50. Self-Checkout | The Economics of Everyday Things

Grocery stores have turned shoppers into cashiers. Zachary Crockett runs two bags of chips and a Gatorade over the scanner.
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[@celieboo]

My issue with self checkout is the fact that I am not saving any money on the groceries that i am buying. The store is using me as unpaid labor.

[@genocide_cutter98]

@celieboo what a petty jerk you are.

[@laurent3415]

By your standard, you are being used as unpaid labor when filling up your cart with stuff to purchase. They pay pickers to do that for curbside so you are doing that job too.

[@genocide_cutter98]

@@laurent3415 She just wants cashiers back so she can take out her anger on underpaid people

[@sailingbrewer]

Aren't you taking the employee discount? I white onions are cheaper than the ones I grabbed. Well guess what I'm paying for. If the store cares about people paying the right price they'd hire someone to do it

[@laurent3415]

@@sailingbrewer Your suggestion is theft. Anyone who does this lacks integrity and moral character. It also has unintended consequences. Because a store "sold" more white onions than yellow, they get reordered in that proportion. Now the store is going to stock more white onions and fewer yellow ones. They might even raise the price on the white ones to cover the loss of having to shift away from the more expensive yellow ones. Because yellow onions are no longer selling, a farmer has to destroy his stock of unsold yellow onions and plan to plant more white onions in the next crop. That loss turns into a rising cost that is handed to the customer next season on white onions. Some people, likely the ones that caused the problem, will bitch and moan about not being able to buy their favorite yellow onions anymore. Now they are being buttheads about self checkout and about not being able to find their favorite more expensive items because they decided to "discount" them instead of being honest.

[@troutnut01]

As a former 20 year grocery manager and clerk, starting as a bagger, I started when we still had Sweda cash registers, then digital, then scanners came along. The chains have always used the “compete with Costco, Walmart, blah, blah, blah” excuse, they wanted customers to scan the items as they put it in the cart, they came up with the self-check out, and employees all told upper management “It’s not gonna work” “people are going to steal more than they save in labor costs” and we all knew they were going to lose customers. Now they all shop at AMAZON.

[@unitedstatesdale]

So true. I bought Amazon stock for $19.28 back then .....:)

[@GeckoHiker]

Exactly! Walmart drove us away and we only get loss leaders at Kroger. May both venues rot in the produce field. I grow my own anyway.

[@hblee88]

Amen! It's what happens when "bean counters" makes decisions with no front end experience.

[@Shellnbaby]

I tried self-checkout in the beginning. I have never stolen anything, yet the employees stare at you as if you're a thief as you're being forced to use their self-checkout. No thank you! I won't use a store that doesn't have actual lanes open.

[@synckid]

Absolutes are wild

[@pamelaroyce5285]

Many senior citizens *need* that human interaction, psychologically, because they live alone and seldom see people. The smile, the small talk, maybe a chuckle over something amusing, really adds value to the shopper’s day. I will only use self-checkout for one item. The machine jabbering at me makes me nervous, as does another shopper sighing with annoyance as they wait for me to understand the machine and find the relevant buttons to push or the tap thingie. I hate self-checkout. It’s too impersonal and depersonalizing. ☹️

[@danielch6662]

There are apps for that.

[@hopefulskeptic42]

​@@danielch6662There's probably also an app to tell you to go "F" yourself! 😑

[@MK-hh1vo]

I like the impersonal and depersonalization nature of self check out. I hate cashier chit chat. I could not care less about the person behind me waiting for me to figure out the machine. The only thing I dislike is when you need staff help due to machine error.

[@lwk4229]

@@danielch6662that’s hilarious

[@Just_A_Tim]

​@@MK-hh1vobeat me to it. The endless "hello, how are you?"s and "did you find everything needed?" and I hate to say it, but the old people, either struggling to pay with exact change, or check, or trying to have a conversation with the clerk, is all so irksome.

[@valerieodonnell6764]

I don’t mind self checkout if I have 5 or less items. 30 items? Forget it. The issue is you can’t just scan, scan, scan as quickly as you want. You have to pause between each item for the machine to register that you put it in the bagging area and heaven forbid you accidentally bump that area. Then you have to wait for someone to come help. It takes sooooo much longer.

[@saundrayork767]

Also, if you have 10+ (heaven forbid 30+) items, there is not room for everything that filled your cart. But they do not allow you to place bagged items back into the cart.

[@dblackviper2k3]

​@@saundrayork767I place bagged items back into my cart. If they have a problem with that, they're free to scan and bag the items for me

[@schex9]

What? That's crazy!​@@saundrayork767

[@schex9]

Ours no longer weighs items in baggage area, so fewer errors

[@finkelmana]

@Sandra-dt4ec I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about. You dont scan a fruit. You just type in the number on the sticker. Did you not realize thats what the sticker on fruits and vegetables were for? And I bring my own bags all the time.

[@schenksteven1]

I hate fighting with the kiosk. “How many bags do you want?” “Would you like to enter your phone number?” “Would you like to add a dollar for a charity?” I hate being grilled by a machine that’s supposed to be there for my convenience.

[@knutejay]

“Place item in the bagging area” I know how this works. The fuck you think I’ve been doing with the last 11 items?

[@bobnewby9129]

So you prefer to be asked these questions by an employee?

[@schenksteven1]

@@bobnewby9129 absolutely! The employee actually asks the question. The machine just sits there until i figure out it won't take my card until I read the fine print on the screen. Then I answer the question and try to pay again, only to discover that it won't take my money until I look for more prompts to answer. The employee is way less time consuming and annoying.

[@schenksteven1]

@@knutejay 🤣🤮

[@markorletsky5976]

The supermarkets are not only having the customer do the check-out, they are asking customers for donations = to make the supermarket look good.

[@stanwolenski9541]

As a contractor I purchase 10’s of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise every year, one store I use on a regular basis, Let’s call the Dome Hepot, has me find a cart, load my own merchandise into/on the cart, go through self check out, unload the merchandise into my truck and put the cart into a corral. I asked them to give me a price gun and a 401k.

[@user-jc1hm3pv6i]

Dude there's a cashíer at the contractor register in lumber

[@evelynwaugh4053]

That's why HD's motto is 'We have everything! Except service.....'

[@nedlalley6314]

Really. What is he talking about?

[@20thCenturyFav]

The irony of someone getting arrested for accidentally stealing a candy bar is that the stores are stealing millions of hours of unpaid labor from customers, with no compensation in any form.

[@Laughable000]

Exactly. I don't remember applying for a job at the supermarket

[@CeeDeeTeeVee]

When I’m given a discount for doing the work…. I might consider it. I was recently in a CVS… there was a man behind the counter and farther down there was a self check out. Man said “You can use the self check out” (he wasn’t waiting on anyone). I said “I don’t do that.” He said “Give me a minute and I’ll come show you how”. I repeated “I don’t do that”. He begrudgingly rang me up. I also hate the “kiosk” in fast food places! Three people behind the counter and no one will take your order… they say “ you have to use the kiosk”. I just leave.

[@donaldavis]

I've encountered the same issue of multiple cashiers with no lanes open. Instead of saying "I don't do that", ask "How much of a discount will you give me for doing the cashier work?" Most of the time, they just look at you, but once I got a 10% discount added to my purchase by the cashier.

[@DistractedDaisy]

People are so stupid to give their jobs to computers!

[@freddiesimmons1394]

Kiosk > cashier because the kiosk cannot f it up. Human error ruins fast food

[@macforme]

Yeah, the food court at Costco now has that kiosk thingie. If I remember I ask the cashier to add (whatever) to my order when I am checking out. If I forget I don't use the kiosk.... I hate that (bleep)!

[@matthall8902]

@@freddiesimmons1394 one huge advantage of fast-food kiosks is there is no rush so you can take your time and special order your food exactly how you like it, add or remove toppings on each item, etc, and there are even some secret menu items that aren't shown on the main menu board. normally i never do special orders with the cashier, especially not going through a drive-thru because it just makes things complicated for them and they usually screw it up.

