We don't use self-checkouts. Period. Ever. When standing in a long line at an

[Atticus]

employee-operated register and a smiling "Asst. Manager" tells us "There are plenty of self-checkout stations open!", we reply that we never use them, never will and they should hire more people and pay them more.

The employee at the register often has trouble concealing his or her smile and they are VERY nice to us as they total and bag our purchases.

ADDENDUM: I did mention "unionize" once and I thought we were gonna need a "Cleanup at register three!"

[Ocelot II]

1. Me neither. I hate them.

On the few occasions I've tried them they haven't worked properly (won't scan despite multiple attempts) and I've had to ask an employee for help anyhow. Might as well wait in the human-staffed checkout line where a human has a job.

[Prairie_Seagull]

33. They are trying to train us as their part time unpaid checkers.

I never use them unless there is no other choice. That has happened a couple times. Next time it does, I will wait until I can get a person to help check me out.

[DENVERPOPS]

101. same here

If there isn't any regular checker at the safeway I go to, I walk up to the person supervising the self serve area, comment that I refuse to do something that's only purpose is to take out their job, and ask them to ring me out......

I asked a Journeyman checker how much they were earning, and they said they were making 21 bucks an hour with ten years on the job. In 1980 I dated a safeway checker and she was making 22 bucks an hour.........

And they intentionally only allow them to work 30 hours a week, so they don't have to pay them any benefits.....

I also noticed there were 7 cameras in the ceiling above the self check out area. She said they had to do it because the thefts of people scanning their own groceries became a big thing, and that was why they always have a person there to help & monitor for theft.

[allegorical oracle]

110. There also are people who did properly scan their groceries getting accused of theft. After hearing

a report about this, I asked a couple of check-out ladies about it. They said those errors have increasingly occurred and people have been brought back into the store to show their receipts. Both women said even they don't use the self check-out.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

2. I have the same policy. For the same reasons.

And if I'm pressed, they hear pretty much the same dialogue from me.

Solidarity!

[TheBlackAdder]

207. Wal*Mart has created a profit center, banking on people making mistakes or shorting the sale.

.

They have multiple cameras on each shopper and an AI system that identifies possible skimming.

The door person is notified to stop that person and go over the receipt, then the loss prevention folks get involved. A possible shakedown or arrest threats occurs.

They keep the checkout lines long to force most people to use self-checkout, which opens up the shopper to theft charges.

.

[XanaDUer2]

3. We refuse

We did it once when cvs understaffed. We ran into problems and someone had to come out.

Also, I don't work for the store. My job entailed barcoding hundreds of items in and out. Why should I pay to do that?

[jimfields33]

4. That's my reasoning to. I'm not paid to do these jobs.

I show my appreciation big time to the cashier. I appreciate and thank them however, it’s not my job. I also don’t go to Aldi’s because I’m not bagging my own groceries nor paying for a stupid cart. Yes I know you get the quarter back but I hate it anyway.

[tavernier]

89. I do.

I love that my grocery bill is a third less, and twice less than if I shop at Publix, a DeSantis friendly chain. I don’t mind the groceries placed in the cart since I prefer my own bags instead of plastic. And I love their cheese selection and prices.

[jimfields33]

121. I understand. But the Publix is 3 miles up the road and the Aldi's is 30 minutes up the road.

So I figure I’m sort of saving the environment while not saving the environment. The plastic bags that we do get, we use for other purposes and they do get recycled. However, I hear recycling really isn’t what we think it is. so it’s a crapshoot.

[CTyankee]

190. You can't get plastic in CT stores any more. You get paper and pay per bag. Most folks bring their

own bags. I do and I have one large reusable to carry them in. I prefer to keep my bottled/carton liquids
out of bags entirely and put them in my trunk that way.

New Haven is a pretty liberal town. Nobody I know complains about it.

[NowISeetheLight]

5. Also accidental shoplifting...

There are a lot of articles online about people in self-check who accidently don't ring something up and are busted by loss prevention. I've used self check and have noticed something beeps but doesn't ring up.

https://nypost.com/2022/07/11/avoid-self-serve-checkouts-or-it-could-cost-you-thousands-lawyer-warns/

[robbob]

71. We have them in our small town

And, not that I would do it, but whats to stop people from just putting some of the more expensive items in their bag without scanning them? It seems crazy to me. You have 2 packages of steak and you stack them and just scan the top package. Or just chuck things into your bags; no one ever seems to be watching?

