I think it works great, though.
The failure of self-checkout technology
441–450 of 621 posts
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#442Most of my issues with self-checkout are with the anti-theft measures. What is especially galling is that I live in a state that charges for bags to encourage you to bring your own bags, so of course I bring my own bags. If you use your own bags, a /very/ common thing, it throws off the weight sensors and requires someone to clear every 3-5 items, and lags between every scan. When I was much younger I worked briefly as a check clerk at a grocery store, my typical shopping I could scan and finish in 1-2 minutes on a register lane, but because of the stupidity of self-checkout it takes me 10-15 minutes.
I get that "this is why we can't have nice things", that people will take a sticker off a can of beans and put it on a PS5 or other shenanigans to try to steal/shoplift/cheat. I'm not doing that, and it makes it a massively worse experience. The worst thing of all is companies have huge self-checkout areas and then don't open any registers (or maybe 1 to sell tobacco products). Which means I have no choice. I actually prefer delivery, because it's a flat $5 fee and I don't have to mess with any of this anti-consumer bullshit, but it also reduces profitability for me as a customer because I don't make incidental purchases by not being in the store at all.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#443Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or just type the name of the vegetable or just copy the 4-digit code on the sticker attached to the vegetable. At least in the US there is no problem with buying vegetables in self-checkout.
Vegetables don't have stickers. They are vegetables. Ah the name… but is it a golden extra apple or a yellow apple? Or perhaps a extra fresh guaranteed apple?
I believe the GP is referring to price look-up codes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_look-up_code). These are often applied via sticker to the produce, as shown in the Wiki images. Every self-checkout system I have used has allowed me to directly type in the PLU for produce, which is what a human cashier would normally do as well.
Additionally, my personal experience with things like this is that human cashiers aren't any better than me at looking up produce in the absence of a PLU code. In fact, I'm generally better because I know what I picked up (or intended to pick up), so I just look for the right name.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#444It can still work; just needs a better implementation.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#445The weight check slows the whole process down and I find I have to make sure I grab items with the cart-side hand or the system thinks I am trying to drop the item in the bag without scanning. Worst of all is the receipt check after the process - looking at you Costco. It feels like checking pockets in a diamond mine. If I am going to be doing all the work to save the store money they should loose the right to check…
Yeah the weight check slows everything down enough that my girlfriend and I opt for the grocery store that doesn't do that over the one that does. It's obnoxious the way it works the way I can't just grab a bag without being yelled at or the way it gets mad if one of us leans on it etc.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#446I love the self-checkouts, I have been using them since 5 years now and only very rarely do I still checkout out at the cashier. Here in Switzerland I also don't seen any sign of supermarkets backing out of it, quite the contrary.
I guess the article is specific for the US or the UK. I don't think the technology is a failure at all, the problem seems more specific to the culture.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#447Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that. Agreed. And in some cases the issues almost feel like they're on purpose in order to drive people away from using the self checkouts. For example, when I use self checkout at my local grocery store, I have to hit a button to tell it I want to use my ow…
I treat the self-checkout as if it has the "10 items or less" sign for an express checkout some supermarkets used to have. If I need multiple bags, it's probably not faster to use the self checkout.
That works until your store has migrated 99% to self checkout. (which my grocery store has many hours of the day)
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#448Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that. Agreed. And in some cases the issues almost feel like they're on purpose in order to drive people away from using the self checkouts. For example, when I use self checkout at my local grocery store, I have to hit a button to tell it I want to use my ow…
I'm not a particular fan of self-checkout for more than a handful of non-restricted bar-coded items. But, subject to that caveat I find that self-checkouts in general are far less fussy than they used to be about using your own bag etc.
Unfortunately, my experience is different.
I have given up on using my big Patagonia bag at lidl, because it never works. Last time it required the cashier to override the warnings once after each item was placed in the bag.
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#449Earlier quoted context omitted.
I disagree. The majority of the problems that I run into with self-checkout are related to not being able to buy items I picked up off the shelf like Mucinex or children's cough syrup or alcohol without getting an employee to check me out... at self checkout. What's the point of "self" checkout if somebody is required —not by failure of the system but by rules—to come help me several times during the process? Edit: a…
My favorite is when the system says "help is on the way" and then very obviously does nothing whatsoever to notify the attendant. I have to catch their eye myself every single time.
This happened to me at the store last night! I tried to weigh something and the scale was mad so it locked up the whole process (dialog on the screen saying "Scale needs reset. Help is on the way!" and no ability to scan the rest of my stuff) then just sat there. I turned to the attendant and said "Oh it didn't even tell me you needed help"
Like wtf. At the very least let me continue scanning the rest of my groceries so I can be done once this person helps me instead of still just 2 scans in..
Re: The failure of self-checkout technology
#450Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's exactly how it works in the Netherlands, you just scan your items and go. There are no weight checks and you can scan items more than once and edit and remove things from the list. Apart from getting a poorly executed random check sometimes (which is far from effective for the purpose of avoiding theft imho) it actually works really well.
Yeah, I think the UX here in the Netherlands is much simpler and easier than in other countries. When I go to the UK (e.g. Tesco Express) I have to select a bagging option, there's no "no bag" option at the beginning of the transaction even though I'm only buying a litre of milk, then when I put the carton down in the bagging area it triggers an alarm saying a store assistant is coming, but they never do because they…
99% of the time I use the 'weigh your own bag' option it asks someone to approve my bag. It's annoying.
Also, the 'bagging area' is on different sides in different shops. Also annoying.