap and flimsy that the machine would not accept her check (but according to the employee they could have accepted it at a "regular" register). So, they try to scan their credit card. They put the card in the machine upside down three times before they figured out it was upside down. They finally got it right but the card was so beat up that it wouldn't read. Fortunately they had another card that worked.

Now tell me, why would someone like that go into self-checkout? Even I (who consider myself very savvy at the self-checkout) will go to regular checkout if I feel I'm going to be slow with cumbersome items and have no help. I just felt like screaming and getting this off my chest. Am I the only one who feels unnerved by all this incompetence and WHY are they so incompetent?

 

[mickeyboat]

I feel your pain.

Several weeks ago I was at BJ's and experienced something similar. A woman and her adult daughter were each waiting in a different line planning on using the one which opened up first. I got in line behind the mother who had no items in her hands. She motioned for her daughter to join her and proceeded to spend 15 minutes tyring to figure the stupid thing out. It infuriates me.

Denae

 

[tkd lisa]

We used to have self checkout in one of our stores, and I really liked it, as long as no one was in front of me! I also had problems with produce on their system (it could never figure out what was weighed, and what was quantity) so if I had produce I didn't use it.

The store went out of business, so I just get to sympathize with you guys now about stupid people in self checkout.

 

[bananiem]

"Well, because she apparantly doesn't know how to write in English,"
Perhaps they thought the self check out would be less of a hassle than dealing with a cashier who speaks only in English. My grocery store has a cashier that speaks Spanish and her line is always long.
We have a self check at our WalMart and it's HORRIBLE!!! We've tried it 3 times and refuse to ever do it again. It constantly tells us to put the item in the bag after we HAVE put it in the bag. Then when we take it out to redo it the machine gets all mad and tells us to put it back!
Even the workers at Walmart say those machines are a pain in the neck.

 

[JDY]

I hate self check out lanes! They never work right.

I think if you ring-up and bag your own order, you should get a discount. You're doing the work that someone else is getting paid to do.

 

[sha_lyn]

must be something about BJ's. I had one guy that I hope was just stupid and not dishonest. While I was running my things through the self checker he got the scanner "gun" and tried to scan his items. It wouldn't work of course since you have to chose the option on the screen.

As for the checks... At both the local BJ's and Walmart the employee is the one who runs the checks through the machine. When you chose the check option the assistance light comes on and it tells you to wait for assistance. Then they must use their card before they put the check through. I has one couple at BJ's keep trying to push me out of the way when I was waiting for an employee to come run my check

 

[cheeringmom]

Sad thing was that they did not let you go in front of them. You had only one item right? Only common courtesy. I let people go in front of me all the time when they have only a few items and I have a basket full. Children learn their manners from their parents. Shame

 

[banana hammock]

I was at a Home Depot on the self check line, and the guy ahead of me, had a flatbed full of blocks.

Each one had to be scanned individualy.

I almost lost it

 

[castlegazer]

I have decided that I like regular check-out because it is such a pain in the tookus to ring everything up and keep up with all the prompts and then get everything into your cart with the person behind you trying to push you to get going faster. Plus, it seems that I inevitably get several items that the scanner just does not like. Self Check out is a wonderful thing in some instances but the human condition makes it hard for me to take the people who are behind me and being idiots in front of me in these lines. I just want to be waited on sometimes. Just remember self-check out is less for your convenience than it is for the convenience of the store as it means less overhead - which in a case like BJ's is a good thing because it means lower member prices.

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by banana hammock
I was at a Home Depot on the self check line, and the guy ahead of me, had a flatbed full of blocks.

Each one had to be scanned individualy.

I almost lost it

Yes, you'd think in that case he would have gone to the regular checkout so that the cashier could have done that quickly.

 

[lsyorke]

"then decides to let his 6 year old scan the items"

I use the self checkout at our ShopRite all the time. The difference is that the "overseer employee" is one tough cookie. If someone let a kid scan she steps right up and explains that this is not a toy and is for use by adults only!!!!!! I love this women!!!
I do think they need to make the weight sensor(after you scan and put it in the bag) more sensitive. I get really tired of hearing "Please bag item before scanning next item!!".

Does anyone else find themselves talking to these machines??
ie"I can't bag it any more that I have!!"

 

[cinmell]

Originally posted by cheeringmom
Sad thing was that they did not let you go in front of them. You had only one item right? Only common courtesy. I let people go in front of me all the time when they have only a few items and I have a basket full. Children learn their manners from their parents. Shame

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[honeywolf7]

I agree with bananaiem and JDY. And yes, I have been known to fuss back at the machine.

 

[HoneyPooh]

I try to mumble when I talk back to the machines since what I'm saying is NOT family friendly!

 

[ead79]

I know just how you feel. Our local Kroger has self-check lanes, and I avoid them if there are a few people in front of me. I always end up behind people who don't understand them. I will say, however, that the self-scanner at our Home Depot is horrible! I am not inept at self-scanning, but this thing is crazy. It kept malfunctioning, then when we finally got it to work, we would up setting off the store alarm on our way out. The employees were very nice about it though--they knew we obviously weren't stealing, it was just the stupid malfunctioning self-scanner.

 

[Christine]

For some reason, our Home Depot does not have the self-checkouts but another one about 30 minutes away does (my friend goes to that one). Between what he says and the reports on this thread, it seems like Home Depot's scanner sucks.

 

[kasar]

There are two different types of scanners around here. One is very good (the kind that you put the stuff on the conveyer belt and it is monitored that way). The other is horrible. After scanning the items you put them in the bags which have scales under them. The plastic bag doesn't always lie flat on the scale and if the item isn't heavy enough it won't register. The stupid machine keeps saying "PLEASE BAG YOUR LAST PURCHASE". If I have anything light (for example I needed a small bunch of snow peas and they wouldn't register, gravy packets don't either) I will always use the regular registers.

By the way, my 9 year old is an expert - I'm merely the bagger while she whips through the entire order faster than the cashiers that work there! She wants to know if she can become a veterinarian and work at the grocery store at the same time when she's older.

 

[CajunDixie]

I've tried the ones at Kroger twice and will never bother with them again! The scanner doesnt like when you have more than one identical item and always says to bag the item. And of course each time it says that it says the store personnel has to be seen. Last week a employee told me there was no wait in the self serve area. I told her they are an useless nuisance and never work right and I'm not ever wasting my time with them again. She ended up running my stuff through the self serve scanners and wouldnt you know, it made the same mistakes with her.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I like the self checkouts at Wal Mart and Albertsons(I usually just have a few little things like today at Wal Mart I only got the new InStyle and a box of cereal so it was great)

 

[IloveDMB]

I don't mind self-check out for a small order.

But I agree with others, I can't believe they didn't let you go in front of them.

This is my biggest pet peeve at BJ's or Price Club. We get our pictures developed there and then have to wait in the regular lines to check out.

No one has ever let me in front of them to check out and all I usually have is 1 or 2 picture envelopes.

I think that's so rude.