[NowISeetheLight]

229. Scales

I know at WalMart there is a scale where the bags are so when you bag stuff it'll detect something where the weight is off. I'm sure there are cameras somewhere. I agree though there is a huge potential for theft. It makes me wonder if it's cheaper to lose $3b in shoplifting expenses then it is to hire human cashiers? I go to WalMart and there will be 20 self-checkout registers and two human checkouts. It's a pain here in CA because I buy alcohol which means I have to have a human check it out per state law. Target is getting bad too. Last time I went there were only two human cashiers and six self-checks.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

6. Almost never use them

If only because I’m usually buying veggies and those are a pain in self-checkout. Will use the checkers for everything now.

[Calculating]

7. Good stuff

Self checkouts are yet another job cutting method.

[Magoo48]

61. Yup. I never use them.

Union Strong.

[maxsolomon]

8. I do, about 1/4 of my trips.

If the lines are ridiculous and I only have a few items.

But never when I'm returning empty milk bottles. Even with a checker, that's a hassle (none of them seems to know the code because they're usually new).

[panader0]

113. The self check outs have people who work there. They need to verify age for alcohol,

or help with certain items. I'll use them if there are long lines at the regular check outs.
Soon there will be no more people at drive throughs and they will be replaced by robots, just
like automotive assembly lines, and many more industries as well.
Employers will always strive to lessen the cost of labor.

[maxsolomon]

130. Yes, my local Kroger-owned grocery is carding EVERYONE.

Scanning DLs. It's crazy.

[The Jungle 1]

198. That I would not put up with.

[dchill]

9. My problem with self-checkout: How much are they paying me?

Nothing. I don't work for them. I'm not even getting a discount!

[hamsterjill]

20. That's my attitude, too!

And I am especially offended by self checkouts in membership businesses like Costco. I don’t work there.

I won’t use self checkouts and like the OP, I make my disgust known at every opportunity.

[dsp3000]

184. Self checkout in Costco is unusable.

How are you supposed to fit all the bulky things on the scale without the kiosk complaining about the weight differential

[helpisontheway]

208. Our Costco self checkout has a cashier walking around that scans

the items with scanner and then leaves do we can complete the purchase.

[XanaDUer2]

22. I said if they offered a small discount

I might start using it more. But they don't, so fuck it. I like interacting with the cashier and bagboy

[Ms. Toad]

73. For me the payment is in

1. Time saving - I scan faster than nearly all employees
2. Accuracy - I know the prices of the things I'm buying. When I'm busy unloading the cart I don't always see when items which I know were on sale go past. I know what vegetables I'm buying - checkout employees often don't - and for some reason always seem to ring the veggie with the higher price when there is any question
3. Which leads me back to 1: If I discover something which was on sale and rung up at the regular price (or a veggie and rung up as the wrong thing) I have to choose between forfeiting the savings (which was often the only reason I bought the item) and the time it takes to return to the store and have them re-ring it
4. No squished soft stuff (or bruised fruit) which was packed at the bottom of bags with cans on top of it.
5. Minimizing bag waste. When I forget to bring my reusable bags, and employee will pack the bags half-full and then double bag them (even whe they are packed with marshmallows).

I much prefer having control over all of the above.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

111. Same hwre

I much prefer self-checkout for all the reasons you listed.

[Kaleva]

146. +1

[ShazzieB]

175. So glad to know I'm not the only one who likes self checkout.

I greatly prefer it. I especially like having control over how my groceries are bagged. Being able to do things like bagging all the frozen things together, for example, makes putting stuff away much more efficient when I get home.

Also, I have weird eating habits (I have sensory issues and have been a picky eater all my life), and I don't care to have my food choices side eyed by some busy body checker (it HAS happened: not often but even once was too much). I know I'm a food freak, but that's my business and no one else's. Using the self check is MUCH less stressful for me.

[Septua]

181. For me, it's time saved.

Nothing irritates me more than going into a big box store, purchasing their product(s), then having to wait to give them my money. They are not likely going to hire a bunch of people to stand at a register, oftentimes doing nothing if business is slow, when the self-serve scanner will accomplish the desired outcome and never have to take a day off or lunch break.

[Kaleva]

144. Time is money

Your time is worth something. I find self checkout to be much faster so I use it when I can.

