Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The failure of self-checkout technology

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

511–520 of 621 posts

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#511

Post by folmar »

SamCritch wrote: post #420
radarsat1 wrote: post #251

Earlier 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…

That 2 minutes is nice, in Poland a checkout station that was abandoned is blocked until an assistant notices it, so more like 30 minutes.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#512

Post by imtringued »

_heimdall wrote: post #337
hackan wrote: post #92

I love self-checkout, honestly. Machines need to improve, but still. There's a store here where u simply DROP all items in the self-checkout basket, and it automatically computes everything! I suspect it uses NFC or similar, but it works, and its wonderful, simply drop everything in! And wait, there's more: did I say drop everything in? I meant, the bag you are using to hold everything? just put it in that basket, in…

That sure is a lot of single use NFC tags though. These kinds of convenience features are almost never aligned with the strong passion many today have for reducing waste and helping lower our environmental impact.

We nowadays have disposable smart labels with integrated screens.

Look up ynvisible

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#513

Post by Workaccount2 »

Izkata wrote: post #501
HPsquared wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can also help the customer - it stops you scanning twice (and paying twice) for a single item.

More likely it's for absent-minded customers who don't realize the item didn't scan. If there's a sudden weight without a new barcode scanned, the error message on the machines at the store I use say something like "unexpected weight, please remove item and scan again".

In the early days of self checkout I remember being behind a woman who could not figure out how to scan things. She was basically presenting the items to the scanner like it was a photo shoot while getting frustrated that the machine only sometimes recognized what she was presenting to it.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#514

Post by Workaccount2 »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #435

Lots of anecdotes, which is a sign everybody is having problems. Or is it? Talk about vending machines with a person of sufficient age, they'll tell you stories about getting cheated, not getting it to take their money, taking their last dollar and not giving any product. Yet that's largely been cured. The vending industry has matured and such problems are reported to be largely extinct. I wonder when the self-checko…

I've used self checkout at a variety of stores since they very first turned up almost a decade ago. I always used them over a human since day one.

I don't know if people are just really dumb or I'm really lucky, but I very rarely have issues with self checkout.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#515

Post by EvkoGS »

I don't see any issue with it in Russia. Almost all local stores (only the top 10 major companies though) now have self-checkout with a digital receipt. Since last year, I can self-checkout in a 24/7 store in a village of 10000 people at the sea. It's pretty wild, even though cashier's salaries are like $6000/year, they should've been saving a lot of money with these machines.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#516

Post by camgunz »

gilbertbw wrote: post #487
camgunz wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's super annoying. We'll often have groceries for the next few days, which includes a lot of baby food. So yeah, they're scanning like 40 items, and we have to repack the bag to not squash produce/bread and such. Another related problem is that you physically can't leave the store unless you buy something and get a receipt to scan. You have to tailgate someone with a receipt, or hop the turnstyle, etc. Hope you're…

In Waitrose (UK) stores at least this is not the case. When you are spot checked the staff member spot checks that a few things in your trolley have been scanned. They tend to check some higher value goods like alcohol. Also those stores, at least where I live, have no physical barrier to exit.

Honestly why did you all have to Brexit. Would have loved to immigrate to the UK. Had to settle for NL.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#517

Post by guappa »

mrintegrity wrote: post #468
guappa wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you can just push those out of the way Try to do that on a wheelchair or with crutches now. > FYI Sweden has strict workplace safety rules, not sure why you think there is a real disregard for this. I'm sure the rules are there. They are just ignored, like the supermarket case. Most buildings (including office buildings) have doors that have unreasonably strong springs (for no reason whatsoever, a much weaker one w…

Not triggered at all, had you mentioned wheelchair access from the start I might have agreed that it could be better (not that I have any personal experience). I will be sure to observe these things from now on. No need to get snarky friend :)

Not just access, but fast exit as well, also when there is no power.

Not being able to access sucks, but isn't a safety concern strictly speaking. Not being able to get out quickly and potentially blocking the path for a crowd is.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#518

Post by bluescrn »

jtbayly wrote: post #382
CM30 wrote: post #248

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. In theory, a system that let you scan products the same way checkout staff do without any weight checks or bagging area rules or other interruptions would be incredibly efficient. Especially if you could do things like scan the same product multiple time…

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…

The first hurdle with some self checkouts is before you even scan an item: Bags!

If you've brought your own bag and it weighs more than the mass of a few protons, the system assumes you're trying to steal something, and a human has to intervene before you can even get started.

And then they have to come back almost immediately to deal with age-restricted items or other glitches.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#519

Post by wreckdropibex »

downut wrote: post #301
krastanov wrote: post #243

Earlier 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.

I just find it almost impossible to believe that you regularly buy vegetables or other bulk goods via checkout and have few or no problems. How about that bar code label on the spinach/parsley/cilantro? It's paper and it gets watered regularly so it is not uncommon for it to be illegible, even to the expert parser, the human. Those stickers do fall off. Is every brussel sprout going to have a sticker? Jalapenos? Okra…

Your thoughts are limited by the environment you live in and your imagination.

In other countries eg brussel sprouts, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc are weighed by the consumer at the vegetable section.

- Next to the specialty tomatoes there is a label that says the name, price and _number_ for the specialty tomatoes

- Pick an individual tomato or put multiple in a small plastic/paper bag from next to the tomatos

- Put the tomatoes on a scale right next to them

- Enter the _number_ from the label, no need to search for or type anything complex

- Get a sticker with the price + barcode

- Put the sticker where ever is reasonable (on the tomato or on the bag or where ever, no one cares where you put it)

- In self checkout scan the sticker

Or even better, use a system where you are carrying a scanner when pickig stuff from shelves and at self checkout you only have to pay, since you have already scanned everything.

Post reply on HN