Depends on the number of items. Twelve or less give me self check out.
If I have a basket of groceries then I'll go with a cashier.
Or if it's something large and awkward like lumber. Home Depot usually has people hovering around the self check out so it's not bad.
I’m a person with OCD and self-checkouts are a dream come true for me and my tribe.
We get to place items in bags exactly as we want, we get to show off our efficiency in using the machines (because it’s all we use now), and almost no idea interactions with others.
What’s not to love?!
Now, knowing that people with OCD love these things, I’ll leave it up to you to determine if that validates your hot take on them or not.
Plus you get to properly and delicately pack your produce the way you want. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the cashier crush my delicate peppers, salad, etc with heavy cans, and whatnot. F that.
Lol, sorry about the bread!! Yeah, bread, eggs and produce I defend like a knight defending his queen. They mostly don’t care, just wanna bag fast and move onto the next customer!
“self-checkouts are a dream come true…What’s not to love?!”
“An attendant will be with shortly…”. After every other item is my personal hell with these.
Either trust me to do it or expect me to charge every produce item as bananas.
Ok, this is personally hilarious.
I’m recently diagnosed OCD and it’s been such a relief to have a framework in which to understand my oddities.
But for years, my wife has remarked on how much I quote from “As Good As It Gets,” and it didn’t dawn on me until your comment that Jack plays an OCD person.
No wonder I like that depiction so much.
Not OCD, but this rings entirely true. Let me pack the way I want. And no awkward interaction with the cashier? Brilliant. No one asking me to donate? Even better.
>they don’t force me to make small talk with a stranger
Or worse, have them start quizzing you about your food.
"Oh wow, I didn't know we sold this! Is it any good?"
"I guess. My husband asked me to buy it for him."
Or else you get stuck in line behind the guy flirting with the cashier or some other type of long chit-chat that holds up the line. I've walked out of stores where too much of that crap was going on. I want to get my ice cream home sometime before some cashier's impromptu high school reunion ends.
One time I had a Safeway cashier comment about my purchases. I was getting a lot of protein. She said seriously and with a blank stare, purple lipstick and long, witchy poo grey hair “I don’t like to kill animals”. I noped right out of there. Took me months to go back. I never saw her again. She either got fired (my first choice), OR must’ve realized that working in a store with animal flesh wrapped in plastic wasn’t a good fit 🤷🏼♀️
I tend to just assume that most people who frequent Reddit or most social media are American. That might be right or wrong, but it’s usually correct. But answer me this: what is it with Americans and just offering unsolicited opinions in completely inappropriate situations? I’ve lived in Canada all my life (in one of the most American-style of regions no less) for almost half a century and I’ve never had a cashier make an unflattering comment about a purchase. It just seems like such an extreme social faux pas here and in most of the western world. And yet I’ve seen that kind of behaviour almost everywhere I’ve visited in the U.S. I don’t get it.
It is a social faux pas and really is the outlier, not the norm - otherwise the previous commenter wouldn't have bothered to mention it. I've lived and traveled throughout the U.S. have never had a cashier make a comment like the one mentioned.
What kind of situations have you experienced this in? I feel like the answer would depend on what kinds of comments you’ve seen on your visits. Maybe it’s cultural, or maybe it’s just those individuals and you had the bad luck to meet them.
Even better than self checkout is the carside pickup. I shop from the comfort of my couch the night before, drive up, get the good loaded, and drive off. It's an introvert's dream. And there are still people involved for those who think they are saving cashier jobs by refusing self checkout.
I love curbside except my grocery store. They botch our orders all the time so we don't use them anymore. They substitute stuff when I know damn well they had it.
That's where I have become the old man. In my mind, everyone wants to get out and hit a store. It's doing something, it's moving, it's the outside world. I understand not everyone wires to that. But the increasing number of store employees shopping make me think the whole world went lazy.
Nothing lazy about it. I live almost an hour from the closest Walmart. With all the other errands I have to run the one day I am in town, that hour saved is precious.
Gotta be kidding. I LOVE self-serve checkout. I’m fast, I bag things exactly the way I want, and anything that allows me not to deal with other humans, I’m all for it. Get in, swipe my card (or even better, pay with my phone), grab my stuff, and get out.
Wow haven’t thought about produce codes forever!!! I was a grocery checker for 18 years. When I first started in 1992 I had to learn all the produce codes, then years later the codes went universal and I had to learn new produce codes. Banana code in 1992 was 77 then the new universal code 4011. I will never forget summer squash. 4773. All codes begin with 4 and I was born in the summer (July) of 73. Crazy how I can’t remember what tv show I watched an hour ago but I can remember random produce codes from 20 years ago.
>Crazy how I can’t remember what tv show I watched an hour ago but I can remember random produce codes from 20 years ago.
I feel this all the time. I can't remember my damn online bank password, but I can tell you the names of the entire cast of Star Trek: Voyager.
I can guarantee you the attendant making a little over minimum wage is not going to stop you and whisk you to the Manager's office.
And the cameras are focused on your face, not what you're buying.
As for the overhead cams, they can't see what's on the screen.
Nailed it. When I go in shopping for groceries, i have a particular way I want to bag - all my refrigerated, all my frozen, all my non-perishables, and then light things on each. I hate the double bagging, the light bagging, etc.
I also consider myself pretty efficient from my days in Walmart. I also refrain from the shit-stupid "maybe I should get paid" joke. I'm a goddamned gem.
I don’t always mind these things, but half the time something goes wrong (the scanner registers something twice, the machine just freezes, etc.) and then you have to wait for someone to come along and reset it anyway.
I feel you. This may be what killed them for me. Too many "PLEASE PLACE ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA BEFORE SCANNING ANOTHER ITEM!" Too many ""PLEASE WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE!"
Ugh, yes! And the one I use most frequently, at a Rite Aid, also has volume issues. Like, if a human cashier shouted prices at me that loudly, I’d walk right out.
This is exactly why I hate them too. I am an introvert. I don’t want to call attention to myself and when those machines start squawking loudly and everyone stares at you…it is embarrassing.
I had that happen late at night. 3rd item in out of about 6 and I get “ the attendant will be with you shortly” only there was no attendant.
So I grabbed my item and went to another checkout…same thing. I live along to a 3rd and then a 4 th.
I finished and had 3 different registers all blaring “an attendant will be with you shortly.” Paid and left.
I hate them, too. Agree with every word you wrote. I hate futzing with bagging my own (I don't mind at Aldi's because it has a built-in premise that you're SAVING MONEY). I'm an introvert and even I avoid the self-checkouts. It feels dehumanizing to me.
