I actually prefer self checkouts. It’s a simple task and going grocery shopping is one of my moments of solitude in the week, I don’t wanna talk to anyone that I don’t have to.
Yeah but you’re probably able bodied. Self checkouts are a big burden for the elderly or disabled.
I am not suggesting that we remove normal checkouts. I am just saying I like the option of having self checkout everywhere.
I live by a food basic. Before they implemented self checkout there used to be a pretty long line at peak hours and weekends. After they added self checkout, there is pretty much never a line anymore. The most people I’ve had to wait behind was like 3. The difference was extremely noticeable.
There are probably some really terrible implementations of self checkout in some stores or locations but when it’s done right it seems pretty good.
I agree completely, lines have gotten much shorter everywhere I’ve seen with self checkout.
Dont forget the fact most stores refuse to hire the staff needed to run the place smoothly. Why pay eight cashiers hourly wages when you can just have two cashiers?
I find cashier lines to be too slow because of the socialization so I always go to the self checkouts.
A lot of old ladies will go to cashiers and have ridiculous questions and requests and you’re standing there with your 3 items dying inside.
Around me it’s Indian people arguing about the price of every other item.
Do I get a discount for checking myself out? Unless it’s 1-2 items and the normal line is full - it is cashier every time for me.
Same. I will go to the cashier even when it’s somewhat inconvenient to me just because I despise the idea that the grocery store is making me be the cashier for free.
I mean, they’re also “making you” pick up your items off the shelf, just like the gas station “makes you” pump your own gas.
Succinctly: they’re making it more annoying for me as a customer while simultaneously not providing someone with a job.
That’s why if something “fails” to scan or you input some produce at a cheaper price “on accident”, then it’s the store’s fault - you’re not a cashier, just a customer doing self-checkout.
What value does a real human provide you though?
They’re a skilled worker that has memorized the codes for the different types of potatoes, a skill I am unlikely to learn.
I guess it depends on the machine, but I don’t have to memorize codes. You can search for the item by name when it’s time to weigh it.
Why do you want to do that when someone else is getting paid to do it?
If I can get home faster, it might be wort it. Not always, but sometimes. Specially if I’m picking up a small set of items that are easy to scan.
I don’t have to do the thing myself. They’re doing it for me. Unless I’m misunderstanding your question.
Just steal, that’s the discount.
Honestly, it’s immoral but yeah. I tried scanning something out of my pile of 15 items at Dollarama. It didn’t register after I slapped it against the scanner 5 times so I was like whatever. I was too tired to bother so I just put it in the other side. I wasn’t trained on how to use it properly.
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I like self-checkout especially when there’s lot of people and you have 1 or 2 items, it’s convenient, for me. But as written in the article, someone in need like this woman, needs a cashier lane. I’m not against self, but all stores should have at least one lane with cashier, always, for people in need.
I don’t appreciate stores trying to force me to do the cashier’s job.
I also don’t appreciate them trying to pull the rug out from under the economy. If there’s one thing my country does not need, it’s millions more homeless people.
I don’t appreciate stores trying to force me to do the cashier’s job.
But you don’t mind the fact that they have you doing the warehouse picker’s job?
I also don’t appreciate them trying to pull the rug out from under the economy. If there’s one thing my country does not need, it’s millions more homeless people.
And maybe the first millions wouldn’t be homeless if you weren’t so keen to take their warehouse picking jobs. Once upon a time it was a respectable profession. Why do you care so little about them?
Before I answer, first you need to explain what a warehouse picker is, because I’ve never heard of that before.
The person who works in the warehouse to pick the items off the shelf when an order is placed. You know, the job you were conned into doing when you enter one of these warehouse-style stores that we are talking about.
It wasn’t always that way. Historically, you would place your order at the front counter and a diligent worker would work behind the scenes to gather your request. Some businesses still operate this way, to be sure, but it has largely gone the way of the dodo. It is generally more profitable when the customer does the work.
Yeah, and people are apparently not super pumped about being warehouse pickers either because online ordering is only going up.
Unless I’m mistaken, all online retailers of non-digital goods operate that way, so that job is far from extinct.
This commercial was made at least 17 years ago. This is what we need. We have the technology. We just need the price to come down.
I don’t like self checkouts.
I don’t like fiddling with the thing, I don’t like how they lay the interface out (it’s designed to not be efficient, and there’s always so many clicks to pay), I don’t like entering vegetable UPC codes, I don’t like touching the screen 100 other people touched without it being cleaned, and I don’t like feeling like I’m being watched, and I don’t like context switching between scanning, choosing, and bagging.
I just want to load my items onto a belt, the cashier scans them and enters codes, then I bag them. I’ll simply say no to donating and tap my card and leave. Simple.
I always use lines with cashiers because:
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their jobs will evaporate if people don’t use them
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self checkout means that you’re doing that job FOR FREE for the company
It is a misconception that work has value. Time is what has value.
If it takes longer for a cashier to ring you through, you are giving up more to the business than you would using the self-checkout. If you are worried about working for the company, this is what you want to avoid.
Granted, in practice, self-checkout is rarely implemented well and can often be slower than meeting with the cashier.
That doesn’t make sense. I’m not giving the business my time by using the cashier. I may be wasting my time, but it’s not part of the transaction. The business isn’t receiving a ledger with “Time from Customer” on one side and “Time Banked” on the other side. And yes, labour has value. What are you smoking, “work has no value”. You mustn’t be in a union.
As a counterpoint, I’m unbothered during the time the cashier is doing their thing, usually listening to a podcast or an audiobook. If I have to scan it myself, I have to give up some concentration to scan the things, specially the ones that I need to search for codes and weigh items. So even if it takes more time, the cashier might be time better spent. Time has value, but not just the amount of time; how I spend that time changes its value. In other words, work has value too.