[@compugasm]

Not only do I hate self checkout, I hate standing in line at the self checkout. I'M TALKING TO YOU KROGER!!!

[@josephludwig1126]

Useless company !!!!!!!!!

[@MAW-g3r]

😅

[@kimberlychodur3508]

I’m probably one of those people you hate getting behind, sorry I am not very fast at ringing up and bagging my items. If I get a line behind me, it just makes me more anxious that I’m too slow at this. I’m a baby boomer that never grew up with this and have had to get used to it, because most stores only have one check out with a person.

[@MAW-g3r]

@@kimberlychodur3508 hold your spot, it's the same with parking lot spots. Make them wait until you are finished! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Lynn-uf4ip]

Yup, often the line is longer at the self checkout because everyone thinks it's faster.

[@locobob]

I love self check out. I dreamt about it even before I knew what it was. I don’t care that it’s “unpaid work” or is not making the products cheaper. My ability to check out without dealing with ever increasingly rude cashiers, and bag things how I like is reward enough for me.

[@D-Rex-]

People need jobs, being a cashier is a good, reputable job (I did this for 3 years while in college) I don't use self checkout, I want humans to have jobs. I am not paid by the grocery store, I don't work for free.

[@zen1647]

Who do you think makes and maintains the self checkout machines? Employing people just for the sake of it is not sustainable.

[@melanieahrens6739]

@@zen1647The same people who build the check-out machines cashiers use. There are other advantages to using cashiers. They know way more about the store and the items than I do, and I’ll never get arrested for missing an item.

[@20thCenturyFav]

@@zen1647yes much of the labor has shifted to the IT side but he has a completely valid point when it comes to me not performing labor for free. There is no valid counter argument that can support why you should not be compensated for your labor in some way, sorry kiddo.

[@VeronicaAnderson-t2b]

I hear you! I was a cashier also in college

[@beyondEV]

@@20thCenturyFav There is also no valid argument, why someone using self-checkout should help pay so someone gets it's items ringed up and bagged for them. They don't dare, but in actuality the should simply make to prices, one for self-checkout and one which includes the additional labor costs. Markets are generally in price competition. So in effect, they can't afford to pocket the saving in labor costs. rather self-checkout is overcharged to help pay for the entitled customers. Still doesn't bothers me too much, mostly is elderly that use the cashiers over here (Switzerland). And they might anyway struggle and then back up self checkout if they tried. Bottom line is, i rather self-checkout than wait in a line. The second one feels much more like wasting my time. Of course, that crime is next to non-existent compared to the US helps (over here in Switzerland), that they can make it easy fast and comfortable. (5 items, paying with card, about 30 seconds) Aside from self-checkout, using a customer card, you generally can use a mobile scanner you attach to your card. take, scan and bag. And yes, basically no one uses single use plastic bags, but their own sturdy multi-use bag or backpack. Every now and then, you have to report to the cashier overlooking the self-checkouts and he scans at random some stuff to check. I honestly always get annoyed if they don't have self-checkout and i have to wait in line. The one thing, the really speaks against self-checkout, is that according the law, mistakes make you guilty. So if you can't focus and make sure you don't make mistakes, it's better to not use it. If everyone in the US would get paid a living wage prices would go up rather significantly. Then you would wish, that allow you to do a simple task yourself, instead of forcing you to pay for labor costs.

[@garrybrown3165]

The self checkout started with self service gasoline. Now in my early 70's, I worked at my grandfather and great uncle's Chevron station pumping gas when it cost 30 cents a gallon. Services included washing the windshield, checking the oil and tire pressure and people would offer their trash as they remained seated in their cars. I agree with Mr. Crockett and prefer to have a store employee check out my items. I prefer NOT to be an unpaid servant for a grocery store and have them question my ability to check out or question my integrity as the final step in shopping.

[@SmileyEmoji42]

But that comes at a cost. Most people would rather go where it is cheaper. Customers voted with their wallets for gasoline and for airlines. Why would food be any different?

[@guilima3097]

@@SmileyEmoji42are grocery stores with self checkouts cheaper than ones with cashiers only?

[@SmileyEmoji42]

@@guilima3097 If they were not cheaper then the stores with cashiers could switch to self-checkout to cut costs and then undercut their rivals to gain market share. That's how it worked before in fuel and flights. Retailers can only temporarily make extra profits. Eventually competition eliminates the extra margin. This is a fundamental law of economics whenever there is a competitive market and the food market is very competitive (at least in the UK)

[@stitics]

Related to this, in a store that isn't membership based (because with a membership I've potentially agreed to some terms for shopping there), as far as I'm concerned, while I was at the register was your last chance to verify I didn't steal anything. Once I walk away from the register, you'd better be sure before you try to stop me, cause I'm not stopping to show you receipts.

[@guilima3097]

@@SmileyEmoji42 I was talking through the point of view of the customer (of course!). Are the items in self checkout stores cheaper than traditional ones? I have only ever seen the contrary, idk why if they’re cheaper as you say, maybe these stores try to pass off as more modern thus justifying a premium price?

[@tvdavis]

Self checkout rarely works for a complete order without freaking out about not putting an object in the bagging area (but you did), or requiring authorization for alcohol (and one time, NON-alcohol sparkling grape juice), or just locking up for some unknown reason, and you end up waiting for an employee anyway. The area to place items is too small for more than a few things. And then, I’ve got someone standing there, pretending to straighten the candy and mints while watching me like a hawk to make sure I don’t steal. Screw that. If you won’t put cashiers at the registers, especially when you have three or four employees standing around doing nothing (looking at you, Target), I’ll shop elsewhere.

[@rogergeyer9851]

Claiming the OCCASIONAL issue is usual isn't at all credible. Just like this video repeatedly does, re trying to slant things. Modern checkout machines are NOT primitive and stupid like they were a few decades or so ago.

[@myoutuber77]

For large orders the self checkout is a pain because the scale where you put away scanned items has a weight limit. You end up serving yourself twice when you hit the limit.

[@TheDoubleg94]

This was true a decade ago, but if you've tried them recently they rarely have issues. I'm not necessarily pro-self checkout but this isn't accurate anymore.

[@dougpoulton3633]

When I see a self-checkout I want to tell the management to kiss my #@%.

[@saundrayork767]

@@TheDoubleg94 I don't know where you're shopping, but I'm talking about issues from a week ago

[@geographicaloddity2]

I am so tired of paying more for less. Self checkout is a reminder of corporate greed and what they think of me.

[@nata3467]

I'm surprised we don't have to unpack their boxes for them.. Aldi's is about to step away from that at this point

[@CWE3videos]

We’re cattle. That’s what they think.

[@markkempton4579]

Speak for yourself. I prefer self checkout. I stopped shopping at stores that don't offer it.

[@coweatsman]

@@nata3467 First put in 1/2 hour unpacking boxes and stacking shelves. Then do your shopping.

[@OneAdam12Adam]

End Citizens United now!

[@jessamineprice5803]

I’m have ADHD and it’s not a huge problem but maybe I’m not always on the ball. At Costco the other day I scanned and paid and walked away. THEN discovered I hadn’t picked up the receipt that I needed to leave the store. Then got yelled at by a store employee when I apologetically came back looking for the receipt. I understand some people love these things, but they make me feel like shit! Also the robot voice makes me mad bc it can talk to me but I can’t talk to it. It doesn’t feel like it’s working for me. I’m working for IT.

[@misha4422]

I am not autistic (I think), but the robot voice makes me feel stupid. And, I dislike (hate) that it sounds impatient and demanding. I prefer interacting with humans, hopefully making them smile.

[@shadylane7988]

I'm often in small grocery stores for my work. I start laughing at the absurdity of the check out machines and people's age trying to figure it out. It has become a new form of entertainment. Some of the folks, I really feel bad for. What a shit society we have created. I don't persoanlly shop at stores without clerks. If you've got some kinda personality disorder and only want to deal with machines, maybe you need a shrink and need to immerse yourself in a tube of of glue.

