Retailers in Europe, like Booths supermarkets, and the United States, like Walmart, are pulling back on having self-checkout in light of complaints and shoplifting.
Even worse, here in Canada at the Sobeys owned stores, you can opt to use your own reusable bag (plastic grocery bags are now outlawed) but if you do they prompt an employee to come check your bags. They never actually check, but if there isn’t an attendant around you just have to wait there until they notice and end the prompt. I waited for 10 minutes the other day because the employee went off for a break or something.
Oh man I nearly gave my SO an aneurysm because I started scanning items while she set up the reusable bags. Both of us were so over that stupid machine getting made about those bags sitting there!
Oh same note too! If you dare start doing something before you’ve gotten those bags ok’d, or if you plunk down a bag before it prompts you to do so it’s like you’re committing a felony.
You gotta time it with a heavy item. Some machines have tolerances for weight (or so it seems). So I always pick my heaviest item and put it down at the same time I put the bag down. Basically bagging it and placing it down at the same time. That “tricks” the machine into not realizing the extra weight is from a bag since the bag should be within the weight tolerance of the heavy item.
I would’ve but I had just spent an hour getting a cart full of groceries and I wasn’t about to go do that again somewhere else. Plus I couldn’t imagine, at the time, they’d be gone that long.
Is this really something people struggle with? I don’t understand this complaint. I haven’t actually heard that alert in decades.
Edit: thanks to the few of you who have answered. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout—the overhead camera always thinks I’m stealing the soft drink or prescription or whatever that I leave in my cart, for instance—but my problem isn’t ever with the scale thing, even though that’s always the joke everyone makes.
But you still haven’t answered the question yet. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout, but I never have that problem anymore, and haven’t since the Bush administration, even though that’s always the joke people drive into the ground. I have way more trouble with the camera.
The closest grocery store closest to my house is the only self-checkout store around me that still uses scales and they’re awful. There are certain items it doesn’t pick up on and it forces you to bag your groceries after checking out, making everything slower. I avoid that place at all costs, even though it’s the closest to me.
I think they all still have scales, but I think most people’s problems must be with poorly-calibrated ones or something. I haven’t had trouble with them in a very long time. What I have trouble with is the camera above assuming I’m stealing and summoning a person every single time.
I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the ones I use have a disabled scale, but only that one grocery store I mentioned actually uses it. It could be that they have poorly calibrated scales, but if that’s the case, then all of the ones they use are. Self-checkout everywhere else is a breeze.
When I worked at a grocery store, the attendant could override the “unexpected item” alert and it would re-tare the scale, causing problems for the next person if it wasn’t actually broken. I bet that’s what’s happened at the store you avoid; just years and years of careless attendants overriding too quickly and messing up the calibration.
still alive and well at CVS in Manhattan as of last week. using your own bag just instantly locks the machine, even if you want to place it on the floor. I just abandoned it and went to the real checkout.
Interesting. Around here they all have options for if you’re using your own bag. You just hit the button and it tells you to put your bags on the machine, and then you go on with your life. Sad they haven’t rolled that out everywhere.
unexpected item in the bagging area. place items in the bagging area. unexpected item in the bagging area.
Even worse, here in Canada at the Sobeys owned stores, you can opt to use your own reusable bag (plastic grocery bags are now outlawed) but if you do they prompt an employee to come check your bags. They never actually check, but if there isn’t an attendant around you just have to wait there until they notice and end the prompt. I waited for 10 minutes the other day because the employee went off for a break or something.
Edit: spelling
Oh man I nearly gave my SO an aneurysm because I started scanning items while she set up the reusable bags. Both of us were so over that stupid machine getting made about those bags sitting there!
Oh same note too! If you dare start doing something before you’ve gotten those bags ok’d, or if you plunk down a bag before it prompts you to do so it’s like you’re committing a felony.
You gotta time it with a heavy item. Some machines have tolerances for weight (or so it seems). So I always pick my heaviest item and put it down at the same time I put the bag down. Basically bagging it and placing it down at the same time. That “tricks” the machine into not realizing the extra weight is from a bag since the bag should be within the weight tolerance of the heavy item.
I’ve never had it fail.
You know, around the 5-7 minute mark I’d be dumping my reusable bags and walking out.
I would’ve but I had just spent an hour getting a cart full of groceries and I wasn’t about to go do that again somewhere else. Plus I couldn’t imagine, at the time, they’d be gone that long.
I’d keep the bags. You get what you give.
I’m thankful pretty much every store here deactivated that sensor shortly after installing self checkouts.
Is this really something people struggle with? I don’t understand this complaint. I haven’t actually heard that alert in decades.
Edit: thanks to the few of you who have answered. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout—the overhead camera always thinks I’m stealing the soft drink or prescription or whatever that I leave in my cart, for instance—but my problem isn’t ever with the scale thing, even though that’s always the joke everyone makes.
You heard that message decades ago?
Yep. My local grocery store had them in 2003, and that was probably the last time I heard that message.
Okay buddy
But you still haven’t answered the question yet. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout, but I never have that problem anymore, and haven’t since the Bush administration, even though that’s always the joke people drive into the ground. I have way more trouble with the camera.
What question?
Whether this is an actual problem you have or just a joke that everyone tells.
The closest grocery store closest to my house is the only self-checkout store around me that still uses scales and they’re awful. There are certain items it doesn’t pick up on and it forces you to bag your groceries after checking out, making everything slower. I avoid that place at all costs, even though it’s the closest to me.
I think they all still have scales, but I think most people’s problems must be with poorly-calibrated ones or something. I haven’t had trouble with them in a very long time. What I have trouble with is the camera above assuming I’m stealing and summoning a person every single time.
I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the ones I use have a disabled scale, but only that one grocery store I mentioned actually uses it. It could be that they have poorly calibrated scales, but if that’s the case, then all of the ones they use are. Self-checkout everywhere else is a breeze.
When I worked at a grocery store, the attendant could override the “unexpected item” alert and it would re-tare the scale, causing problems for the next person if it wasn’t actually broken. I bet that’s what’s happened at the store you avoid; just years and years of careless attendants overriding too quickly and messing up the calibration.
still alive and well at CVS in Manhattan as of last week. using your own bag just instantly locks the machine, even if you want to place it on the floor. I just abandoned it and went to the real checkout.
Interesting. Around here they all have options for if you’re using your own bag. You just hit the button and it tells you to put your bags on the machine, and then you go on with your life. Sad they haven’t rolled that out everywhere.