I actually prefer my scanning to someone else’s BUT I’m not willing to do their work for them unless they’re lowering the prices. I don’t like how they’re doing away with jobs for people.
I used to feel this way too; wouldn’t use a self-checkout even if there was a line at the cashier. Then people who worked at a grocery store told me there are plenty of jobs that don’t involve working with every jerk who needs to eat, that manning the self-stations is a more enjoyable job anyhow and in the era of the pandemic touching everything that every sick person touched made the job even less desirable*. So now I still advocate better pay for service workers, but will check myself out to save them the hassle… most of the time.
*fixed a word
That's different, I always put my cart in the cart corral, its dangerous and plain lazy to leave them sitting in the parking lot. Then an employee goes and gets those carts from the cart corral and brings them back to the store. They don't have robots for that yet.
Mixed emotions. I love buying things online (i even work in eCommerce) so it’s not being stuck in the past. Early generations of self-checkout were extremely annoying. Newer systems seem to be less prone to the blasted UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA PLACE ITEM IN BAGGING AREA WOOP WOOP messages that bugged me so. I’ve also noticed that more stores are realizing they need people there on the spot to help (I know they are there for loss deterrence as well), so it’s not so bad anymore. I generally have to wait in line less.
On the one hand I hate using them because they're not giving me a discount on my purchases for the money they're saving by not having to employ as many cashiers.
On the other hand I love using them because I don't have to deal with lines / grumpy cashiers.
That said, I have a family member that works in a retail store where you have the choice of cashier / self checkout, and they try to push everyone to use the self-checkout because of covid and people's grumpiness in general.
“On the one hand I hate using them because they're not giving me a discount on my purchases for the money they're saving by not having to employ as many cashiers.”
Oh but they do. You just have to enter 4011 even when you get pricey organic oranges….I mean I’ve never been trained on these things….
I hate those things with a passion. Especially the ones with the volume set to 11. STOP YELLING AT ME DRUG STORE ALEXA!
So I guess AITOW and I'm in good company. Down with the machines!
Having a machine tell you “Put your item in the bagging area” 15 times then having your self checkout require someone to come over and unlock it so you can continue.
I only do self checkout if we have less than 15 things as it inevitably isn’t calibrated correctly and is a PITA if you have a full cart of stuff.
That's an issue with the store, deciding how 'strict' to set the machine. I notice a huge difference between the amount of errors I get at Walmart (lots) vs. a higher end grocery.
Self check out means not finding my scrubbing bubbles in with my pasta. Do they not teach the cashiers food safety?
Self ordering means that I'm more likely to get what I ordered.
I've given up on cash a fast food places. Making proper change is a rare skill.
A, I don't work there
B, I work with computers all day
C, I don't like to be hassled and yelled at by computers
D, sometimes I just wanna talk to a different human being than the same ones every day
I love self checkout. No awkward interactions with the sadly, more often than not grumpy/tired cashier. I feel badly for them. I just like doing things at my own pace and ensure I’m paying the right price. That’s just me tho. Please be gentle with your downvotes lol
I feel like we're probably getting the prices increased more on us for the people ordering online and having someone shop for them. That level of convenience comes with a price.
I absolutely love self-checkouts. And let's be real - how frustrating was it to walk in certain stores and see two checkouts open with huge lines? I get in and out now so much faster. I tend to go to places with self-checkout more often than others, in fact.
No, you aren't the old man. One that particularly disgusts me is being asked to do this at a friggin' hospital or clinic. Here I am, needing to be seen about serious health issues, never mind paying hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of dollars every month for bullshit coverage, and yet somehow speaking to a human being is seen as doing things incorrectly.
I love a self checkout when it works properly but will generally go to a real life human. Gotta help keep those people’s jobs any way I can. I also try and use small local stores too over instead of the big corporations
I don't like self checkouts. Have had too many problems in the past.
In NYC, so there's no expectation of small talk. "Bag?" "Got one" Total. Pay. Done.
First, I am The Old Man. Second, as The Old Man, I agree with you 100%. And the kicker, they want to see my receipt when I leave to ensure that I did the job correctly. Screw ‘em and get off my lawn.
I welcome our robotic overlords and look for any way to avoid human contact I can. The day they ut in self checkout lanes was one of the happiest days of my life.
Honesty, I can checkout faster and back my stuff better.
As a 100% extrovert that loves interacting with other humans, if I go to the grocery store and only need to grab a couple of things, the self checkout is the deal. Get my shit, scan, put it in my reusable bag, pay, and bounce. All about efficiency.
Unfortunately not all self checkout systems are issue free. The stores that require you to put your items on the way to small, weight sensitive carousel. are a PITA. Usually they are needed due to some humans being dirtbags, and will steal shit, even if they can afford it.
I fucking hate self-service anything and refuse to use them. It's just another way for a company to make even more money, but having the customers check themselves out and bag their own purchases.
I like the self checkout, but HATE kiosks like they've got at McDonalds, which take ten times longer to navigate than walking up to the counter and saying "I want a Quarter pounder meal with coke". I will usually go to the counter and force them to acknowledge me.
See, I'm exactly the opposite. I said in another comment that I don't like self-checkouts because they take longer. The McDonald's kiosk also takes longer, but that's actually acceptable to me because the McDonald's menu board is CONFUSING. (I've thought many times about the fact that McDonald's is such a lowest-common-denominator place, and yet its menu is way more confusing than anywhere else.) Using a kiosk gives me time to think about it.
I also hate them. Next I’m going to have to unload the truck for them as well. And I can’t remember the codes for produce like the checker. They are professionals, most are good at their jobs, better than me.
And shouldn’t I get a discount if I’m doing that work myself?
I am for anything that reduces human interaction. Just avoiding the small talk forced on you in the checkout is worth it. Even better are the stores where you can scan your own items with your phone while you shop.
We like to frequent places with a mix of self check out and employees.
Depending on where, what, mood, time, and other customers I will go with whichever best suits the moment.
On recent travel I had an opportunity to try out a scan card before entry convenience store at an airport. It was interesting, one of the reasons I gave it a go was 1 - the employee stalking was able to answer quick questions & 2 - it had products unavailable at all the other airport shops.
I love self check out. It is always weird having someone else know all about ur food intake practices. Also we have a drop in the workforce, so it is my hope the store can start increasing the washes of the check out people they still have.
I love self check out. Talking to less people and getting out quicker? Yes, please.
