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Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

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Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#31

Post by wutbrodo »

pjlegato wrote: post #16
wutbrodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, the machines charge you higher prices? Where do you live? I don't think I've ever heard of this.

Rather, you don't get a discount for using the self-checkout. The price you are paying has the cost of a human cashier built into it. If you use self-checkout, you're providing that service yourself for free, but the company still collects the premium they charge for human service.

Oh gotcha. I misunderstood his implication.

> The price you are paying has the cost of a human cashier built into it. If you use self-checkout, you're providing that service yourself for free

While true, this is kind of a bizarre way to look at it; you should only be using the service if you prefer it to human checkout, in which case the fact that their costs are lower is irrelevant. It basically just means that both you and the company are both benefiting.

One may as well say "I always make sure to use the bathroom when I go to the grocery store. If I don't, the company still collects the premium they charge for providing a bathroom". And yet if you'd rather not go to the bathroom, the premium they charge has nothing to do with your decision making process.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#32

Post by bacheson1293 »

pjlegato wrote: post #16
wutbrodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, the machines charge you higher prices? Where do you live? I don't think I've ever heard of this.

Rather, you don't get a discount for using the self-checkout. The price you are paying has the cost of a human cashier built into it. If you use self-checkout, you're providing that service yourself for free, but the company still collects the premium they charge for human service.

the machines don't cost anything?

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#33

Post by chuymax »

fosco wrote: post #24
notliketherest wrote: post #6

I actually like using self checkout. It's great for quick purchases, but not so much when you're buying lots of groceries. One thing I usually buy quickly is beer - but here in California, there is a State law against using the self checkout lane for alcohol purchases. This is ostensibly to avoid alcohol theft, but I have a sneaky conspiracy theory it's to make these self checkouts even less used, all to appease the…

My theory was along the lines of alcohol being prohibited because under age customers would buy there and get through without being ID'ed

If you scan alcohol in a self checkout lane, you get a message to wait for a store assistant to validate your ID before you can continue. If the customer doesn't ring the alcohol... that's a different story.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#34

Post by whoopdedo »

Reason077 wrote: post #11

Self checkout is almost mandatory in many UK shops. Wait in a long slow line for a regular checkout, or short-to-no line for self-checkout? Easy choice. Very fast once you get the hang of them, and no chit-chat! The only time I sometimes prefer the human checkout is when buying alcohol as you need to call over an attendant to approve your purchase, which is a little annoying.

The problem with lines could be solved instead by re-instituting the original meaning of express lanes. It used to be under ten items, then 10-11 items. Now the store I shop at says "about 15 items" to avoid doing any actual counting. Today I was buying a single item and all the self-checkout machines were in use. So I go into the express lane with two people ahead of me. Not only was one of the customers buying more than 15 items, they BOTH paid with a personal check!

Limit the express lane to strictly 11 items or less and only accept cards and cash (or even cards only) and it will move quicker than the self-service machines.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#35

Post by lutorm »

I always do self-checkout at Home Depot. It usually works perfectly, and when the attendants have to scan something large or a by-foot cut of something, it's usually quick.

At grocery stores, it's a different story entirely. Buying 3 things? Doesn't matter, you'd better put your bag in the "packing area" before scanning anything because it'll stop working when you try to pack something. Or pack it into the bag as you scan? Nope, it'll stop working. It does however make me appreciate the considerable number of memorized vegetable and loose-weight codes the cashiers remember.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#36

Post by ojm »

markdown wrote: post #20
pjlegato wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rather, you don't get a discount for using the self-checkout. The price you are paying has the cost of a human cashier built into it. If you use self-checkout, you're providing that service yourself for free, but the company still collects the premium they charge for human service.

In Australia you pay even more (via tax dollars) for using self-checkout: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-06/nsw-police-to-crackdow...

Maybe the wage savings offset the shoplifting costs.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#37

Post by tzm »

wutbrodo wrote: post #12

It seems like I'm the only person in this thread who's had pretty much nothing but good experiences with self checkout machines. And this is despite the fact that I usually do grocery trips with at least 15-20 items. I don't have a problem with human contact with a cashier, I just prefer self checkout because it pretty much never has lines. I've also not experienced the horribly buggy machines that everyone else here…

Likewise here. I've basically memorized self checkout flows as a physical pattern and can quickly scan / scale and go without much issue. Usually prefer them over human cashiers.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#38

Post by mjrbrennan »

joesmo wrote: post #28
forthefuture wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me it's a lot like pumping your own gas. It's weird when I go back to NJ and have to sit in the car and wait for the one dude working on 6 pumps. But if you talk to people from NJ who have never been outside of NJ it would seem obvious that someone else does it. All of the comments in this thread against self service are the exact arguments NJ people have against pumping your own gas.

I've never had a pump in NJ or elsewhere not work. Self-checkout machines on the other hand, don't work often. That's the difference.

I don't know what you're basing that on, I live in Australia and I've never had a self checkout machine not work. They are consistently good and I use them all the time.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#39

Post by flukus »

mjrbrennan wrote: post #38
joesmo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never had a pump in NJ or elsewhere not work. Self-checkout machines on the other hand, don't work often. That's the difference.

I don't know what you're basing that on, I live in Australia and I've never had a self checkout machine not work. They are consistently good and I use them all the time.

Your experience has been very different than mine.

Re: Planet Money: Self Checkout [audio]

#40

Post by mjrbrennan »

wutbrodo wrote: post #12

It seems like I'm the only person in this thread who's had pretty much nothing but good experiences with self checkout machines. And this is despite the fact that I usually do grocery trips with at least 15-20 items. I don't have a problem with human contact with a cashier, I just prefer self checkout because it pretty much never has lines. I've also not experienced the horribly buggy machines that everyone else here…

You're not the only one, I love using them and I do use them all the time. If I'm doing about half a trolley or less of groceries I will use them. Never had experience with lots of broken self-checkout systems or extensive manual intervention. The only thing I wish you could do is delete items you've scanned twice by accident.

I also don't understand how they are "slow" compared to going through the checkout with a cashier.

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