[USALiberal]

157. Silly? Same with gas pumps and ATMs?

[FBaggins]

227. They're paying you the difference between their prices...

... and the grocery stores that don't have self-checkout

[Stuckinthebush]

10. Sadly, the assistant manager and manager have no power over that

In most cases the corporate cuts for profit are pushing this move.

[twodogsbarking]

11. I use the self serve. I can see the prices and if not right

go to the desk and get my money. Price on the shelf isn't always
the price charged. Shit already costs too much. Why pay more.

[judesedit]

16. That is a good point. You can't see the items ring up easily at the cashier's register anymore

That's why I always scrutinize my receipt before leaving the store. That way I can take care of any errors right then. Instead of having to waste time on a phone call or trip back there. The prices are ridiculous any more. I get some of the reasons, but know the corporate heads are still packing their pockets. I just don't know how families make it these days.

[sarisataka]

12. Last week I went shopping

At a Walmart and there were no registers open. The. only available checkout was 5 of 8 self checkouts, 3 of those were closed as well. This was still an hour before store closing with many shoppers still in the store.

[Tommymac]

14. When that happens I leave my full cart in the Self Serve line and leave the store. nt

[radicalleft]

173. Thereby creating MORE work

for an already under-paid employee...bravo

[Tommymac]

179. Nope. Straw man argument. I'm making more work for a human being to get a paycheck. nt

[radicalleft]

183. False...

They are NOT hiring more people...just adding MORE work to already over-worked people.

[FBaggins]

188. Why are you even going to the store?

Milk used to be delivered daily. Indeed... grocery delivery was not uncommon. Why aren't you insisting on delivery?

[sir pball]

197. Amazon Fresh offers 2-hour delivery at competitive prices

But I suspect the people who get high blood pressure over self-check would have full on apoplexy over patronizing *gasp* THEM…me, it's how I get about 75% of my groceries, basically anything I don't need immediately comes from the Evil Empire. Isn't it funny how tech has brought us full-circle? I wouldn't be surprised to see full-service gas return with robot attendants.

[FBaggins]

226. My thought as well. And there are plenty of grocery stores with delivery options

Along with "gig" drivers who deliver.

And... of course... there are grocery stores that don't use self-scanner checkouts.

But all involve paying extra.

[Atticus]

18. I had the same experience once. I wheeled my cart containing meat, ice cream, frozen

vegetables and pizzas to the "Customer Service and Returns" desk and told them that as long as there were no regular checkouts available they were not "open for business" as far as we were concerned.

We then abandoned the cart full of perishables and walked out.

[homegirl]

26. So,

I am not alone! Will never use self checkout.

[sarisataka]

29. I am not quite that vindictive

However I did call the store the next day to offer to assist. I requested the GM be informed since they are unable to provide adequate service for their customers our family will help their dilemma by not further contributing to the workload.

I don't really expect a reply or that they ultimately care. What is strangest to me is this particular store is located in a fairly affluent suburb. I would expect they would have better service as they are competing with several upscale stores.

[MichMan]

68. You must have a lot if spare time to go to another store and start over

[MerryBlooms]

133. My son is a head meat cutter in an employee owned store.

Before that, he started as a grunt, cashier, and then during the pandemic, he was security. He has awesome benefits, loves his job Now. Now he loves his job because he no longer deals with the public. I would never in a million years, walk into a store, and seeing no checkers, fill my cart with stuff and abandoned it for others to clean up after me. Grocery stores are woefully understaffed right now. You left your cart to make life tougher for the grunt who had to go all over the store to put your stuff away. So, they didn't get all their stocking shelves done, or maybe they gave up their break to get off on time. If that made you feel good, I don't know what to say.

[Atticus]

135. And just where does my OP indicate that I filled my cart after "seeing no checkers"?

When I walk into a large grocery store I ASSUME that they have a cashier ready to check me out.

If you think that is unreasonable "I don't know what to say".

[MerryBlooms]

139. When you walk in any grocery store, you see what's available.

Even if you go up the aisle, you can see which cashier lights are on.

Instead of putting back your own items, you parked them for someone else. Privileged. Passive-aggressive... I also, don't know what else to say. Except maybe, have compassion for folks who work in thankless jobs serving the public.

[Atticus]

140. You seem to believe that if you say something it is so. Your premise appears to be that

Last edited Fri Dec 9, 2022, 10:25 PM - Edit history (1)

everyone checks out the check out registers just to be sure someone will be there to take their money before the begin shopping. That's just silly.