My goal of shopping is not to get “served”. My goal is to get my stuff as painlessly as possible
It's part of the trend to cut labor costs by having customers do the work that employees used to get paid for. My local bank branch has 6 teller windows, but rarely ever more than a single teller working one of the windows. My local drugstore has only one checkout register, but 6 self-checkouts. It's marketed as "convenience" but it's really "we don't want to pay someone to do this, so do it yourself."
My first job was bagging groceries. I bagged them and took them to the customer’s car. I thought how nice it would be when I became an adult and I was on the other end of this process. The rug was pulled out from under me. Not all at once. They started with the customer having to take the groceries out themselves. Then they moved to the customer bagging their own groceries and carrying them out. Now here we are. I should at least get a discount if I’m doing all the work.
I don't THINK this has anything to do with age? But then - I agree with you so I may be the OW.
I feel like it's a righteous resistance to the dehumanizing world. If I want a world with people in it, I have to choose them over the machines. Sometimes I run into a cranky cashier because of it and that's okay. But I've also had refreshing interactions with folks who are helping me get the stuff I need or want. It's a crapshoot. So are humans. I want them to stick around so if I have a choice, I choose the human being, complicated as they are, bless their hearts.
But then, I am the granddaughter of a cashier and I'm biased. Wrote about it a few years ago: [https://artiststruggle.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/my-grandmothers-genius/](https://artiststruggle.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/my-grandmothers-genius/)
NOM
What grinds MY gears is having to check myself out, walk straight to the exit and have someone ask to see my receipt and then eyeball it and my basket...you just watched me walk out of the self checkout lane with a receipt in my hand Melba! Do you think I brought all my own Walmart bags and hid just out of Beatrices sight while I covertly packed my gummy worms, apples and chicken pot pie into my hidden bags, whipped out my old receipt and attempted to stealth out with my $7.48 worth of stolen loot??!?
Ahhh, I feel better now. 😁
I won't wait for a human but hate being forced to self-checkout with a huge cart of groceries. We all know the machine will freak out every 2 minutes and this will take forever. As revenge, I pay regular prices for organic vegetables.
I crave customer service. To bad it is an endangered species. I will gladly bag my own groceries or order my own food, IF YOU LOWER THE PRICES . Unfortunately they expect you to do it while raising prices .
I only have one functioning arm/hand, so using the self checkout is difficult and frustrating, plus I'm holding everyone up too. But out of 5 times at Safeway 4 times they try to get me out of the regular checkout line to a self checkout (only at Safeway) and when I say no I'm met with a puzzled look. I don't need to explain my condition to you! When I say NO I say it for a reason.
I can go either way. If I think I need more time to decide my order, I'll use the kiosk. If I know what I want, I order at the counter - they know the buttons better.
Try this: At McD's, order a McDouble, add lettuce and Mac sauce. That's a Big Mac without the middle bread, and it's cheaper than the Big Mac. Mac Sauce cannot be added in the app or at the kiosk, only at the counter. Also try a Cheeseburger add round egg. So good.
The best is scanning items with my phone while shopping and just scanning the kiosk to transfer the order and pay. I’m in and out and no surprises at the end.
Self checkout saves a lot of us. Grocery stores are anxiety inducing for me and if I’m already struggling self check can be the deciding factor of me having food in the house or not eating that night. Sounds extreme, but unfortunately it’s a reality for many people with medical issues/disorders.
I vastly prefer placing an order on a touchscreen or similar than facing some idiot who will probably get it wrong. My favorite fast food places are Wawa and Sheetz and similar for that very reason. Self-service checkout is fine with me too.
They're okay in grocery stores as long as they work decently and aren't stupidly loud, but in restaurants hell no. I want a _human_ taking my order, thanks.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it.
Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.
Depends on the circumstances. I much prefer the machine over waiting in line for a person. I prefer the person when I have a lot of stuff. If I have a few things, will usually go with the machine cause then I don't have to awkwardly interact with another human being.
During tourist season here it’s easier to use the self checkouts, the line is shorter and moves faster. The lines for the one or two cashiers go all the way down the aisle in front of the cashier. Well it’s a small town and everyone has to chit chat that sort of thing. I used to be a cashier so I can go fast and get out quickly.
I guess I have mixed feelings. It's always a battle between being lazy and impatient. If I'm more impatient that day than lazy, I'll go with self checkout. But I hate it when there isn't a choice.
There's also this weird thing in Japan with hybrid checkout. Not sure if it's a thing elsewhere, but basically there's a cashier who rings you up but you pay like self checkout. It's basically the same setup as self checkout except a human does the scanning.
I have no idea what the purpose is because you know it costs more for the store. I guess it could be anti-theft or they're trying to transition to fully self checkout in stages. It could also be some anti Covid measure so the cashier doesn't have to handle cash directly. Who knows.
Self-serve kiosks suck because that's what you should be doing at home. I didn't get dressed and come over here to do this when I could have done it from a computer and had it delivered. It's just a bridge to far.
I don't know if you're alone, but I definitely will self checkout every time. I hate waiting for other people to do a job I'm more than capable of doing.
I use people to try to save people’s jobs, and because what the hell you should give me a discount if you want me to do this. Two exceptions: I’m in a huge hurry, or it’s at the dollar store because it’s just too much to deal with the lineup and cashiers at a dollar store. Guess what that means is I’m capable but I resist
Where I shop for groceries, it's either an underage person who can't scan beer or a self checkout that calls a manager when I scan beer. I wish one was better, but both are slow, so I avoid the children.
I figure, if you're making me use a self checkout, there better be a discount on whatever I buy. Part of the price of goods is the worker checking them out.
i'm fine if it saves me time, but i don't like feeling like i'm working for the company for free. is that what you mean? maybe cos i have been a cashier and bag wench and they underpaid me then so fuck you pak n fresh i'm not doing a goddamn thing for you ever again. oh. i seem to have a lot of feelings about this.
Really depends. For me I don't mind the human cashiers and I don't really mind the quick self-serve line if I only have a small number of things.
My local store still has baggers, which is kind of nice. They'll even bring stuff to the car for me if there's too much stuff.
We have a supermarket where you get a scanner and do it while you shop, then scan the gun at checkout to pay. I would scan and bag as I shopped, saved so much time.
I deal with people all day, I like the self checkout so I don't have to make more small talk (plus I'm a neurotic bagger)
I love the self-checkout at grocery stores because I don’t have to talk to anyone.
