New Self Check Out Tills

[dewaltdisney]

I notice that supermarkets are moving away from cashier operated checkouts to self-scanning for the bigger shops. Okay, these were okay for the small basket you could do reasonably easily but these new ones are designed to replace cashiers for the trolley load. They take a bit of getting used to and the first thing is that there are some quirks. The assistant has to authorise your bags that you bung on the out shelf before you can start. You have to scan and put the goods on the out shelf as it will lock up if you go straight to your trolley so the bags have to be there or you get a terrible stacking problem. The next thing is multiple item scans, the till gets in a tizz so you have to mix up the items being scanned so they are all separated by a different item. This all takes at least double the time to check out and it can get a bit fraught when it trips up and you have to wait for the assistant to come and clear it. There are huge queues at the conventional checkouts so being impatient means we use the auto checkout. We are gradually getting the hang of it and we would prefer to use the cashiers but they are clearly being phased out. Has anyone else struggled with these or is it just the Tesco ones?

DWD

[Neelix]

I thought that some supermarkets are having 2nd thoughts about these due to a rise in thefts

[dewaltdisney]

I thought that, if you were crafty you could have excess bags and put something expensive in there and leave it in the trolley. I guess they have cameras watching every move though. I inadvertently missed some paracetamol packs I left in the trolley by mistake. They got covered by bags and I only saw them unloading the trolley at the car. So I was 56p up and I felt bad about it......for a nano second.

DWD

[Retired]

Hi,

I avoid self checkouts but then I'm a dinosaur and like to be served by a human. I visit Morrison's around 7am Monday & Friday and always laugh as I drive into their car park; a huge banner declares 1,000 price cuts; there isn't a similar banner to declare the other 10,000 have increased in price and I get fed up of Morrison's gimmicks like 5p off fuel; I don't even use their loyalty card because I disagree with such things a loaf of bread should cost the same to all customers; I also visit Aldi & Home bargains their prices are the same for all customers.

I do pay by debit card finding it much more convenient than messing around with cash but always have cash on me because I don't trust anything electronic to be fully working.

It's only a few weeks ago my wonderful wife and I visited The Range in Barnsley; because of the Covid screens at the checkout it makes it difficult loading items into a bag; we bought a number of items and returned home. Back home now checking the till receipt we'd left the store with unpaid for goods; due to lack of space I had accidentally assumed goods had gone through the checkout and simply loaded them; a few pounds were involved. After a mug of tea we drove back over to The Range it being 12 miles each way and explained at the checkout the mistake me taking full responsibility; three checkout assistants were absolutely amazed by our honesty and as we chatted another assistant unknown to us was on the phone to head office; for our honesty we received a 10% discount off the entire till receipt together with a huge thank you.

Usually when we visit this store there is a young guy sitting on the pavement very near the store entrance not actually begging but obvious why he's there; my wife hands him a tenner and he can't thank us enough sometimes saying he's off for some food; we don't know if he lives in a mansion or on drugs we don't care; it could easily be us in a similar situation; do we take pity on him or ignore him; we choose to help and hope we aren't feeding a drug addict. We sleep soundly at night.

Kind regards, Colin.

[oz0707]

The ones at asda where you scan as you shop are a game changer. Get on them. All bags in trolley scan and load as you go then just pay at the end. No more double handling the shopping.

[dewaltdisney]

They have them in Tesco but we take separate trolleys around and combine them at the end for checkout. It is quicker that way as Mrs D is very annoying looking at stuff and moving on with no intention of selecting the item. I go around separately getting all the repetitive stuff and what I want.

DWD

[Someone-Else]

I thought that some supermarkets are having 2nd thoughts about these due to a rise in thefts

Can't say I have ever seen someone nicking a till

[oz0707]

They have them in Tesco but we take separate trolleys around and combine them at the end for checkout. It is quicker that way as Mrs D is very annoying looking at stuff and moving on with no intention of selecting the item. I go around separately getting all the repetitive stuff and what I want.

DWD

You could just shop as separate customers and combine at the car boot i don't often go shopping with the missus now but when i do I'm so glad of that system.

[dewaltdisney]

I am sure that would work but I cannot be bothered it is all a faff

DWD