And, let's be clear: I did not park my "own" items for someone else to put back. I wanted to make them mine, but there was no one there to sell them to me. I left THE STORE'S ITEMS for them to put back or mop off the floor.

Your name calling is not appreciated but will not be reciprocated.

[MerryBlooms]

141. 😆 okay, you just keep on doing what you see fit.

[Atticus]

148. Deal. ✌ nt

[nini]

147. Boy you showed them!

I'm sure the employees you say you support loved putting your items back before they spoiled. Probably took someone away from a register too.

[MerryBlooms]

155. Thank you, exactly. These sorts of actions only further hurt the

Employees! I cannot imagine my station in life being so high, I would do what so many do in total disregard for store employees. This thread is so disheartening.

[The Jungle 1]

202. We order and pay for our food online.

They put the bags in the car at our pick up time. No extra charge.
I don't think it gets any easier. If they don't have the item size we ask for they give us a bigger size for the same price.
I am stuck helping my wife carry them in the house. What a hassle. Why can't she just leave me alone.

[helpisontheway]

205. Same thing happened at my Walmart Neighborhood Market

I had a full cart of groceries. I think it was almost $200. It was only about 7pm and they did not have any registers open. I was pissed! Others complained (like yelling for management) but no managers were available. Finally people started leaving their carts. I did not leave my cart because I have worked in retail. Putting go backs (or reshop as called in some places) sucks so I could not do that to the employees . It is not their fault. It is management’s fault. So I scanned all of the items and got frustrated as I tried to separate and open all of their shitty bags. I vowed to never return to that store and a couple years have passed. I never returned. I rarely ever go to Walmart period. I did last week with my hubby but I can’t remember the last time prior to that.

[gibraltar72]

13. When herded to self check

I ask the herder, why do I care more about your job than you do?

[jalan48]

15. The oil industry has managed to get most Americans pumping their own gas and

Americans appear to love it. Fortunately, here in Oregon we don't allow self service at the gas stations.

[marybourg]

24. We love it?

I don't know anyone who loves it. On an electric vehicle forum, many said they wanted an EV so they'd never have to go to a gas station again.

[XanaDUer2]

30. We don't love it

We're clueless about putting air in tirrs. We have to drive to our mechanic now.

[jalan48]

31. Apparently other states love it or they would change the law and stop self service.

[RobinA]

56. Do They Think

that God just bolts the electricity from the heavens into their car?

[marybourg]

69. No, but most plan to charge at home

or work, odorlessly and credit cardlessly.

[Whiskeytide]

32. But self pumped gas is always cheaper. So it's a choice - or ....

… at least use to be before full service stations all but disappeared - for the consumer. The self checkout at a grocery store offers no benefit to the consumer - only the owners/shareholders.

[jalan48]

38. I remember when there were actual service stations. The fossil fuel industry makes

record profits while citizens do the labor at the station and think it's great.

[Whiskeytide]

114. I do as well. I was a kid though. By ...

… the time I started driving, self serve stations were everywhere, and I used them because they were cheaper. And I’m a guy. I thought it was kinda cool to pump my own gas.

I’d have no problem with the self serve checkouts at the grocery if they took off 5% when you use them. That would be a fair exchange. As it is, the company gets to fire low wage workers, and pockets the savings, while aggravating the shit out of me.

So I avoid them whenever I can. And when I do use them, I’m inclined to have a problem that needs the attention of an employee anyway. Oops.

[jalan48]

123. Good point. We should get a discount for doing the work. I saw self check out machines

in Bed Bath and Beyond last week. There was only one checker and everybody in line was waiting for him.

[Polybius]

42. I just saw a special that said NJ was the only state that does that

Lemme check...

Seems a few towns in OR allow full service.

Why New Jersey and Oregon still don’t let you pump your own gas

In New Jersey, it’s been illegal for drivers to pump their own gas since 1949. A ban on self-service gas has been in place in Oregon since 1951, although the state relaxed restrictions for rural towns a few years ago.

But for the most part that is correct, they are the only two states that do that, and I hope they never change.

[jalan48]

43. Oregon allows pump your own gas in rural areas where stations are closed at night.

Gas is a toxic substance as well, unlike groceries.

[Grasswire2]

100. a few towns?

I don't think that's the case in Oregon. Not just rural.

Right even in the Portland metro area, your gas gets pumped by an attendant.

And it has always been thus.