[@dwagner7117]

I like self-check out as I can pack my bags my way and because most of the time I don't need to interact with someone which is a relief on busy days. I also don't feel pressured to go faster, if I do it myself, it takes the time it takes. Also, I hate it when I do go through regular check out and cease to exist as soon as I paid, but my bags still need to get managed.

[@morganj1130]

My bags are packed the way I prefer due to me organizing the checkout platform the way I want the bag packed. Produce placed together on the platform. A little space left between, then eggs and bread. A little space between etc

[@TheMysteryDriver]

I like stores that have baggers.

[@frequentlycynical642]

You sound like a Gen Z, at least the part about not interacting with humans. It's a real thing, it's being studied how young adults try to avoid human interaction. The latter has been an important part of our psycho-evolution for millions of years. It does not bode well for the species.

[@wbcc3388]

and I am more careful with my potato chips than any cashier will be.(I don't like broken chips.)

[@frequentlycynical642]

@@wbcc3388 Have you considering getting help for that?

[@marymelchior9558]

If I was on a jury of a person who failed to scan a couple items accused of shoplifting, I’d find them not guilty. They deserve to get paid to do the work.

[@harrparr8988]

And so would almost everyone else. It's a non-issue. The police would never respond to a complaint of such a small theft, and it would never even get to court.

[@jamesharrison2374]

And at the local Walmart they have LP members guarding the doors and requiring to see your receipt before leaving.

[@NYyankeeboi]

@@jamesharrison2374 Whats the point of that? Of the last 5 times I have passed by them only one time did someone actually glance at my receipt.

[@kittytrail]

​@@jamesharrison2374 not up to date with walmart's acronyms, what's an "LP member"? 🤔

[@jamesharrison2374]

@@kittytrail loss prevention, never worked with Walmart, yet that seems what other retailers call the. They may be officially called asset protection from their vest.

[@romecottrell6444]

Self check out is a good idea 💡 I don't mind doing self check out 😅. Have a great day 😀.

[@SaintCyrX]

When I first saw self checkouts in my area, about 2010, they were often intended to be for small item counts. Made sense. Move small orders through faster, without extra payroll costs. Now, self checkout seems to be the norm negating the consumer benefits and retaining the payroll benefit...

[@rogergeyer9851]

So shop online or go somewhere else. It's a competitive world. If everyone refused to use self-checkout, stores couldn't use them and stay in business. Big hint: Since they keep getting far MORE popular over time, CLEARLY, overall, they're working well.

[@johnlacey3857]

The coming expectation that we all have phones and digital currency is frightening. Cash must always be an acceptable means of purchase as a fundamental right.

[@macforme]

This issue with phones infuriates me. I am not giving them my damn # so they can text me every 5 minutes on their deals. If something is marked at Safeway that you need that digital coupon to get the deal I don't buy. It's bad enough that you have to have a card to get ANY DISCOUNTS. 🤬

[@BobbieGWhiz]

Get with the times grandpa/grandma.

[@sharmanmurphree-roberts4018]

​@@BobbieGWhiz🤮

[@johnlacey3857]

@@BobbieGWhiz Do you have a reply with any actual substance?

[@danielch6662]

I'm using phones but not digital currency. They work like credit cards. Some types are prepaid. It's not run by the store, because that would mean we need a different app and account for every store. Set up properly, the store doesn't get your phone number. You don't even register an account with the store.

[@kevinmhadley]

I was a bag boy, my first job, bagging groceries at the local supermarket. Girls ran the registers. They were as fast or even faster than the scanners we have today. I had to double bag every order, take it the customer’s car and load it for them. Most all of the customers were happy with the service and often snuck a tip in the pocket of jacket we were required to wear. Maybe that’s why I avoid self checkout as much as possible. I e had quite a few nice conversations with the person at the register. I much prefer having a warm blooded human to run my groceries through the register than listening to a computer voice telling me, eight forty nine.”

[@rbphilip]

I like self checkouts well enough. While recognizing that others have problems.

[@Sudique1]

The last time I went to the grocery store, the cashier lane I was in moved FASTER than the self-checkout lane. When the self-checkout line is long, people in the line are blocking the aisles. If part of the increased price of food is going to pay for cashiers, I don't want to do a cashier's job because he/she is the expert.

[@slartybartfas5579]

I left an overflowing shopping cart at Walmart because they only had self checkout open.. I refuse.

[@Allison-jj1vq]

@@slartybartfas5579 you just wasted your own time. It’s 2024, things change.

[@StopWhining491]

Why even go there?

[@jmccoomber1659]

I heard a comedian refer to self-checkout lanes as "stealing" lanes, joking about ringing up all their produce as red delicious apples because they were the cheapest item. There's no question that self-checkout registers make it easier for people to take things they're not paying for.

[@zAlaska]

The AI cameras above and surrounding the modern scan machines recognize those behaviors and the face of the person doing it. They probably have the name of the person as well, signed up for discounts.

[@jmccoomber1659]

@@zAlaska Yeah, except they don't. They don't care, especially at stores like Walmart where there's no membership program. Somebody would have to review the video and take action and they don't have the staff for this. Unless theft is noticed by the few live people on duty at the time it occurs, no one goes back and checks. The only reason they might do this is if they suspect they've lost a lot of merchandise. I'd be surprised if the recordings that do actually exist are kept for more than 24 hours, if that; they record over old footage. They include expected losses in their business plans and only react if the theft is egregious.

[@shyft09]

potatoes surely, my shopping weight in red apples probably costs more

[@johng4093]

Real criminals just grab expensive liquor bottles and run out the door, not wasting time cheating a few cents on produce. 😂

[@SpontaneousProcess]

0:40 Why does it take you 20-30 minutes to use a self-checkout?

[@tarynmiller-bell347]

If you are like me, it keeps glitching because I don't bag things like boxes of soda and milk and it stops working needing an employee to override it.

[@mikecaprock9684]

Just had about 40 items in my basket. Took about 5 min . Which actually is faster or just as fast , depending on the clerk. Also, I loathe the small talk. Works for me .

[@Tyneras]

This podcast feels like someone who only goes to Kroger just assuming every other store works the same.

[@susantownsend8397]

@@Tyneras. 😅 at our closest Kroger there is always at least one employee actively watcher for people who need help. I know it’s not like that everywhere, we just got lucky.

[@rokess5053]

I'm not a professional. Mistakes have been made, which may have been in my favor. It happens.

[@JIm-w1b]

What I dislike about self service checkouts is the same as the all persuasive attitude of society as a whole today, and that is, to try and get rid of as many employees as possible, instead of the other way around, where a company should be a friend and create jobs as a way to take care and help people and make a better life for them. Years ago, this was what companies did, they took care of their employees like a big family. Instead of the cutthroat mentality we have today

[@huntguy3831]

You can directly thank your generation for that, assuming you are a baby boomer. They have made business so cut throat that if employers took care of their employees their stock would drop and they would lose investors.

[@firestarter1888]

You cant blame boomers for capitlism. The British perfected it in the 1800s. ​@@huntguy3831

[@kddidit08]

​@@huntguy3831 #notall boomers 🙄 Also you're just wrong as a matter of law. "Maximizing shareholder value" started to become the norm (and maybe the law) in the early '60s, long before "boomers" were of legal age and a lot earlier than "boomers" were in a position to be solely responsible for creating the business environment we're in today. Maybe you could broaden your blame game a tad.

[@virginiamoss7045]

@@huntguy3831 Correction: you can directly thank the Republican Party starting with Reagan. Not all boomers are conservatives and why you think so I don't know. Weren't they the ones who were the hippies and flower children early on, pushing for social justice, environmental protections, civil rights, women's rights, and against wars and discrimination. Seems pretty liberal to me.

[@huntguy3831]

@@kddidit08 While that has been a longstanding standard companies for the most part still took care of their employees up until the 80s/90s. During this time some major changes happened with the mindset and actions of executives, one of the main actions being the change from pensions to 401k plans. This time frame is conveniently when boomers were old enough to have scaled the corporate ladder and/or start their own business. Thats just a coincidence isn’t it though?