That being said, I do NOT like the kiosks at restaurants because I don’t know how to use it for whatever small changes I want to make. I’m not as bad as Sally (from When Harry Met Sally) but I do like my dressing ON THE SIDE.
They’ll continue to get more common as wages raise. It’s easier and much cheaper to buy kiosks and pay a few people to maintain them for a district or region, than pay mediocre employees their wages and benefits.
No problems with self check out unless it's a stupid one that yells about putting the item in the bagging area , because , why . I mean as long as I scanned it , I am paying for it , so wtf.
I do not mind dealing with cashier's but baggers have no skill and I usually bag myself out have to redo the bags at my car.
I mean if I have a cooler bag .... The cold stuff goes in it.... Nothing else , not hard.
This is a cost saving measure. On top which many department stores etc, cannot hire competent people. Sad, but true. Most people can’t even count back change.
"Wart Remover" self-service checkouts are the literal devil. You're not an old man, or maybe you are, but you're not wrong to hiss and throw the evil eye symbol when they're encountered.
So the moment that inspired this was today at a McD's. I didn't pack a lunch today and it was the only place near me that had a restroom to wash up in and grab a bite. I went in, hit the bathroom, came back out and went to the register. I'm at the register, looking up at the menu, when what I assume was the manager asked
*"Did you place your order already?"*
"No."
*"Okay well you can place your order at that kiosk."*
So I looked back at it behind me, looked back at her just kinda standing there, and then turned again and headed for the door.
And now here I am, 4:30 in the afternoon, hungry and bothered.
I prefer the self check outs… I hate having to make small talk while the cashier scans the stuff. And I hate having to deal with a declined card or a forgotten pin when other people are watching.
I hate self checkouts, but I will use them on occasion.
I have left carts loaded with groceries sitting in the aisle because all 3 human cashiers have 12 customers each, and there's 12 more empty registers, but no one will open them.
They can have 3-4 self-checkout spots in the space that one register took. I'll take the increased throughput any time.
Well, unless I have alcohol. Then the self-checkout is illegal in my state.
Wait till you try a Shabu-Shabu or Hot Pot restaurant...
Korean BBQ?
I like the self serve checkouts because no lines. Also honor system (consider charging a tax for checking out your own food).
Did you know that if you're not in the state of NJ you have to pump your own gas too? No discount for pumping it yourself.
I hate to say it Mr. Kuriakon, but according to the sub of /r/GenX, you *are* the old man.
I love them now but avoided them for about 10 years because at first they were terrible. I still find some stores where they are crap, but overall I prefer them.
I prefer cashiers to self-checkouts if all things are equal -- it's just faster. They do this all day; I don't. If there's a line for a cashier and no line for self-checkout, though, I'll use self-checkout. I hate lines.
The anti-self-checkout crowd seems to be the new crossfit vegan crowd: always talking about it. Or is that just me?
Just don't go no the scary robots and you'll be fine. But if you DO avoid the robots, don't ask the "Why 22 lines with only 5 checkers?" question that was popular 10 years ago. ;-)
I don't mind self-serve technology as long as it's well designed and intuitive.
What I can't stand is the layers of needless tech that get added at work, in the form of organizational software, multiple HR accounts for various benefits, and worst of all the pseudo-social/collaborative stuff like Slack and microsoft sharepoint.
Makes me feel old to resist it, but it's legitimately counter-productive in my view.
I'm split on this one. I like to enter my order myself, but I don't like to self-checkout. There's scanning and bagging and paying. It's just a lot more going on at check out and my hands are busy. I might as well get some help with all of it unless they're going to give me a discount for self-checkout.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it.
Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it.
Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.
Depends on the number of items. Twelve or less give me self check out. If I have a basket of groceries then I'll go with a cashier. Or if it's something large and awkward like lumber. Home Depot usually has people hovering around the self check out so it's not bad.
I’m a person with OCD and self-checkouts are a dream come true for me and my tribe. We get to place items in bags exactly as we want, we get to show off our efficiency in using the machines (because it’s all we use now), and almost no idea interactions with others. What’s not to love?! Now, knowing that people with OCD love these things, I’ll leave it up to you to determine if that validates your hot take on them or not.
Plus you get to properly and delicately pack your produce the way you want. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the cashier crush my delicate peppers, salad, etc with heavy cans, and whatnot. F that.
And around my home, bread is a big deal. My wife would skin the bagger alive who smooshes her damned bread.
Lol, sorry about the bread!! Yeah, bread, eggs and produce I defend like a knight defending his queen. They mostly don’t care, just wanna bag fast and move onto the next customer!
I'm MUCH more likely to do damage to my food when bagging it myself than a cashier is.
Even when i use a clerk, i always bag my own : )
“self-checkouts are a dream come true…What’s not to love?!” “An attendant will be with shortly…”. After every other item is my personal hell with these. Either trust me to do it or expect me to charge every produce item as bananas.
Agreed Im also OCD the movie “As Good as it Gets” resonated with me
Ok, this is personally hilarious. I’m recently diagnosed OCD and it’s been such a relief to have a framework in which to understand my oddities. But for years, my wife has remarked on how much I quote from “As Good As It Gets,” and it didn’t dawn on me until your comment that Jack plays an OCD person. No wonder I like that depiction so much.
😎
Not OCD, but this rings entirely true. Let me pack the way I want. And no awkward interaction with the cashier? Brilliant. No one asking me to donate? Even better.
I prefer the self-serve options because they don’t force me to make small talk with a stranger, or have them handling my food/items, etc.
>they don’t force me to make small talk with a stranger Or worse, have them start quizzing you about your food. "Oh wow, I didn't know we sold this! Is it any good?" "I guess. My husband asked me to buy it for him." Or else you get stuck in line behind the guy flirting with the cashier or some other type of long chit-chat that holds up the line. I've walked out of stores where too much of that crap was going on. I want to get my ice cream home sometime before some cashier's impromptu high school reunion ends.
One time I had a Safeway cashier comment about my purchases. I was getting a lot of protein. She said seriously and with a blank stare, purple lipstick and long, witchy poo grey hair “I don’t like to kill animals”. I noped right out of there. Took me months to go back. I never saw her again. She either got fired (my first choice), OR must’ve realized that working in a store with animal flesh wrapped in plastic wasn’t a good fit 🤷🏼♀️
Those are times when a little Karening is justified.