[druidity33]

131. I think it's the opposite... a few towns allow self service. nt.

[jalan48]

132. Yes. I believe it started during the pandemic.

[moonscape]

76. When I was in Oregon, I told the guy

I wanted premium but thankfully watched as he started pumping regular in my car and stopped him. That’s when I soured on not being able to pump my own.

[MerryBlooms]

142. I live in Oregon, born and raised here.

Lived in Illinois and The Keys. I can tell you crappy service stories from here and everywhere between. Our gas station folks, especially at the beloved Costco, work their butts off in all weather conditions without shelter mostly. Costco is the worst! But folks love to brag about Costco gas cheap price!. No place to sit, 7 deep lines for 6 islands. Those folks have no where to go in bad weather, no where to take a break, nothing! Just pump cheap gas on their feet on concrete, all day. We have 50 mph gusts tonight on my end of Rogue Valley, it's brutal.

[bif]

17. I use them about 1/2 the time at the grocery store

But if I have a ton of produce, I go to the cashier line. I hate looking up ever single thing. Pain in the ass and the cashiers know the SKU number of every item.

[blm]

19. Same

[TheBeam19]

21. I can't take credit for this, but...

I saw this online somewhere and copied it to my notepad app. It’s good!

———

Dear WalMart & CVS , HomeDepot and all other stores that have self checkout - You are almost exclusively self-checkout now. The last time I was there the lady checking receipts at the exit was stopping everyone. I didn't choose to participate in that nonsense, so just skipped the exit line and left. I heard her saying "Sir, um, Sir" as I kept walking and raised the receipt above my head, leaving the store. You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be. I'm not interested in proving that I did your job for you. You want me to be a cashier with no training then that's your problem not mine.
Don't audit me for a position you refuse to employ any longer.
Signed,
All of us

[USALiberal]

160. So instead of talking to the manager you annoyed a worker??

So instead of talking to the manager you attacked

[TheBeam19]

164. Try reading comprehension sometime.

[48656c6c6f20]

23. I don't know

Part of me says I don't need servants bagging my stuff for union or non-union wages. I would rather these people go to school, take up art, join a think tank, start a social movement, have babies, live a life not worrying about rent and school loans.
I may be wrong but if I were to ask grocert worked if they want to checkout or bag groceries for the next 40 years I'm thinking I wouldn't have many takers.

But I have a lazy part of me that just wants my shit bagged.

[LisaM]

36. When I first moved to Seattle and shopped at the neighborhood Safeway

I knew the cashiers. They had worked there a long time, had union benefits, and chose their own hours, usually during the day, and then part timers, generally kids, covered the rest.

I knew two of them personally and they liked the job and knew the customers. They had been able to help raise their families and buy houses. I still miss them.

This is a complicated issue. There is nothing wrong with working retail. I did it and loved it, but couldn't afford to keep working retail with soaring housing costs and the need to start thinking about retirement once I was in my 30s.

Those old, good jobs had pensions. Now they have forced us into the 401k model, and people can't make a living doing retail anymore.

[republianmushroom]

25. like

[GusBob]

27. Interesting coincidence

In another thread about that Sinema lady, it is mentioned that she would refuse to use them either.

Not calling anyone out, just as a weird coincidence it came up in 2 treads I clicked on

[Orrex]

105. Carl Sagan described something like this as brick-in-the-toilet thinking

The individual makes a small, mostly token gesture in service of some imagined lofty goal. The individual’s action has little impact but lets the, feel as though they’d really done something.

[Takket]

28. i use self checkouts, if they are actually staffed

my store is so woefully understaffed if i got there on a Sunday morning even the self checkout line is sometimes closed because they don't have even a person to staff THOSE. They have two banks and usually 1 bank and 1 register is open early Sundays when i shop. Very frustrating. i'd prefer to go through a regular line because it is much faster when i have a large order but the line can sometimes be 7-8 packed carts deep.

but they know i'll buy my food whether i spend 20 minutes waiting or 5, so they don't hire anyone else.

[beaglelover]

34. If I only have a few items I'll use them, but when doing a weekly grocery run I always

use the manned checkout lines and I don't bag my own groceries. If a bagger is not available then the checkout person has to bag the groceries. I'm not paying these prices and bagging my own groceries. Sorry, not sorry.

[forgotmylogin]

64. Same here.

I know it cuts jobs but I don't want to stand in line if I've got eight things and there are self-checkouts open. Our grocery actually has a sign that self-checkout is "20 items or less".