[@renatanovato9460]

I have been brought up to ALWAYS do the right thing. I could never ever shoplift. However, once in a self-checkout I scanned a product but the machine didn't process it. I noticed but didn't bother to scan it again. I shoplifted for the first time in my life at the age of 45

[@brianjonker510]

ehhh If they cant do it right then thats their cost.

[@marcusjaybrode2129]

You shouldn’t be proud of stealing. And make no mistake, that *WAS* stealing.

[@marleyjanim5033]

Better late than

[@marleyjanim5033]

Steal Cheat

[@michaelhuang2477]

Soon we will be going to the back of the grocery stores to collect our own free range chicken eggs. Then they'll let us go to the other section of the hay field and thrasher on wheat to make our pasta

[@melaniedeare5427]

I'm beginning to feel this way about "one-day surgery" centers. I remember helping my husband shower and then swabbing the area that would be operated on with an antiseptic BEFORE we even left home. I thought to myself then that we're just a few steps away from drive-thru surgeries where they run out to your car, put you under in the back seat, and do whatever needs to be done. Then your family member drives you home. I would NOT be at all surprised if we got to that point one day. Grocery stores are just the beginning!

[@StopWhining491]

@@melaniedeare5427 Mental image of surgery patients moving through line on a conveyor, like a car wash.

[@Noattackthoughts]

As a senior who already has feelings of isolation, I find the automation in stores to be an increased barrier to social interaction. Years ago, I realized I could do all of my weekly errands without interacting with a single human being. At banks, libraries, gas stations, and grocery stores I seldom talk to a person.

[@raymundostille7426]

Nobody is forcing you. You are paranoid

[@marleyjanim5033]

May I ask a question

[@Noattackthoughts]

@marleyjanim5033 of me? Of course.

[@Crazy5711]

I like self-checkout. I may not be able to check out as fast as a cashier, but I still get out of the store faster than before. In the stores I shop at, there are twice as many checkout lines than there were before self checkout. I like the extra convenience. That said, I think stores should still offer staffed checkout lines at all times. A mix of both is ideal in my opinion. There's a grocery store that used to be my favorite store before self checkout became big. They are the only grocery store that doesn't offer self checkout. I avoid going in there anymore, because the checkout lines are always long.

[@RyanK-100]

More customers need to do this. It will be WAY more expensive to have employees re-shelve items than to pay an employee to check you out. Yes, prices will go "up" but that's what we want anyway. If store A complains that their prices will go up, store B will compete and prices will level themselves. New Jersey does not allow self-pump at gas stations and we have among the lowest gas prices in the nation. Don't believe the b.s. by businesses whose sole goal is to suck more money from your pocket. Capitalism, which is wonderful, needs to be regulated.

[@lockbert99]

Or just go to the grocery store when there is a lane open that isn’t self-checkout. There are only limited times when they only use self-checkout. Self-service gas doesn’t suffer from theft so it definitely saves money for the station.

[@catzenhouse]

I abandoned my desired purchases at JoAnn's for the same reason. Thirty people in line and one very slow checker. Nope. Haven't been back in years.

[@trrexxx]

There are many items from abandoned carts that most stores will not restock for health and safety reasons. Items such as fresh produce or meats. Or frozen products such as ice cream that could have been in someone's cart to the point of melting. The store doesn't know how long these things have been in the cart or what the person who picked them off the shelf may have done with them. So that's another loss for them.

[@kjmav10135]

I’m old enough to remember when Texaco gas stationed actually pumped your gas, cleaned your windshield, and checked your oil. And then we started doing it ourselves. We don’t think about it anymore. It’s not about speed. It’s about Big Grocery. $$$

[@nathanbaker1868]

Last time I went to Oregon, it was state law that you couldn’t pump your own gas. I had to waste 10 minutes waiting for the designated pumper to come to my car. I would have much rather paid a lower price, done the work myself, and been on to my next destination instead of waiting. I haven’t been back to Oregon since and I’ll never go there again as long as they have stupid laws like that

[@MichelleFouche1]

In South Africa we are lucky to still have someone pump our gas and clean our windshield. I hope it never changes.

[@ashleyashleym2969]

They do that in my country and I promise you it's not as great as you think. Sometimes I am able to self serve as at a gas station as an option, buy othen having an attendant serve you is the only option and it's actually pretty frustrating because I hate being forced to go inside just to pay for gas.

[@sheepdog457]

I’m blessed to live in a rural area. The mindset of the managers of the stores I frequent is that they will maintain customer service by making manned checkout the priority.

[@celieboo]

My mom refuses to use self checkout. She will call the manager and make them check her out. 😂

[@ani1344]

Good for her!

[@chrismiller755]

We're all supposed to do that

[@kylewilson4097]

I guess she has lots to time on her hands or real challenges performing a simple task. Does she also insist that a manager take her shopping list and return with the basket of items selected so she doesn't have to go into the store and pull items off the shelves?

[@karenfay4545]

@@kylewilson4097 what if your manager decided your job was a “simple task” and decided to replace you with a machine. Would you like that? I have been told what to do by machines my entire working life. Check out I would kind of like to remain a “simple task” person to person operation.

[@ani1344]

@@kylewilson4097 what’s your damage dude? Self checkout is not efficient or good business / customer service, especially if you have more than a few items. In fact, it’s rude to make people wait while you fumble through checking out a full cart in those little self checkout spots. It’s only recently been a thing, unless you’re a sorta new adult. Why you pickin on Celie’s mom?

[@seemedoit]

I am waiting for the machines to start asking for tips.

[@timotheusmaximus5374]

They already do. "Would you like to donate to this charity you've never heard of and can't know if they get the money?"

[@sparker7768]

I used to try and rush through SCO, but realized THIS IS NOT MY JOB. Now (if I'm forced to use them), I take my time, and always ask for help. I'm not incompetent, just tired of the bulls*@!

[@Lyndalewinder]

Me too!

[@billh.1940]

Good for you. Ask management if they hire high school kids. That is who lost a job.

[@theghost2683]

I would ruch through Safeway self check outs only because it was so slow at saying the prices I would be out the door and it would still be saying prices confusing the person behind me in line.

[@stella-gx8ne]

I hate self check out. They want you use your own bags but if they’ve are too big they tag you for “help is on the way “ FT. I’ll wit and talk to Julie

[@stella-gx8ne]

That sweet human makes my life better.

[@joewoodchuck3824]

I refuse to use a self checkout. It's the store's job to check me out. I'm not doing their job for them with zero benefit to me. Give me a little discount for doing their job and we can talk. The other issue I have with self checkout is that stores are complaining about losses by people with nefarious intentions going through self checkouts and not scanning everything. It's hard for me to wrap myself around the logic that self checkout saves them money in terms of manpower, but in the very same breath claim that they're losing money to theft. You can't have it both ways. Either you accept the non scanning losses, or eliminate self checkout. SMH

[@jaykoerner]

They have solutions for people like you, use their app and get it delivered to your car, or even your home directly...

[@joewoodchuck3824]

@@jaykoerner That's far from being a "solution", especially when presented in such a condescending way. For one thing, you're still ringing it up yourself. For another, you'll get any random piece of meat or anything else without checking expiration date. For the meat especially you don't get to select the favored piece that appeals to you most. Same for produce. You don't get to see what's new or at least spontaneously reminds you of a recipe idea, as a result of browsing down the aisles. Then there's the items you forgot to put on the shopping list while at home. So no, a grocery shopping app is definitely not viable for that many people. The vast majority of shoppers obviously still want to shop conventionally. Try again with some intelligent thought next time.

[@jaykoerner]

@@joewoodchuck3824 That's their solution for it, Walmart, target and dollar general have basically already killed all but killed the smaller competition, if they choose to do something you kind of have to live with it, world sucks you take what your given, Heck I wouldn't be surprised if they start locking up entire stores and force people to buy things through a kiosk at the front or use an app basically going back full circle to the way some general stores used to operate

[@sharmanmurphree-roberts4018]

​@@joewoodchuck3824Very good points! 👍

[@SamSitar]

partly incorrect. people who watch the self scan work at that employer.