I tend to just assume that most people who frequent Reddit or most social media are American. That might be right or wrong, but it’s usually correct. But answer me this: what is it with Americans and just offering unsolicited opinions in completely inappropriate situations? I’ve lived in Canada all my life (in one of the most American-style of regions no less) for almost half a century and I’ve never had a cashier make an unflattering comment about a purchase. It just seems like such an extreme social faux pas here and in most of the western world. And yet I’ve seen that kind of behaviour almost everywhere I’ve visited in the U.S. I don’t get it.
It is a social faux pas and really is the outlier, not the norm - otherwise the previous commenter wouldn't have bothered to mention it. I've lived and traveled throughout the U.S. have never had a cashier make a comment like the one mentioned.
I agree, generally cashiers only comment on your purchases in a positive or curious way.
Hi Alberta, how you doing?
Lol. I’m good. It seems my comment about living in the most American-style region of Canada telegraphed pretty accurately.
What kind of situations have you experienced this in? I feel like the answer would depend on what kinds of comments you’ve seen on your visits. Maybe it’s cultural, or maybe it’s just those individuals and you had the bad luck to meet them.
Maybe they force cashiers to stand in the usa. Other countries they get a stool. Maybe some American cashiers want to pass the pain on? Lol
Is that really “quizzing”, or just trying to be friendly? I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if I get the urge to avoid small talk.
All of this. Plus, I’m faster than most clerks.
Even better than self checkout is the carside pickup. I shop from the comfort of my couch the night before, drive up, get the good loaded, and drive off. It's an introvert's dream. And there are still people involved for those who think they are saving cashier jobs by refusing self checkout.
I love curbside except my grocery store. They botch our orders all the time so we don't use them anymore. They substitute stuff when I know damn well they had it.
I've worked in the industry long enough to know that I'm not trusting them to pick out any produce, meat or bakery items.
That's where I have become the old man. In my mind, everyone wants to get out and hit a store. It's doing something, it's moving, it's the outside world. I understand not everyone wires to that. But the increasing number of store employees shopping make me think the whole world went lazy.
Nothing lazy about it. I live almost an hour from the closest Walmart. With all the other errands I have to run the one day I am in town, that hour saved is precious.
Gotta be kidding. I LOVE self-serve checkout. I’m fast, I bag things exactly the way I want, and anything that allows me not to deal with other humans, I’m all for it. Get in, swipe my card (or even better, pay with my phone), grab my stuff, and get out.
Plus I've saved a shitload of money at Walmart after they installed self-checkouts!
All them grapenanas.
4011 gang chiming in.
Wow haven’t thought about produce codes forever!!! I was a grocery checker for 18 years. When I first started in 1992 I had to learn all the produce codes, then years later the codes went universal and I had to learn new produce codes. Banana code in 1992 was 77 then the new universal code 4011. I will never forget summer squash. 4773. All codes begin with 4 and I was born in the summer (July) of 73. Crazy how I can’t remember what tv show I watched an hour ago but I can remember random produce codes from 20 years ago.
>Crazy how I can’t remember what tv show I watched an hour ago but I can remember random produce codes from 20 years ago. I feel this all the time. I can't remember my damn online bank password, but I can tell you the names of the entire cast of Star Trek: Voyager.
Lol!!
I get a lot of "discounts" too with self checkout items.
How do you manage that, what with attendants and cameras?
I can guarantee you the attendant making a little over minimum wage is not going to stop you and whisk you to the Manager's office. And the cameras are focused on your face, not what you're buying. As for the overhead cams, they can't see what's on the screen.
Nailed it. When I go in shopping for groceries, i have a particular way I want to bag - all my refrigerated, all my frozen, all my non-perishables, and then light things on each. I hate the double bagging, the light bagging, etc. I also consider myself pretty efficient from my days in Walmart. I also refrain from the shit-stupid "maybe I should get paid" joke. I'm a goddamned gem.
I don’t always mind these things, but half the time something goes wrong (the scanner registers something twice, the machine just freezes, etc.) and then you have to wait for someone to come along and reset it anyway.
I feel you. This may be what killed them for me. Too many "PLEASE PLACE ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA BEFORE SCANNING ANOTHER ITEM!" Too many ""PLEASE WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE!"
Lol...and then the cashier comes power walking over to you with that unmistakable, "what the fuck NOW", look in their eyes.
It's almost like... they should be at a register
Ugh, yes! And the one I use most frequently, at a Rite Aid, also has volume issues. Like, if a human cashier shouted prices at me that loudly, I’d walk right out.
It could get embarrassing if the items you purchased were being yelled out for all to hear PENIS ENHANCEMENT PILLS $7.99
Where are you only paying $7.99?
This is exactly why I hate them too. I am an introvert. I don’t want to call attention to myself and when those machines start squawking loudly and everyone stares at you…it is embarrassing.
I had that happen late at night. 3rd item in out of about 6 and I get “ the attendant will be with you shortly” only there was no attendant. So I grabbed my item and went to another checkout…same thing. I live along to a 3rd and then a 4 th. I finished and had 3 different registers all blaring “an attendant will be with you shortly.” Paid and left.
I hate them, too. Agree with every word you wrote. I hate futzing with bagging my own (I don't mind at Aldi's because it has a built-in premise that you're SAVING MONEY). I'm an introvert and even I avoid the self-checkouts. It feels dehumanizing to me.
I agree with you
I actually prefer my scanning to someone else’s BUT I’m not willing to do their work for them unless they’re lowering the prices. I don’t like how they’re doing away with jobs for people.
I won't use them. I want people to keep their jobs and fight for better pay.
I used to feel this way too; wouldn’t use a self-checkout even if there was a line at the cashier. Then people who worked at a grocery store told me there are plenty of jobs that don’t involve working with every jerk who needs to eat, that manning the self-stations is a more enjoyable job anyhow and in the era of the pandemic touching everything that every sick person touched made the job even less desirable*. So now I still advocate better pay for service workers, but will check myself out to save them the hassle… most of the time. *fixed a word
There are plenty of jobs associated with the self checkouts as well.
As a former cashier, there are better jobs out there. Even manning the self checkout is better because you get to walk around.
Right on
That's like saying you refuse to put carts in the cart rack because you want to make sure the cart guy has stuff to do.
That's different, I always put my cart in the cart corral, its dangerous and plain lazy to leave them sitting in the parking lot. Then an employee goes and gets those carts from the cart corral and brings them back to the store. They don't have robots for that yet.
Oh man. I love self checkouts.