On the rare occasion I have a full cart, I will used the staffed checkout and baggers. I actually have to do that to use my accumulated cash back anyway.

[IronLionZion]

35. I have to bag it myself anyway since I bring my own reusable bags

I'll use self checkout at my neighborhood Safeway because their employees are the worst.

But I'll use a human checkout everywhere else: Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Wegmans.

I rarely use delivery or pickup unless I'm sick or something like that.

[WheelWalker]

37. I couldn't agree with you more, comrade.

I don't often go shopping, but when I do I always take the path of flesh, bones and a conversational mind. It's part of my social hour... human to human contact.

[multigraincracker]

39. I love when some one bad mouths their union or dues.

I get to tell them about how I've been retired for 21 years and retired at 52 because of my unions. Kind of shuts them up.

[Beachnutt]

53. With a Pension too...

[Amishman]

40. I have no problem using them

cashiers are unrewarding and largely unneeded positions as self checkout works just fine.

obsolete jobs shouldn't continue to exist just for the sake of the job.

With the baby boomer retirement ongoing and the smaller relative size of gen Z, the labor market will be tighter and these kinds of menial jobs will be difficult to staff.

[Duncanpup]

41. You are a fine human.

[progressoid]

44. I refuse to pump my own gas.

I've been waiting for the attendant to come out an fill my car since 1981.

[StarryNite]

58. ...

[Happy Hoosier]

45. I do it for small trips.... much faster.

I get it... but honestly, if I have three items, it's WAY more convenient for me. I really don;t need someone to scan the items for me and put my stuff a bag if I just have a few items.

If I have a full cart? Then a staffed checkout lane.

[Rebl2]

46. Our cvs

only has self check out. If something goes wrong a person that works there has to come correct it. They might as well have at least one clerk working. One of our grocery stores just uses clerks to check customers out. The other grocery store we go to has both.

[AllaN01Bear]

47. no way jose . i feel like im stealing someones job.

[former9thward]

49. Do you pay any bills online?

Ever use an ATM?

[lame54]

66. It's funny how we pick and choose what technologies to embrace...

Scanners already cut the labor force down significantly
But that was progress

[newdayneeded]

81. Yep!

[Dysfunctional]

91. I use an ATM for deposits but not for cash.

I like small bills for tips for people like the cashier and the woman that clears my table at McDonalds. Almost all of my bills are paid automatically by the bank or credit card.

[MerryBlooms]

136. My credit union ATM has the choice of what denominations

My cash back is received. I can choose $50, $20, $5. I usually choose $20s and $5s.

[former9thward]

48. I always use them.

Who wants to waste their life standing in lines?

[TheCowsCameHome]

50. I use them for smaller orders.

I prefer them, actually.

[niyad]

51. I only use self-check if I only have one or two items and the lines are long.

Like you, if asked, I say, "no, I hate them." I also won't bag my purchases for the same reason. Do I get the employee discount if I do?

[Orrex]

52. Do you use ATMs?

[Atticus]

67. No. nt

[Orrex]

72. Well, that's nice.

[USALiberal]

159. Lol!

[sinkingfeeling]

84. I wouldn't use them if my credit union wasn't 600 miles away.

Also, went with my sister to a large Bank of America and she waited 30 minutes to get to a teller.

[Orrex]

102. Well, that's kind of the point, isn't it?

Champions of the downtrodden worker, who see self-checkout lanes as the cattle chutes of the disposable middle class, can surely tolerate a 30+ minute wait for a 30 second transaction, and what’s a 1200 mile round trip among proles?

[sinkingfeeling]

104. Trufully, I haven't used an ATM in years. No need to. I just get cash back from using

my debit card.

[Orrex]

106. Shame on you!

You’re putting tellers out of work! Go stand in line all afternoon like the rest of us do-gooders!

[USALiberal]

158. +1000

[TygrBright]

54. I always ask if they'll pay me $20/hour to do that? No? Then, no. n/t

[Orrex]

162. Certainly you don't do your own shopping, do you?

Why should you have to march up and down the aisles, retrieving products like some common lackey?

You should demand that a grocery clerk fetch your items for you, like in the good old days!

If you're lucky, maybe he'll be wearing an apron and sleeve garters and sing in a barbershop quartet on his days off.