[@Barbara-e7d5u]

When they start paying me to checkout, I will use it, not till. The stores don’t offer customers lower prices, just lower service!

[@kathyclawson5146]

I do not do it either but am thinking if they want to give me 20% off on the total I might consider it.

[@direwolf6234]

if there was actually a cost savings then the self lanes would form lines .. people will do anything to save a buck ..

[@direwolf6234]

@@kathyclawson5146 what about 10% .. you ok with that ??

[@marleneprokopetz1857]

My wife and I learned to like self checkout during covid. We felt the less people handling our purchases the better off we were. Also, we weren't "trapped" in a lineup between registers. We still prefer it.

[@dpg227]

Years ago, all the checkout lanes in the grocery store were open and staffed with cashiers when the store was busy. Nowadays, there's usually one or two cashiers open in addition to the self checkout lanes.

[@rogergeyer9851]

Yes. That's the problem I have is how even when BUSY, so FEW checkout lanes would be open. A the grocery AND the big box stores. The automated checkout lines GREATLY helped with the time to check out, so I'm all for them.

[@johng4093]

Employees avoid dealing with customers, so customers have learned to do without them and self checkout. 😊

[@Mainbusfail]

I love self check out. It makes it so such easier for me to control the process. No matter how tired i may be. I do not whine about it. I embrace the freedom of not being obligated to deal with other people. Because people suck.

[@ashleyashleym2969]

Yeah I agree. I prefer self check out. I was a cashier in the past so I actually am faster than the paid employee even if I have a lot of things and I get to pack my bags properly instead of the stupid 1-2 items per bag that they do. I need to be able to actually carry the crap!

[@suppertime-qj1nt]

Most people appear to have no anxiety about keeping a line waiting at checkout, chitchatting, meticulously squaring away personal items.

[@rogergeyer9851]

With 6 or even 8 machines in a self-checkout lane, a slow customer is NOT a problem. Especially compared to the SLOW SLOW human run checkout lanes.

[@guydreamr]

I like self-checkout, I like the feeling of greater control while performing routine tasks.

[@dentrh]

When I get paid to scan my purchases then I will scan them. I hate bank machines for the same reason. Based on the growth in corporate profits they aren't sharing their gains with us.

[@jeredbecker4658]

I love self-checkout. It saves me about 10 - 20 minutes of my shopping experience by bagging my own groceries.

[@itoibo4208]

Same. In almost every case, the store has had an open self check-out, and I am out of there in a few minutes, instead of waiting in a long line.

[@danacoleman4007]

😂😂😂

[@jeredbecker4658]

for me it's about time management. get in, find what I need, get out and move on with my day. I don't need someone to get in my way and slowing me down.

[@rickhaydan3433]

Corporate CEOs fooled me into pumping my own gasoline. I'll be darned if I'm going to let them fool me into using self-checkout.

[@pamelaroyce5285]

oh, come on, why not get with the times? Wanna milk your own cow? 😂 I hated when they introduced pumping our own gas. Still hate it. Sometimes my hand smells like gasoline afterwards. Luckily (?), I’m old enough the get sympathy and a clerk pumps the gas for me at my local carwash.

[@rickhaydan3433]

@@pamelaroyce5285 I am totally confused by your reply. Are you pro or anti self-service for gasoline and cashing out.

[@tesserakt54]

Self-checkout is war on supermarket staff jobs. These jobs are sufficiently low paid already. I do not work for the supermarket. Let them employ checkout staff.

[@churblefurbles]

No, its a bad job if you've ever done it, just horrible on your back alone. Having someone just manage self check out is a huge upgrade in quality of life for a worker.

[@tesserakt54]

@churblefurbles I've done it thanks.

[@JeffPalk]

I shop at Publix and prefer self check out. Mainly because I like bagging things together that makes sense. Even when I put things together on the conveyor belt, that teenager just doesn't understand that milk doesn't go on top of bread.

[@TheMysteryDriver]

Tell them.

[@debraweaver7416]

And I don't like the cashiers using 10 bags for 14 items.

[@TheMysteryDriver]

@@debraweaver7416 free trash bags

[@msgoldenemerald]

Yes, keep the cooled items seperate from the non cooled.

[@JeffPalk]

@@debraweaver7416 I once had some turkey that I had already bagged once(which is probably overkill) and the bagger put it in another bag and then put that in ANOTHER BAG!

[@catt6308]

I am not an employee of the grocery store. I am a customer. The store does not pay me to scan my groceries.

[@anthonynicoli]

It’s terrible and the stores distrust you. Constant surveillance. Then you have to either bring your own bags or pay extra for them. Stores today kind of suck.

[@BobbieGWhiz]

Why should they trust us when they recognize there’s so much “shoplifting” going on with self check out?

[@chrisbaker2669]

Self checkout is so much slower than a human cashier if the store is properly staffed. Long lines are the fault of the store because well staffed stores don’t have long lines. If only 1-2 cashier’s are working instead of 7-10 people the lines will suck. Also the cashier that is trained cashier they are way faster than the normal consumer they do that job 8 hours a day 5 days a week. The consumer does check out 20 minutes a week at most who do you think is going to do a better job?

[@rogergeyer9851]

Economics is a reality. Having MUCH higher labor costs for MANY cashiers results in higher priced goods or stores going out of business. Not dealing with reality won't change the reality. Self checkout is becoming FAR more popular over time for GOOD reasons. And for one thing, if you don't like it, you can EASILY do the VAST majority of your shopping online, which offers LOTS of benefits.

[@kylewilson4097]

@@chrisbaker2669 I may be 10% slower than an experienced cashier but for the couple of minutes it takes to scan my items and pay, that 12 seconds is far less than the wait in line at any normal register. Certainly I would support anyone who finds the scanning process challenging to use a staffed register though.

[@srelma]

Duh. It's extremely inefficient for the shop to have so many cashiers that there are no lines as it means that a lot of the times the cashiers are not doing anything (as there are no customers to wait to be checked out). Machines cost a lot less when idle than humans who expect to be paid regardless of scanning or not scanning. If you're rich, you can go to shop in luxury stores where you have 2 or 3 shop assistants per customers but then the prices reflect that. We plebs are happy to get lower prices and wait in lines.

[@nance1111]

In our family, the 25-30yo's like the convenience and not having to wait in long lines. The older folks are a mixed bag. Some more tech savvy are fine using them for small purchases; the less tech savvy hate them for anything. I'm tech savvy, but am not an employee of the store. They aren't paying me to check my own groceries. If they offered a discount or even just gave you a bag, I'd use them more often. I refuse to pay for bags at the self-checkout.

[@dalecs47]

I will NEVER use a self check out. All other issues aside, I fear being arrested for shoplifting if I somehow make a mistake or even if I have not made a mistake but the security people or cops think I have. For me it is just not worth risking my entire life just so the store owners can cut jobs. Yes, I have walked out of stores where my choice was self check out or long lines waiting.

[@danielch6662]

If you dump everything out of the cart first before you start scanning, this mistake is avoided. Glance at the cart, it is completely empty. It is when the cart has a mix of scanned and I scanned items that trouble begins

[@nathanbaker1868]

I’m not sure going through checkout with a cashier guarantees what you think it does. Don’t believe me? Ask the people who have been arrested for stealing hertz rental cars they rented despite going to the counter and checking the car back in with a worker and leaving with paperwork showing they returned the car and paid in full.

[@kittytrail]

@dalecs47 looks like you live in a third world country where the supermarket and "security" can do whatever they want... 🙄

[@dalecs47]

@@kittytrail Oh? Have you seen any of the video where WalMart security has the police arrest/beat the hell out of customers? And besides, why would I spend my time working for WalMart for free? By the way, I do live in a third world country, I am retired, and where I live the security and cops are MUCH nicer than in the U.S.. And they have no "Self check out."