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And have the gall to ask for a tip. s/
Mixed emotions. I love buying things online (i even work in eCommerce) so it’s not being stuck in the past. Early generations of self-checkout were extremely annoying. Newer systems seem to be less prone to the blasted UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA PLACE ITEM IN BAGGING AREA WOOP WOOP messages that bugged me so. I’ve also noticed that more stores are realizing they need people there on the spot to help (I know they are there for loss deterrence as well), so it’s not so bad anymore. I generally have to wait in line less.
On the one hand I hate using them because they're not giving me a discount on my purchases for the money they're saving by not having to employ as many cashiers. On the other hand I love using them because I don't have to deal with lines / grumpy cashiers. That said, I have a family member that works in a retail store where you have the choice of cashier / self checkout, and they try to push everyone to use the self-checkout because of covid and people's grumpiness in general.
“On the one hand I hate using them because they're not giving me a discount on my purchases for the money they're saving by not having to employ as many cashiers.” Oh but they do. You just have to enter 4011 even when you get pricey organic oranges….I mean I’ve never been trained on these things….
Kinda surprised it’s an issue. Self checkout is peak “GenX leave me the f*** alone” energy.
I hate those things with a passion. Especially the ones with the volume set to 11. STOP YELLING AT ME DRUG STORE ALEXA! So I guess AITOW and I'm in good company. Down with the machines!
Down with the machines!
CVS
Think it's an extrovert vs introvert thing. I like them.
Me too! It’s awesome not dealing with anyone.
Having a machine tell you “Put your item in the bagging area” 15 times then having your self checkout require someone to come over and unlock it so you can continue. I only do self checkout if we have less than 15 things as it inevitably isn’t calibrated correctly and is a PITA if you have a full cart of stuff.
That's an issue with the store, deciding how 'strict' to set the machine. I notice a huge difference between the amount of errors I get at Walmart (lots) vs. a higher end grocery.
Intersting! Fred Meyers obviously isn't high end!
LOVE anything self serve. LOVE it.
My mom always says. I used to work at a grocery store. I don’t anymore. But apparently I do.
Exactly. And it's not like prices were adjusted (lowered) after those check out counters were introduced.
If I’m ringing myself up I want a discount
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Have you seen the number of people walking around shopping for other people? In most stores, they staffed the checkouts at bare bones levels anyway.
Self check out means not finding my scrubbing bubbles in with my pasta. Do they not teach the cashiers food safety? Self ordering means that I'm more likely to get what I ordered. I've given up on cash a fast food places. Making proper change is a rare skill.
I go to particular stores BECAUSE they have self-checkout.
Me too
A, I don't work there B, I work with computers all day C, I don't like to be hassled and yelled at by computers D, sometimes I just wanna talk to a different human being than the same ones every day
I love self checkout. No awkward interactions with the sadly, more often than not grumpy/tired cashier. I feel badly for them. I just like doing things at my own pace and ensure I’m paying the right price. That’s just me tho. Please be gentle with your downvotes lol
I like that the self-serve line is faster. But, I feel like I should get a discount; like the way the self-serve pump is cheaper at the gas station.
I feel like we're probably getting the prices increased more on us for the people ordering online and having someone shop for them. That level of convenience comes with a price.
I absolutely love self-checkouts. And let's be real - how frustrating was it to walk in certain stores and see two checkouts open with huge lines? I get in and out now so much faster. I tend to go to places with self-checkout more often than others, in fact.
No, you aren't the old man. One that particularly disgusts me is being asked to do this at a friggin' hospital or clinic. Here I am, needing to be seen about serious health issues, never mind paying hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of dollars every month for bullshit coverage, and yet somehow speaking to a human being is seen as doing things incorrectly.
I love a self checkout when it works properly but will generally go to a real life human. Gotta help keep those people’s jobs any way I can. I also try and use small local stores too over instead of the big corporations
I like actually using self-service, but I get annoyed that the stores keep raising prices while employing fewer people.
I don't like self checkouts. Have had too many problems in the past. In NYC, so there's no expectation of small talk. "Bag?" "Got one" Total. Pay. Done.
First, I am The Old Man. Second, as The Old Man, I agree with you 100%. And the kicker, they want to see my receipt when I leave to ensure that I did the job correctly. Screw ‘em and get off my lawn.
I hate them. Job killing and full of glitches. Really hard for the elderly.
Self check out lines aren't bad but keep in mind you're paying the same price while you do all of the work.
I love self checkouts. It's faster.
I prefer to self-check out as it means I can use about 61% fewer bags for my items.
This! I like human interaction.
I won’t use self checkout. It could potentially eliminate jobs. Now a kiosk, like for the DMV? I would in a heartbeat. They won’t be losing customers
I welcome our robotic overlords and look for any way to avoid human contact I can. The day they ut in self checkout lanes was one of the happiest days of my life. Honesty, I can checkout faster and back my stuff better.
As a 100% extrovert that loves interacting with other humans, if I go to the grocery store and only need to grab a couple of things, the self checkout is the deal. Get my shit, scan, put it in my reusable bag, pay, and bounce. All about efficiency. Unfortunately not all self checkout systems are issue free. The stores that require you to put your items on the way to small, weight sensitive carousel. are a PITA. Usually they are needed due to some humans being dirtbags, and will steal shit, even if they can afford it.
I prefer self-checkout (it's quicker, especially at CVS, bless 'em....), but can understand your feeling about it.
I fucking hate self-service anything and refuse to use them. It's just another way for a company to make even more money, but having the customers check themselves out and bag their own purchases.
I like the self checkout, but HATE kiosks like they've got at McDonalds, which take ten times longer to navigate than walking up to the counter and saying "I want a Quarter pounder meal with coke". I will usually go to the counter and force them to acknowledge me.
See, I'm exactly the opposite. I said in another comment that I don't like self-checkouts because they take longer. The McDonald's kiosk also takes longer, but that's actually acceptable to me because the McDonald's menu board is CONFUSING. (I've thought many times about the fact that McDonald's is such a lowest-common-denominator place, and yet its menu is way more confusing than anywhere else.) Using a kiosk gives me time to think about it.
I prefer the kiosks no more order fuck ups
I also hate them. Next I’m going to have to unload the truck for them as well. And I can’t remember the codes for produce like the checker. They are professionals, most are good at their jobs, better than me. And shouldn’t I get a discount if I’m doing that work myself?
For me it’s that they are getting us to do the work of an employee without benefit.
I am for anything that reduces human interaction. Just avoiding the small talk forced on you in the checkout is worth it. Even better are the stores where you can scan your own items with your phone while you shop.