[Hope22]

55. Same here!

When they pay me to shop I will check myself out!😂

[MichMan]

151. People sure love Costco where you have to pay them to shop there

[llmart]

57. I do use them all of the time.

I don't buy groceries in large quantities. I'm a small woman in my 70's who lives alone and who doesn't eat that much food in a week. My main grocery store is within walking distance. The self-checkouts are closest to the area I park which is nearest to my subdivision. I have feet that hurt if I stand in one place for a long time and I hate having some germ-laden person inching up behind me in line where they're practically walking on the backs of my shoes and/or pushing their cart into my heels.

In addition to that, in our area, places are having an absolutely ridiculous time finding employees. The grocery store workers are unionized and still they are short staffed.

As an avid conservationist, I've spent a lot of my younger years fighting against things such as plastic bags in stores, people buying water in plastic bottles by the cartloads, trying to eliminate junk mail, and trying to get corporations and the majority of people on board with my personal vendetta against big corporations. It didn't work. At some point I just decided that the American people in the majority don't care about the things that we think they should. Things are foisted on us and we accept them. Your reasoning behind your stance against self-checkouts is admirable, but I hate to tell you this. It isn't going to change anything. Two or three decades from now there will still be self-checkouts just like there are still plastic bags at most stores and people buying their water in cases of plastic bottles.

[HAB911]

59. Thank you for your service!

I will never use them unless I get a 10% discount

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

60. They should give one a discount for using them.

Since they don't want to hire an extra employee the self-check lines are saving them money.

[Stuart G]

62. K and R...Thanks for posting and for taking the time to post this. I appreciate your posts.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

63. I never use the self checkouts in a union grocery store.

And always encourage the checkers and baggers to attend union meetings. They never seem too sure about that though. I remind them they are paying dues, might as well get involved.

[Wonder Why]

65. Not only no but hell no. And as to soeone's comment that they

can see an item overpriced and "go to the desk", I say "Fat Chance!"

The Customer Service Desk in places like Walmart and big box stores is longer than the checkout line. Worse, you have to delay everyone behind you while you go to the Desk or abandon the checkout and start over after it was corrected.

If I got overcharged at an automated clerk, I'd abandon the whole cart right where it is and either walk out to shop elsewhere or get a new cart and start over.

Years ago, I would get so frustrated because the terminal wouldn't recognize items I scanned and would would still demand I scan them again even though I was charged for it. I would just leave the items right there on the scanner counter, tell the people behind me that it was not working and walk out. That's when I said "Never Again".

[Ms. Toad]

80. That wasn't my comment - but I agree with them.

Every self-check-out I have ever used has a help button. I scan things I which are most likely to be priced wrong first and push the help button if they are. Help has always arrived before I finish scanning - or at most a very short wait. Problem solved before I pay.

You are correct about lines at customer service - which is precisely why self-scanning is better for this particular problem. When I use an employee-based check-out line I don't discover the error until AFTER I have paid. Then have to choose between forfeiting the savings or returning to customer service,

I have discovered a number of mis-priced items while using self-check-out and have never once had to go to customer service to get it fixed.

As someone who uses self-scanners most of the time, I feel safe in saying your experience is atypical.

The only scanners I refuse to use are the scale-based ones which essentially accuse you of cheating because you rearranged the items in the bag (shifting the weight) after scanning them.

[MontanaMama]

70. I got used to using the self checkouts during the height of the pandemic.

Not that we're out of it now...but our local grocery stores refused to load reusable bags and it was incredibly disheartening to see all that plastic go out of the stores with no end in sight. I haven't gotten a plastic bag in a store for years...they're unnecessary and so wasteful.

There isn't a store in our city that isn't hiring...lines are long and waiting is sometimes unreasonable. Nobody has enough help. Maybe its low wages in some stores but most of our grocery stores here are unionized. We've been trying to hire two people at our family business for more than a year. I start people no lower than $20 per hour (everybody working for me now is at $25+) and I pay a range of full benefits depending on what employees want and need (No two people are the same) and I still can't find anyone. It isn't always low wages that are the issue.

[sinkingfeeling]

74. I refuse them as well. I will allow the 'overseer' at Home Depot to use one to

run my items through and hand them my debit card.