[@kittytrail]

@@dalecs47 well, the US has been forcibly and rapidly devolving into third world 💩hole-level for a quarter of a century or so at the behest of the usual atavistic parasites so it's no wonder they operate like that, even your run of the maize mill Mexican cops are nicer to interact with than most US ones. 😅

[@annoyedok321]

Social engineering profits. They told us it was automation to make our lives easier, but they just flipped the register around. They even removed cashiers beforehand to make you wait and feel like it was better.

[@sherrihaight2724]

My immune disease leads to extreme fatigue and pain. Lack of traditional checkouts have a major impact on my ability to basically function as a shopper for my house.

[@macforme]

Sherri: I am so sorry about the pain you are dealing with. It is possible to have your order delivered but I can't imagine what you will get in the fresh fruits and veggies. I believe there is a delivery fee, but I have never done this. And goodness knows if you have to tip the delivery person...things could add up. 🫣

[@joleegmail7556]

Forget buying beer and wine at self checkout unless you want to wait for someone to scan your id

[@jstephens2758]

@@macforme You are right, it does add up. Delivery services mark up the groceries by typically 15 to 17%, add a service fee, add a delivery fee, and expect a tip for the driver. This can increase the cost substantially. If you have an annual delivery subscription, there is no delivery fee and a reduced service fee, but the other costs remain. You can have the order packed for pickup without paying the fees, but it is still marked up.

[@macforme]

@@jstephens2758 Thanks for this info... I have never used this kind of service and I hope I never have to. 🫣

[@sitdowndogbreath]

Take CBD for your pain eternally and topically

[@lunab3118]

If you had a toy cashier system as a kid… I think you like self checkout 😂

[@virginiamoss7045]

I like self-checkout for the same reason I was ecstatic about being able to fill my car's gas tank myself; get it yourself and go! For a small amount of items, I think it's essential. However, I like it so much that I use it for four to six bags full. I can pack the bags properly which almost no employee can do and I can see the prices on each item to be sure they match what's on the shelf. Of course, I only grocery shop during slow times of the day and take my time, unhurriedly, now that I'm retired and can afford the time.

[@severinjohn]

How on earth can you verify that the price as scanned is the same as what's on the shelf? You can't since prices are not on individual items anymore.

[@virginiamoss7045]

@@severinjohn I'm a bit like Clark Howard in that I just remember numbers and try to get the best price possible. There's only some items I'm interested in given the the decision I made on that item based on the shelf price or any suspicions I have about it. I can't remember every item, though Clark Howard can. I'd like to see a return to prices being on the item, but the current system favors the store and we have no say.

[@unwired1281]

Remember this number🖕

[@nunyabidness3075]

@@severinjohnIn what way does it differ if you go to self checkout? And, let’s say your store is actually ripping you off by over charging. Aren’t they doing you a favor by broadcasting they are cheats? It’s an obvious, and catchable cheat. Once you catch them, you now know not to shop there. Seriously, if they will cheat on prices, they will cheat on quality. If they cheat on quality you have no idea what you are actually eating. People are all inclined to complain about the wrong things. Think about it.

[@qlue7881]

We don't have self-checkout in South Africa We're a very labour centric society and self-checkout wouldn't be accepted easily But if it was ever introduced, I'd expect a discount between 25% to 50% or I'd simply refuse to use the self-checkout aisle

[@javalord439]

You have some high expectations. Labor costs for grocery stores are about 12%, most of which are receiving and stocking. Not having a checker shaves off maybe a percent off the price, if you are being generous.

[@qlue7881]

@@javalord439 oh, I know I'm been unrealistic 😋 But so is self-checkout in a mostly cash based, labour centric society

[@rickjette9482]

If I have only 3 or 4 items that do not need to be weighed, I will use the self checkout. Otherwise I want a cashier and a bagger.

[@rogergeyer9851]

It's NOT like weighing something is difficult on the scanner of a modern grocery store checkout like Kroger's. They make it quick and very easy (just set the item needing weighing (it knows and tells you) on the scanner for a few seconds. I get it if you have like 30 or 50 items. Or if you like standing in lines.

[@YT4Readers]

Rick: We have had almost no baggers for 10 years. We are lucky if the cashiers even put the items where we can teach the products. Basically, the stores just want to scan the items, get money, and keep the products.

[@johnlacey3857]

@@rogergeyer9851Duh... it’s not the weighing itself that’s the problem. The bigger problem is finding the proper code or description of the item. Sometimes the item is not labeled, sometimes it’s not in the system, sometimes you have to look for an English language description but the descriptions are either confusing or missing or flat out wrong... Are they tomatoes, large? Tomatoes, hot-house? Tomatoes, heirloom? Tomatoes, Roma? Tomatoes, hybrid? Tomatoes, xyzpdq?

[@stephanierando3477]

I agree. Self check out is okay for a couple of quick items, but not full shopping.

[@danielch6662]

In my country, stuff are not weighed by the cashier. Produce and stuff that are weighed get weighed at a separate counter near the produce. The human there seals the plastic bags with your stuff with a short length of tape, and the weighing machine spits out a sticker showing the product name, price per kg, weight, and price. And there is a large barcode. At the cashier, they scan the barcode, and the computer has all these info. PS: the info isn't in the barcode. That is just a reference number. The scale and cashiers' terminals are linked. We don't have self checkout yet. I've only watched it on YT.

[@mikec6111]

They’re going to overcome the resistance to online shopping by making the in person experience more and more onerous. My wife orders our groceries online and then picks it up curbside. She found she liked it better when she started it during COVID. One of the things I do like about a store is that it’s a third place. Or now that I work from home, a second place, but we still do our big purchases online. I really do hate the idea of using my phone as a checkout device. I’m already doing the work, now I’m providing the equipment. Everything will just be a warehouse soon. There will be no place to go.

[@Bobrogers99]

I would never buy produce or meats online because I want to pick out what I buy.

[@matthewpolk1275]

Technology throughout the store has to be improved in order for checkout to improve. Regardless of the grocery chain, almost every time I go shopping there is at least one item that rings up incorrectly. I catch it in self-checkout…but the cashier doesn’t know what’s marked down and what’s not, so they rely on the price that pops up on the screen. This problem is compounded by the fact that more and more autonomy is removed from workers who often no longer have the authority to fix even minor errors without requesting assistance from a manager. ALL of these problems can be traced back to corporate greed and incentives to favor poor management practices over employee dignity and good customer service.

[@rogergeyer9851]

The occasional issue is NOT "almost every time".

[@spro3347]

I take a picture of the item on the sale shelf. That usually helps in those occasions.

[@matthewpolk1275]

@@rogergeyer9851 I wish it was only occasional. I suspect most people don’t realize how often items actually ring up incorrectly at supermarkets.

[@sharmanmurphree-roberts4018]

​@rogergeyer9851 That's right. And this happens ALMOST EVERY TIME, NOT "occasionally ". And it always happens in THEIR favor. It's a deliberate scam perpetrated against their customers. Walmart is one of the most egregious offenders.

[@BAAWAKnight]

As a single guy: I love self-checkout. I hate standing behind a giant family with 2 full carts and 3 or 4 screaming brats. I want to get my stuff, pay, and get out. That's what self-checkout allows me to do. My time is valuable to me.

[@ssg04c]

It depends on the store. Publix employs a sufficient number of cashiers, so waiting more than a minute or two is rare. Walmart, on the other hand, started cutting back on cashiers 25 years ago, so it would take forever to check out. Self checkout doesn’t necessarily save you time if you need service from a person while checking out (if you’re buying alcohol, for example).

[@BAAWAKnight]

@@ssg04c I neither smoke nor drink, so unless there's some issue with the scanner itself or somehow an item isn't in the system, I never need assistance.

[@danielch6662]

​​@@ssg04cknowing that, just don't buy alcohol on every trip. 😅 I never buy alcohol anyway, for biological/genetic reasons. Self checkout systems need to be optimized for speed and cost. But some stores load the software up with crap. It's an implementation problem. Nothing wrong with the idea itself. The cashiers' terminals aren't full of useless stuff that slows down transactions. The store could change the way they sell alcohol. Place them in a separate section. Maybe a mini store past the exit. Along with the guns and ammo.