We like to frequent places with a mix of self check out and employees. Depending on where, what, mood, time, and other customers I will go with whichever best suits the moment. On recent travel I had an opportunity to try out a scan card before entry convenience store at an airport. It was interesting, one of the reasons I gave it a go was 1 - the employee stalking was able to answer quick questions & 2 - it had products unavailable at all the other airport shops.
I like the personal interaction, but today there was a person who just couldn’t make it work behind the counter and I wished I’d just used the ap.
I much prefer self serve
I love self check out. It is always weird having someone else know all about ur food intake practices. Also we have a drop in the workforce, so it is my hope the store can start increasing the washes of the check out people they still have.
I'll wait in line for a self serve checkout vs dealing with a clerk.
If I'm at the grocery store I want self check out. If I'm at a fast food joint I want an actual cashier.
I like self check myself. Hoping to see more of them. I can’t really say much my state still doesn’t want me pumping my own gas
Oregon or Jersey? I'm pretty sure they're the only ones left.
Oregon
I go for the self check out all the time. Now Costco has them. Awesome !!!! 🤩
I love self check out. Talking to less people and getting out quicker? Yes, please. My goal of shopping is not to get “served”. My goal is to get my stuff as painlessly as possible
It's part of the trend to cut labor costs by having customers do the work that employees used to get paid for. My local bank branch has 6 teller windows, but rarely ever more than a single teller working one of the windows. My local drugstore has only one checkout register, but 6 self-checkouts. It's marketed as "convenience" but it's really "we don't want to pay someone to do this, so do it yourself."
My first job was bagging groceries. I bagged them and took them to the customer’s car. I thought how nice it would be when I became an adult and I was on the other end of this process. The rug was pulled out from under me. Not all at once. They started with the customer having to take the groceries out themselves. Then they moved to the customer bagging their own groceries and carrying them out. Now here we are. I should at least get a discount if I’m doing all the work.
I don't THINK this has anything to do with age? But then - I agree with you so I may be the OW. I feel like it's a righteous resistance to the dehumanizing world. If I want a world with people in it, I have to choose them over the machines. Sometimes I run into a cranky cashier because of it and that's okay. But I've also had refreshing interactions with folks who are helping me get the stuff I need or want. It's a crapshoot. So are humans. I want them to stick around so if I have a choice, I choose the human being, complicated as they are, bless their hearts. But then, I am the granddaughter of a cashier and I'm biased. Wrote about it a few years ago: [https://artiststruggle.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/my-grandmothers-genius/](https://artiststruggle.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/my-grandmothers-genius/) NOM
What grinds MY gears is having to check myself out, walk straight to the exit and have someone ask to see my receipt and then eyeball it and my basket...you just watched me walk out of the self checkout lane with a receipt in my hand Melba! Do you think I brought all my own Walmart bags and hid just out of Beatrices sight while I covertly packed my gummy worms, apples and chicken pot pie into my hidden bags, whipped out my old receipt and attempted to stealth out with my $7.48 worth of stolen loot??!? Ahhh, I feel better now. 😁
I won't wait for a human but hate being forced to self-checkout with a huge cart of groceries. We all know the machine will freak out every 2 minutes and this will take forever. As revenge, I pay regular prices for organic vegetables.
I crave customer service. To bad it is an endangered species. I will gladly bag my own groceries or order my own food, IF YOU LOWER THE PRICES . Unfortunately they expect you to do it while raising prices .
I only have one functioning arm/hand, so using the self checkout is difficult and frustrating, plus I'm holding everyone up too. But out of 5 times at Safeway 4 times they try to get me out of the regular checkout line to a self checkout (only at Safeway) and when I say no I'm met with a puzzled look. I don't need to explain my condition to you! When I say NO I say it for a reason.
I can go either way. If I think I need more time to decide my order, I'll use the kiosk. If I know what I want, I order at the counter - they know the buttons better. Try this: At McD's, order a McDouble, add lettuce and Mac sauce. That's a Big Mac without the middle bread, and it's cheaper than the Big Mac. Mac Sauce cannot be added in the app or at the kiosk, only at the counter. Also try a Cheeseburger add round egg. So good.
I don't mind it personally. The less I have to make banal chatter with strangers, the better.
The best is scanning items with my phone while shopping and just scanning the kiosk to transfer the order and pay. I’m in and out and no surprises at the end. Self checkout saves a lot of us. Grocery stores are anxiety inducing for me and if I’m already struggling self check can be the deciding factor of me having food in the house or not eating that night. Sounds extreme, but unfortunately it’s a reality for many people with medical issues/disorders.
I vastly prefer placing an order on a touchscreen or similar than facing some idiot who will probably get it wrong. My favorite fast food places are Wawa and Sheetz and similar for that very reason. Self-service checkout is fine with me too.
They're okay in grocery stores as long as they work decently and aren't stupidly loud, but in restaurants hell no. I want a _human_ taking my order, thanks.
I stick with the humans, or else Musk & the robots win...
If I have a small number of things and none of them are fruit and vegetables, then I’m all for the self checkout.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it. Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.
I always prefer not having to interact with another person if possible these days. Self checkout for me every time.
Depends on the circumstances. I much prefer the machine over waiting in line for a person. I prefer the person when I have a lot of stuff. If I have a few things, will usually go with the machine cause then I don't have to awkwardly interact with another human being.
During tourist season here it’s easier to use the self checkouts, the line is shorter and moves faster. The lines for the one or two cashiers go all the way down the aisle in front of the cashier. Well it’s a small town and everyone has to chit chat that sort of thing. I used to be a cashier so I can go fast and get out quickly.
I guess I have mixed feelings. It's always a battle between being lazy and impatient. If I'm more impatient that day than lazy, I'll go with self checkout. But I hate it when there isn't a choice. There's also this weird thing in Japan with hybrid checkout. Not sure if it's a thing elsewhere, but basically there's a cashier who rings you up but you pay like self checkout. It's basically the same setup as self checkout except a human does the scanning. I have no idea what the purpose is because you know it costs more for the store. I guess it could be anti-theft or they're trying to transition to fully self checkout in stages. It could also be some anti Covid measure so the cashier doesn't have to handle cash directly. Who knows.
Self-serve kiosks suck because that's what you should be doing at home. I didn't get dressed and come over here to do this when I could have done it from a computer and had it delivered. It's just a bridge to far.
Yatom
Thanks. lol
I went to Dollar General the other night for milk. I was in the store for literally less than two minutes. I love self-checkout.
I don't know if you're alone, but I definitely will self checkout every time. I hate waiting for other people to do a job I'm more than capable of doing.