If I’m just listening to music or chatting with my wife, I do tend to pick the self checkout to get out of there ASAP. So I agree with your core idea.
On the flip side, the only reason you have to go through the check out process at all is because you accepted the job as warehouse worker and picked the items off the shelf yourself. Historically, business would have someone do that work for you too.
Imagine the things you could do while the employee is in the back pulling the items you need. What is it about working in a warehouse that you like, that you don’t like about being a cashier?
Yeah, absolutely. I don’t subscribe to this “free work” analogy for me doing something for myself, just wanted to highlight that for some people in some situations, there is more value in using the cashier even if it takes longer.
Sure, but the question asks what value a cashier brings that a picker doesn’t bring?
Perhaps the value is in simply not having to accept change? All of us here likely grew up when walking in the warehouse was already commonplace. While there are still some stores out there that keep the warehouse off-limits to the customer, it’s not a common practice anymore. If we were, instead, in the transition towards pushing the warehouse work off onto the customer, rather than the cashier work, maybe we’d be hearing the same thing?
Sure, but the question asks what value a cashier brings that a picker doesn’t bring?
I can’t think of any. But I don’t see how that changes anything.
Imagine the things you could do while the employee is in the back pulling the items you need.
I don’t have to imagine, I’m a happy customer of grocery delivery so I make use of warehouse pickers too.
In any case, the main point is that for some people in some situations, there is more value in using the cashier even if it takes longer.
But I don’t see how that changes anything.
It changes my understanding. If I can’t learn from discussion, what’s the point?
for some people in some situations, there is more value in using the cashier even if it takes longer.
Right, but what’s the value which isn’t also found in the picker? If you want to sit back and relax while the work gets done, as posited earlier, why is that not true for the entire process?
- their jobs will evaporate if people don’t use them
I was thinking the same until couple of them screamed at me for not using self checkout. And most of them are not happy with their job. Or life, I am not sure.
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Most self-checkouts range from mildly annoying to downright unusable. Except Home Depot. Home Depot self checkouts are wonderful.
They even give you the nice handheld scanner.
Walmart ones here generally work ok, the worst seem to be Dollarama which bitch at you about everything. Like this piece of tissue I bought didn’t weight properly so now I have to wait for an employee every other item.
I don’t mind there being a self-checkout, but for the love of everything good in this world, these companies need to stop asking 21 questions when you use one! “Do you want to apply to a credit card?”, “Do you want to donate?”, “Did you want a receipt emailed?”, “Did you want to fill out a survey?”, “How many bags did you use?”, etc.
And if it’s a self-checkout at Walmart, expect to have 10 available, but only 2 working and three staff overlooking them…
Omfg I ran into this at shoppers. Its usually fine at grocery stores but shoppers self checkout is the worst. I think I counted 8 prompts when I used it last time.
Ironically, the local Walmart has been closing them all later in the day so that people must use cashier’s, presumably due to increased theft etc
At the self-checkout at the Walmart near me a little man would go around asking if we want to save on groceries by signing up for their credit card.
The fourth or fifth trip there that he did this I had to get a bit ruder until he finally grabbed the self-checkout and clicked the credit card opt-in and I had to tell him to fuck off. He acted shocked but dude I go to self-checkout to avoid human interaction, not be sold a bullshit credit card only a teenager would fall for.
Bullshit.
I know it sounds like a /r/thathappened but it was one of those situations where it built up over several trips to the store of this guy harrassing me to the point where I didn’t want to shop at Walmart anymore. I am averse to confrontation so when he took over my self-checkout to sign up for the credit card I was like, dude fuck off, go away. And he was a bit shocked and acted like I was being dramatic but it was because I hadn’t been more politely forceful in our earlier trips.
The faces of the execs when ‘shrinkage’ goes up: :O
If I have just a handful of items it’s convenient. But one in 20 times I seem to find a way to screw it up - like trying to scan the loyalty card as an item…
Any more than 8 items I’d rather just use a cashier to scan the items for me. But places (like shoppers) don’t make it easy at all.
I try to do self checkout whenever i can. Cashier is one of the most soul crushing jobs, no one needs to be dealing with food shoppers
I’m the other way around, kind of for a similar reason. I like to use the regular cashier line, because it gives me the opportunity to interact with adult humans outside of my own house. And I take that opportunity to be as supportive and friendly as possible to those people, partly in order to help “uncrush their souls.”
Also, I don’t like fighting with trying to open the plastic grocery bags, and I’m too forgetful to remember to bring my own bags.
most of the time I dont want to be a captive audience even for someone trying to be friendly. I have to be polite, and Im at work, I cant just leave.
I try hard to relate to people sincerely and as a fellow human being, and not walk over that line between employee and customer. I totally understand that the person is just doing their job, and maybe just doesn’t want any more interaction than absolutely necessary. I like to tell quick dadjokes, at the very least, and I feel bad about kind of pressing one on someone who clearly did not want to be a part of my hijinks the other day. I did get a little smirk back, so it wasn’t all bad, but still.
On the other hand, for example, another recent shopping trip put me in a cashier line behind someone who was obviously being somewhat difficult to a clearly young cashier. After they cleared out, and after my transaction was complete, I made a point of saying to the young man, “You’re doing an excellent job, really. I felt you might have needed to hear that.” I wasn’t lying, he was being focused and patient, although some of his nervousness was still showing through. He thanked me, and said it was his first day solo on the register. “Well, you’re doing great,” and I departed.
I have many more experiences like the latter than the former, so I think my approach is doing good overall.
remember we’re comparing to self checkout. It’s not really a point to say you can cheer someone up after dealing with a rough customer, because neither of those experiences would happen with self checkout. They’re somewhere else they’d rather be, it’s a job that shouldn’t exist.