[@temtationeyes]

I love it too. I like the process & getting in & out fast.

[@rsmith4339]

I already refused to use self-checkout ; now that they don't take cash , I certainly wouldn't use them .

[@rickhaydan3433]

Cashiers always work faster than the average shopper. The cashier knows stuff we don't, like how to read damaged price tags.

[@DrunkenUFOPilot]

Knowing broccoli is code number 123, and tapping it in while already grabbing the next item to scan, while I'd be fumbling around looking it up and then wondering why I have an error message.

[@kurtwetzel154]

A trained cashier knows where to look for the barcode to scan the items faster. They know codes for produce and other stuff. Us average shopper knows how to scan items but not efficient at all. Forgot about produce or weighed items we get slowed down more.

[@kurtwetzel154]

@null6634 I like self checkout for express only 15 items or less. Often you have to wait in line and people have full carts.

[@rickhaydan3433]

@kurtwetzel154 Go ahead, become an unpaid employee of the store. If we all boycotted self-checkout then they would have to open more lines.

[@rickhaydan3433]

@@null6634 Go ahead, become an unpaid employee of the store. If we all boycotted self-checkout, then they would have to open more lines. Frankly, I didn't go to college to become an unpaid checkout clerk.

[@stevestunning3326]

Gas stations did the same thing to us 40 years ago. I hate self checkout, the worst part is trying to figure out how to enter produce. I walked out of a store several weeks ago because the manager and what appeared to be his assistants just stood there, watching us stand in line, while the dummy running the single manned check stand struggled. I let them put my groceries back. I just don’t want to do it.

[@francescooper3578]

hate self checkout. Every time I use them something goes wrong and you end up waiting longer for the worker to help you.

[@jaomwtoptd]

It took me a while (I'm 72), but I actually prefer self checkout. What this video fails to take into account are the long queues before. And also having to wait while a person slowly packs their shopping and then can't find their method of payment. Not forgetting so few staff to accommodate so many customers.

[@PBJ-x7k]

At self checkout you don't have to wait while someone cashs coupons or has some other problem with payment. I LOVE it.

[@debeeriz]

unless l have a lot of veges to weigh, l will use the self check out every time, its quicker, no waiting in line while some one trys to find the cash or trying different cards

[@sewtritionistrdn1956]

If I have to self check-out, then I want to be paid. I'm not going to work and pay a store. I'm keeping people working so they too can buy groceries.

[@harrparr8988]

What about the farmers who use tractors instead of horses and ploughs? Do you boycott them too? In the 1760s 50% of the population was employed in agriculture. Do you reject all labour saving technology, or just self checkouts?

[@cliffordgolub76]

I will not use self-checkout as I am not a cashier and I refuse to take over someone's job who may well need the money earned.

[@scharftalicous]

You realise that self check-out means the cashier is freed up to do better value add activities? Or even get a better job.

[@geobus3307]

​@@scharftalicousDid you read that in the employee handbook? LOL!

[@MrJCerqueira]

That's noble. but if someone's whole job is pressing buttons & taking my $ then...

[@freddiesimmons1394]

​@@geobus3307 the first half of that (freeing up to do more important tasks) is literally covered in the video

[@freddiesimmons1394]

Did you not listen to the video??

[@dejakester]

When you said scan a QR code to check out... I screamed, "NO!!!" Not only do you have to find, checkout, and bag your own stuff (by the way up here you have to bring your own bags or get charged for them), but now I have to use a personal device that I am paying $$$ a month for?!!! No sir, I say absolutely NOT. I am a person who only uses self check out if there is no other option. My mom says self-serve gasoline was the end of civilization and I have begun to see her point.

[@thomaslgrice]

Actually, most stores, Kroger for example, will take your list, pull your groceries, bag them, charge you, bring them out to your car and load them in your suv.

[@franceshorton918]

Agree! Excellent analysis, and the truth.... Greetings from Auckland New Zealand, where we are held to ransom by a duopoly of two supermarket chains. No one seems to be able to stop them: charging massive high prices for EVERYTHING and providing less and less in the way of customer and community connection. It's a big problem here

[@jayscards8640]

@@thomaslgriceI’ve tried that. It’s great if for most prepackaged item. However, I would never have someone else pick out produce or canned goods.

[@robindhood9125]

@@jayscards8640Why the exclusion for canned goods?

[@robindhood9125]

@@thomaslgriceWhat if I don’t have an suv😢

[@NilsExp]

That's ok, you don't want to check me out? I'll just scan every second item 😂

[@ianandersen265]

I don't like self checkout for large grocery purchases. It dramatically increases my chances of accidentally stealing merchandise or double scanning an item. If accused of stealing, you not only face the scrutiny of the loss prevention unit, but you could get a misdemeanor on your record, or kicked out of that particular grocery store for life. I once bought several pairs of jeans with self checkout. It was a huge pain. Staff double checked and verified that I had counted everything correctly. In their defense, the jeans piled up in my cart, and I was very nervous and self aware while using the self checkout, constantly double checking to making sure I was doing it right. That incident was disturbing! Since then, I only use self checkout for smaller purchases where I can more easily track what I do. It's much better that way.

[@dronzie]

This. I love self checkout for smaller purchases, but it's a pain for alcohol purchases and larger hauls.

[@danielch6662]

The store is doing it wrong. They need two kinds of carts. Just paint them different colours. One for in store, one to push to the parking lot. You take things out of one cart, scan them one by one, put them in the other cart. It is impossible to forget anything. Putting it back into the same cart is why people forget.

[@DrunkenUFOPilot]

If store workers have to spend time verifying you did things correctly, that undoes the time and money saved by not having a cashier. Seems like a dumb idea for the store, and a good idea for making customers disgruntled.

[@MikiCab1]

Last week my wife discovered she didn’t pay for an item in her grocery bag after self checkout after she got how. Week before I found a tomato in my cart when I got to the car. I went back into the store to pay for it and they just waved me off and told me it was fine. Self checkout is riddled with issues.

[@Ellllegeee]

Self check out is SO appreciated by introverts of the world. 🙌

[@catzenhouse]

Not all of us - I hate it. Tech anything and I have a mutual hate relationship. Scanning is a nightmare for me for Many reasons. If they want to pay me for my time, maybe I would consider it. It is like Bank of America (which is driving me away) has one teller (five teller stations) and one lady wandering around the lobby with an iPad in hand who always asks what our business is there that day. I want to answer "that is none of your business nor is it the people who are standing next to me in the line that goes to the entry doors". She doesn't help with anything except wear out the carpet.

[@jouneymanwizard]

10:45 - $10 billion stolen? Oh my. How were the profits on those companies again? Record? Huh. Sounds like they could slash prices by $10 billion and still be fine...

[@privateprivate8366]

I’ve long understood that businesses don’t see much difference between employees and customers, hence, as law and technology allows, we’ll be treated the same. I didn’t like when self checkouts became a thing. As a customer, I was working for free, not only without a discount, but with rising costs, like the hyperinflation we now have. To make things worse, there’s a lot of discussion about digital price tags. So, businesses can fluctuate prices any season, any minute of the day. This is bad news, when it comes to staple items and supplies needed for disasters. The price gouging would be off the charts while, of course, you’re still checking out items yourself.

[@engineeringoyster6243]

I’ve always thought that grocery stores want the customers to spend more time in the store because the longer customers spend in the store, the more they buy. That is why the products are laid out in the store the way they are. My local grocery store has dairy products in 3 different places of the store. Similarly, bakery products are usually in 2 different places. Self checkout can slow the customer leaving the store.

[@trrexxx]

Also why Walmart traditionally has a greeter at the door with a cart for you. Give a person a cart and they tend to have to move slower through the aisles. The more people with carts the slower the pace. The slower one goes the more items they notice. The more they notice the more they may make impulse purchases. It's not just about pretending to make your shopping experience more friendly.

[@ChristianaMick13]

Am I the only one who likes it because I don’t have to make small talk with people?

[@johng4093]

No, you're not alone. I don't go to the market to talk with the checker.

