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The failure of self-checkout technology

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Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#601

Post by HPsquared »

icoder wrote: post #415
HPsquared wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big supermarkets in the UK have a "scan as you shop" system. There is a portable scanner you take along with the trolley and scan each item as you put it in the trolley (directly into a bag - avoiding the bagging step). You then just go to the self-checkout and pay for what you scanned. They do spot checks at the checkout, especially for "new" customers. It's tied to your identity (need to scan a store card to un…

Yeah some supermarkets in the Netherlands even let you do this with your phone (camera). Haven't used it for a while but even some years ago it worked quite good.

Phone could be quite good I suppose since it's tied to the person's identity.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#602

Post by Detrytus »

KptMarchewa wrote: post #265
alpaca128 wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 How would it be more efficient than a traditional checkout? There's no way the average person can match the speed of a cashier who does that every day, and at least the supermarkets I've visited don't have enough self checkout machines to…

Because you don't stand in the queue to the cashier and don't have to wait minutes till the buyer in the front finds all the spare change they need.

Instead you stay in the queue for the self check-out, and have to wait minutes till the buyer in the front figures out how to scan their items.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#603

Post by expazl »

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…

> 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 times if you were buying multiple copies of it.

Our local supermarket has this. A phone app you scan things as you go, and when leaving you scan a QR code, swipe to pay, then you get a code to open the gate out and you leave. It's incredibly smooth. Also, this means you can just put your bags in your cart and bag while you shop, so you just completely skip checkout, it's a breeze.

I don't understand your point about scanning multiple times though. If I'm buying 5 of something I scan one of them, and just increase the count to five.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#604

Post by bobbylarrybobby »

expazl wrote: post #603
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…

> 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 ti…

Many self checkout systems check for the weight of scanned items, so if you scan an item you have to put it down (“please place item in the bagging area”) in order to continue.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#605

Post by KptMarchewa »

Detrytus wrote: post #602
KptMarchewa wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you don't stand in the queue to the cashier and don't have to wait minutes till the buyer in the front finds all the spare change they need.

Instead you stay in the queue for the self check-out, and have to wait minutes till the buyer in the front figures out how to scan their items.

I've never seen a queue for a check out where regular queue wasn't 3x as long. To a single till no less.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#606

Post by themadturk »

bluescrn wrote: post #518
jtbayly wrote: post #382

Earlier 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…

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.

Oh my gosh, this is the bane of my shopping existence. Fred Meyer (Kroger) self scan registers are absolutely henpecking, pushy nannies. Did you put a bag on the scale? Did you put another bag on the scale? Please put your item in the bagging area. Please take all your purchased items. Over and over.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#607

Post by workfromspace »

logifail wrote: post #599
workfromspace wrote: post #152

Obviously this sounds like such a US problem. Self checkout in the UK and Europe (Estonia and Barcelona) IME works perfectly: - No thefts - Many people with card payments - Working self checkout machines Also, recently I have been thinking how come the US is pioneering so many tech but fail to implement any, such as: - Payments: No SWIFT/IBAN, still lots of cash usage, no e-invoices (ie for utility bills), still usin…

> Obviously this sounds like such a US problem. Self checkout in the UK and Europe (Estonia and Barcelona) IME works perfectly: > - No thefts Source? "Shop thefts have more than doubled in the past three years, and the boss of M&S says the reduction of service plays a crucial part" https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/21/middle-class...

You may be right about the UK, but most of Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Nordics are better than the US (or the UK) to my perception and these sources I could quickly find:

- https://www.economist.com/news/2013/11/11/shoplifters-of-the... - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38129353 - https://www.numbeo.com/crime/

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#608

Post by workfromspace »

philwelch wrote: post #555
workfromspace wrote: post #152

Obviously this sounds like such a US problem. Self checkout in the UK and Europe (Estonia and Barcelona) IME works perfectly: - No thefts - Many people with card payments - Working self checkout machines Also, recently I have been thinking how come the US is pioneering so many tech but fail to implement any, such as: - Payments: No SWIFT/IBAN, still lots of cash usage, no e-invoices (ie for utility bills), still usin…

The US not only has SWIFT, the US government basically controls it; they’re the ones who cut off Russia. In my experience the US was probably slightly ahead of the UK in terms of cards being accepted everywhere rather than needing cash. All of my utility bills have been on electronic autopay for years along with all of my other bills and I write a paper check probably less than once a year. I don’t know what a “physi…

> I don’t know what a “physical email” is

Sorry, it's embarrassingly my bad. I meant physical mail/postal mail/snail mail.

> The US is a federation of fifty states so photo ID cards are issued at the state level, similar to how your national ID in Europe will be issued by Spain or Estonia rather than the EU itself

I would argue against this. The EU is a continental union[1] and not the same as the US [2]. All european countries are fully soverign states (unlike US states) and most of them are unitary. A few of the EU/European states are federal states/governments, like the US. So I think it'd be more correct to compare the US with Germany, Switzerland or Spain. EU would be something more similar to African Union. And there's also an upcoming EU-ID project [3].

About the US "E-government" (and I'm don't even compare it to systems like Estonia's, but) the problems you described sounds like bad system design and lack of identification.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_union [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation#Contemporary [3]: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-...

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#609

Post by workfromspace »

justsomehnguy wrote: post #185
workfromspace wrote: post #152

Obviously this sounds like such a US problem. Self checkout in the UK and Europe (Estonia and Barcelona) IME works perfectly: - No thefts - Many people with card payments - Working self checkout machines Also, recently I have been thinking how come the US is pioneering so many tech but fail to implement any, such as: - Payments: No SWIFT/IBAN, still lots of cash usage, no e-invoices (ie for utility bills), still usin…

> Also, recently I have been thinking how come the US is pioneering so many tech but fail to implement any > Estonia >> Population • 2024 estimate 1,373,101[2] • 2021 census 1,331,824[3] You can do most of projects in Estonia in a week or two, just because their popcount is low.

Japan, India, China has a big population and yet better on this.

Re: The failure of self-checkout technology

#610

Post by nielsbot »

theamk wrote: post #588
nielsbot wrote: post #529

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you like it better than having a cashier ring you up? Me: I don't have to scan, check I've scanned everything, enter the number of bags, put groceries in those bags. Instead I put my stuff on the belt, I pay and walk out w the groceries--and the cashier is a pro at scanning and bagging, whereas I am not. Plus, it's not like these stores are going to pass along the labor savings to us. They'll just pocket the d…

... after waiting in line for 20+ minutes I remember the time before self-scan machines, and the lines were not shorter. Even "10 items or less" registers had huge lines.

Fair point--maybe the throughput is higher for self checkout. I still like not having to do the work myself tho.
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