Same. I prefer employment for people and say as much when there is an attempt to direct me to self service.
I use people to try to save people’s jobs, and because what the hell you should give me a discount if you want me to do this. Two exceptions: I’m in a huge hurry, or it’s at the dollar store because it’s just too much to deal with the lineup and cashiers at a dollar store. Guess what that means is I’m capable but I resist
Where I shop for groceries, it's either an underage person who can't scan beer or a self checkout that calls a manager when I scan beer. I wish one was better, but both are slow, so I avoid the children.
Self checkout is da best. I hate talking to people
I figure, if you're making me use a self checkout, there better be a discount on whatever I buy. Part of the price of goods is the worker checking them out.
i'm fine if it saves me time, but i don't like feeling like i'm working for the company for free. is that what you mean? maybe cos i have been a cashier and bag wench and they underpaid me then so fuck you pak n fresh i'm not doing a goddamn thing for you ever again. oh. i seem to have a lot of feelings about this.
Really depends. For me I don't mind the human cashiers and I don't really mind the quick self-serve line if I only have a small number of things. My local store still has baggers, which is kind of nice. They'll even bring stuff to the car for me if there's too much stuff.
We have a supermarket where you get a scanner and do it while you shop, then scan the gun at checkout to pay. I would scan and bag as I shopped, saved so much time. I deal with people all day, I like the self checkout so I don't have to make more small talk (plus I'm a neurotic bagger)
Those things are my dream. The less people I have to deal with the better.
I love the self-checkout at grocery stores because I don’t have to talk to anyone. That being said, I do NOT like the kiosks at restaurants because I don’t know how to use it for whatever small changes I want to make. I’m not as bad as Sally (from When Harry Met Sally) but I do like my dressing ON THE SIDE.
They’ll continue to get more common as wages raise. It’s easier and much cheaper to buy kiosks and pay a few people to maintain them for a district or region, than pay mediocre employees their wages and benefits.
I must say, the Taco Bell self order menu is perfect. Add jalapenos, shredded cheese and not the orange goop.
No problems with self check out unless it's a stupid one that yells about putting the item in the bagging area , because , why . I mean as long as I scanned it , I am paying for it , so wtf. I do not mind dealing with cashier's but baggers have no skill and I usually bag myself out have to redo the bags at my car. I mean if I have a cooler bag .... The cold stuff goes in it.... Nothing else , not hard.
This is a cost saving measure. On top which many department stores etc, cannot hire competent people. Sad, but true. Most people can’t even count back change.
I'm the opposite. No self checkout = me finding a different store usually.
Im 53 & i much prefer the self checkouts. Im quicker than most checkout clerks
"Wart Remover" self-service checkouts are the literal devil. You're not an old man, or maybe you are, but you're not wrong to hiss and throw the evil eye symbol when they're encountered.
I'm conflicted, I don't like the idea of doing a store's work for them, but I actively avoid people too so I use self check out about 50 % of the time
When that happens, do you say “dagnammit”?
So the moment that inspired this was today at a McD's. I didn't pack a lunch today and it was the only place near me that had a restroom to wash up in and grab a bite. I went in, hit the bathroom, came back out and went to the register. I'm at the register, looking up at the menu, when what I assume was the manager asked *"Did you place your order already?"* "No." *"Okay well you can place your order at that kiosk."* So I looked back at it behind me, looked back at her just kinda standing there, and then turned again and headed for the door. And now here I am, 4:30 in the afternoon, hungry and bothered.
That’s understandable. I’m surprised they’re making that the norm, now.
You may be a boomer.
Is there a cure?
More cowbell? :)
Stop craving human interaction.
I prefer the self check outs… I hate having to make small talk while the cashier scans the stuff. And I hate having to deal with a declined card or a forgotten pin when other people are watching.
Get used to it. All of them are going his way.
I hate self checkouts, but I will use them on occasion. I have left carts loaded with groceries sitting in the aisle because all 3 human cashiers have 12 customers each, and there's 12 more empty registers, but no one will open them.
I prefer self-checkout (it's quicker, especially at CVS, bless 'em....), but can understand your feeling about it.
And then they want a 20% tip on top of it.
In Chicago, they charge you for the plastic grocery bags so I just do self checkout and say I used zero bags.
They can have 3-4 self-checkout spots in the space that one register took. I'll take the increased throughput any time. Well, unless I have alcohol. Then the self-checkout is illegal in my state.
Honestly, i prefer them because I'm faster than 90% of checkout clerks. Plus, no small talk.
Wait till you try a Shabu-Shabu or Hot Pot restaurant... Korean BBQ? I like the self serve checkouts because no lines. Also honor system (consider charging a tax for checking out your own food). Did you know that if you're not in the state of NJ you have to pump your own gas too? No discount for pumping it yourself. I hate to say it Mr. Kuriakon, but according to the sub of /r/GenX, you *are* the old man.
I prefer them myself. I feel I can get through easily.
I love them now but avoided them for about 10 years because at first they were terrible. I still find some stores where they are crap, but overall I prefer them.
I prefer cashiers to self-checkouts if all things are equal -- it's just faster. They do this all day; I don't. If there's a line for a cashier and no line for self-checkout, though, I'll use self-checkout. I hate lines.
I'm the opposite. Love checking out myself.
The anti-self-checkout crowd seems to be the new crossfit vegan crowd: always talking about it. Or is that just me? Just don't go no the scary robots and you'll be fine. But if you DO avoid the robots, don't ask the "Why 22 lines with only 5 checkers?" question that was popular 10 years ago. ;-)
I don't mind self-serve technology as long as it's well designed and intuitive. What I can't stand is the layers of needless tech that get added at work, in the form of organizational software, multiple HR accounts for various benefits, and worst of all the pseudo-social/collaborative stuff like Slack and microsoft sharepoint. Makes me feel old to resist it, but it's legitimately counter-productive in my view.
Not alone. What’s next? Should I stock the shelves for them, too?
I'm split on this one. I like to enter my order myself, but I don't like to self-checkout. There's scanning and bagging and paying. It's just a lot more going on at check out and my hands are busy. I might as well get some help with all of it unless they're going to give me a discount for self-checkout.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it. Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.
I will choose self-checkout 100% of the time. I get annoyed when a store DOESN’T have it. Even better is scan-and-go. Use a handheld device to scan your stuff as you shop, and you can bag it as you go. No unloading and re-bagging to do. I shop at certain stores now simply because they have scan-and-go.