[@rjstegbauer]

People are different. I enjoy chatting with empoyees.

[@ChristianaMick13]

@@rjstegbauer true. I do too. But a lot of my job is interacting with people and sometimes my brain is just zapped.

[@TimRockwell-p8i]

I often use self checkout to avoid small talk.

[@chrystallee5528]

I only like self checkout because, I'm faster than the cashier and I bag the groceries better and more efficiently in paper bags.

[@davemeise2192]

I flat out refuse to use self-checkout. Whenever it's suggested I use a self checkout I simply ask them how much they're going to pay me to do their work? All of them turns away at that point. It's ridiculous we're supposed to replace someone for the few minutes it takes to checkout your groceries. RECORD PROFITS and they are still trying to figure out ways to keep taking more and more money from us!! We are going so far away from the type of work one can do during summer holidays beginning to work for a living etc. You know, the beginner jobs where so many of us began. How will people get a start in their working career if there's no "starter" jobs anymore.

[@markotrieste]

Being on the spectrum, self checkout is a blessing for me. No small talk, no embarrassing interaction with judgemental cashiers, just a machine that is very easy to interpret and foretell. It all falls apart, however, if you buy an alcoholic beverage.

[@KatrinaNJoeBikeRiders]

You’d think that you could scan your drivers license and then have the machine take your picture to verify you’re the person on the Id. No human interaction necessary

[@richoneplanet7561]

I needed this validation - thank you for reporting on self-check out. 👍

[@emrahtestere5372]

Free pickups for groceries are much better than anything else.

[@landinggear5726]

No way I'm outsourcing the job of selecting my fresh produce to somebody else. Not gonna happen.

[@ronblack7870]

75% of my shopping is fruit . i would never let someone pick my fruit.

[@hergandbiskell1546]

I usually wind up so discombobulated at the self checkout that a clerk comes and does it for me 😁

[@421Rider]

In every instance when an employee recommended I use self checkout I walked out empty handed and did not return to that store. I recommend everyone do exactly this.

[@Bludongle]

I refuse to self-checkout. It's the same as stores asking me to round up to give to charity when the corporation gets to write off MY fukken donation. Tired of this greed.

[@Andrea-ok9px]

Absolutely!! When I discovered this store scheme, I right the charity directly to them myself!

[@kimberlychodur3508]

I see that all the time, the checkout asking if you want to round up to feed the hungry or whatever.

[@mudandglitter1609]

Holy crap. How did I not ever think of this?!?! Thank you for mentioning this detail. I usually round up, but when I don't donate, I feel bad. Not anymore.

[@nathanbaker1868]

Except that’s not how round-up donations work. The company collects the money and passes it directly on to the charity. They neither have to claim it as income nor get to deduct anything.

[@sparkie996]

​@@nathanbaker1868Which specific charity, they never tell you that. The process is totally open to abuse.

[@lukeanderson439]

16:52 I refuse to use my own phone to check out. If it is the only option, then bye bye.

[@robinbirdj743]

It takes 3 days for 45 min a day to learn the most important codes for the produce you’ll use. I learned as a cashier and now use that knowledge in self checkout though I used to hate using it. There’s not usually enough counter space and I’m a leftie. The self checkout malfunctions at least once every trip. So I’m torn. As a former good and friendly cashier, I see self checkout as a way to tell the customer, we’re here to stock the shelves and that’s about it!

[@elijg6104]

sure, but a shopper shouldn't need to spend hours memorizing codes just to buy food

[@johng4093]

4011 = bananas, 4131 = fuji apples. Now they started using scannable stickers on produce, so another objection overcome.

[@therickson100]

I once found an item I had not scanned at Walmart while loading my car. My immediate thought was to take it back into the store and pay for it. But then I thought about how Walmart security people have such a reputation as being jack-booted thugs that I decided I wouldn't risk having a confrontation with them while trying to do the right thing.

[@chuckmayper7549]

Happened to me with a loaf of bread. I told the security person and he was casual about it.

[@kadekaiser8596]

I returned a big package of toilet paper to Walmart because we hadn’t scanned it (my husband and I each thought the other had done it). They looked at me like I was crazy for going back to pay for it. Makes you feel weird for doing the right thing.

[@chuckmayper7549]

@@kadekaiser8596 kudos for doing the right thing! Had a similar reaction at a Kmart long time ago. I kept a clear conscience and taught my kids a lesson in honesty.

[@johng4093]

Do thugs still wear "jack boots"?? I thought those went out of style several decades ago. 😂

[@johnmitchell8925]

I myself enjoy self checkout. No waiting in line , and I chose what goes in what bag an I don't have to look at whatever they brought in from the streets to bag and touch all my items. And I'm usually faster at doing it myself 😊

[@landinggear5726]

I don't use the self checkout lane because I think I'm faster at scanning than the pro. I use it because there's no line. I don't hate people, just waiting in line. If there's a checker with no line, I'll go there first, no hesitation. But there usually isn't. Another factor is that I'm usually not buying very many items, which makes self checkout easier. So in the end, it all depends. There are no neat, simple answers.

[@rogergeyer9851]

In recent years I get out a LOT faster than standing in a long line with human cashiers. Express lanes helped some, but not enough. I agree re hating waiting in line. It's one reason that aside from the grocery store where I want to pick out my OWN fresh produce, I RARELY go to a retail place at all.

[@SamSitar]

good that your faster than a cashier.

[@bikeyclown4669]

One thing I would have added to this video/podcast in the part where people don't like knowing they are surveilled by these companies is a mention of the video screens they put above self-checkout stations showing each customer themselves checking out. They usually have a sign near the screen letting each customer know they are being watched. I notice them every time I check out. I feel as, if I'm being monitored by, "Big Brother." I wonder, if, "shrinkage," actually decreases with the presence of these monitors. Also, theives always manage to work around these things. I worked in a big box store about 6 or 7 years ago, and I can see why retailers need security, but the store I worked in didn't really devote a lot of resources to it. The job I had didn't give me much opportunity to catch any theives, but many of the theives knew about all of the security around the check out areas, so they would find other ways of getting merchandise out of the store. Some simply waited for the right moment, and walked out of the store with whatever they wanted. Finally, as I understand it, most retail theft is perpetrated by store employees. The store I worked in was sorely lacking in security cameras that focused on employees. They said they had them and used them, but I saw employees do things that clearly indicated that they did not have them. If they did, way more people I worked with would have been fired.

[@gracewright7938]

I hate self checkout, I take my time, making people wait, too bad. For those of us who do not have contact with other people, it is nice to connect with other humans. And I often have questions

[@StonesAndSand]

If I decide to use the self-checkout somewhere else, am I required to give two-week notice?

[@robsomething4435]

I love self checkout and use it whenever I can. I've found it to be much faster than dealing with a cashier. Just scan my stuff, throw it in my bags, tap my phone and out the door I go.

[@MattReibs]

There is absolutely no thing as “unskilled labor.” All labor requires skill. All labor can be done better by one person compared to another. All employees exist because the owner of the business can’t do it all themselves and needs the SKILLs Of another human to make their business successful.

[@danielpittman889]

Unless they want to give me a discount to self check-out, I'll keep going to the regular lane. I don't mind waiting - gives me time to check my phone, read the tabloid headlines, make faces at other people's kids... And another thing - no you may not see my receipt as I leave the store. If you can articulate a reasonable, specific suspicion that I am stealing, call the police as soon as I'm out the door. Go ahead - make a fool out of yourself.

[@sharmanmurphree-roberts4018]

Right - if you don't trust me to do a cashier's job, then don't make me do a cashier's job. Don't treat me like a criminal, especially when you won't do anything about the ACTUAL criminals.

[@BiddyTheYounger]

I hate self checkout. I have been known to cuss a blue streak and leave the store. Just walk past some poor employee who asks if they can help me. No, I’m fine. Surprised I haven’t been banned from one or two stores.

[@jamesengland7461]

You literally just told us that your attitude is the problem 😂

[@BiddyTheYounger]

@ yep