[orleans]

75. i never used self check outs UNTIL ...

some of the items would ring up at a higher price than what the sticker on the shelf said

most of the time i never caught it in time b/c i would still be putting my stuff on the belt while the checker was running it all thru, then i'd be getting out my checkbook and starting to write a check, so i really didn't have the time to stand there and watch

hello self check out.

i actually write the price down on my shopping list so i can check it against what the self check out rings it up as.

then i get someone to help; at first they would go look at the shelf price and now they just take my word. one of the store supervisors got so fucking sick of going over to the bread aisle b/c i would say the bread was ringing up 30 cents higher than shelf price that she ripped off the sticker on the shelf and it's never been replaced. so now i pay what the register says.

anyway, it always came up to about 70 cents for each order and i figured since prices were so high anyway i wasn't going to pay for their bait & switch bullshit

i never use the regular check out anymore.
if i didn't feel as if i was being cheated every time i bought items there i wouldn't do it

[geardaddy]

77. I don't use them either

As for union supermarkets, most of them in the Twin Cities are unionized.

[Joinfortmill]

78. I'm a Democrat. My own father called me a

Bleeding Heart Liberal. I use the self checkout about half the time. I don't think fighting them is the battle we should be having or that we will win. Unions, on the other hand are imperative, until or unless we come up with something better, to a robust middle class. But, I'm just an old broad.

[BComplex]

90. I always use the self checkout. It's always faster.

In the south, all the employees want to talk to the people in line as they check out their groceries. My time means more to me than waiting while my ice cream melts and the employee has asked about every relative in their customer's lineage, who they're dating, what their doctor says, what they sang at church, and what kind of grades the kids are making.

I have no problem at all with self checkout.

[Gore1FL]

79. There is a Union Worker manning the stations.

The stations exist as part of the contract the Union agreed to. I support Unions. If they are good with it, why shouldn't I be?

[newdayneeded]

82. I use them all the time.

in and out, quick. But then, I do all of my bills online too. Haven't wrote a check in years.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

85. I feel like certain jobs aren't all that great.

If we can move people out of tedious, boring jobs, to more interesting ones, I think that's a positive thing.

[Mr.Bill]

83. As soon as self-check-out arrived,

California passed a law that alcoholic beverages could not go through there. This makes perfect sense because it would make it easier for minors to buy liquor without that law. I haven't looked into it, but I would be willing to bet the Retail Clerk's union lobbied for that.

Every time I have tried to use it I have caught it over-charging me for an item or two. Watch out for anything without bar codes, like baked goods or produce.

[McKim]

86. Always in a Loud Voice........

I always say: “No thanks, I’ma union gal and self check out takes away somebody’s job!” This said in a very loud voice.

[oldsoftie]

87. I use them all the time. Because I'm tired of the people in line in front of me.

Most of the time I've got 20 or less and I'm not getting in line behind the family of 3 with a full cart who forgot something & sends a kid back to get it; then wants to write a check but has no ID or doesnt know how to use the debit card or has a card plus "some" vouchers or coupons etc etc etc. Give me my checkout & I'm out the door in 3 mins.

I especially like them at the Lowes or HD because I'm usually only getting a few things. And in there you can get behind someone buying a whole DECK worth of supplies.

[SeattleVet]

88. I'll use the self-checkout when they give me the employee discount.

I'm supporting your workers. Don't try to make me do their job so you can get rid of them.

[FalloutShelter]

92. Absolutely this

[Evolve Dammit]

93. "Wet" cleanup at register three!

[Grasswire2]

94. I learned something horrible from Kroger's checker.

He told me that they are harshly managed by computer data generated as they check out your groceries!

The computerized system measures how fast they scan your items that you are putting up onto the belt as you empty your cart. If checker moves too slowly, they get docked somehow.

Just like factory assembly lines operate, I imagine. Faster! Faster! Faster!

So think of that when you empty your cart for the checker to scan. And no chit-chatting as it's being scanned.

[titanicdave]

95. .....I'm In The Same Boat.....

......I say, that I will wait....that I like to talk to people, not machines....then I say something to the affect "....that .......(loud enough for all around to hear)........"this company needs to hire people, not machines"......

[2naSalit]

96. Never use them...

Against my religion. Yesterday I sinned big time and went to fuckingwalmart because I couldn't find a bunch of things anywhere else that I have looked for at least ten months. Going to that store is a major sin in my world but I had to hold my nose and do it. When I got to the check out, it wasn't clear that the lane I was in was a self-check-out until after I got to the belt. I unloaded all my shit only to see that it was one of those. The clerk came to assist but I threw all my shit back in the cart and told him I didn't want to use it and that I would wait in line if I had to then berated him for having only one human on a register for the whole fucking store.

Truth is, NOBODY wants to work there so they are severely short staffed.

[Zeitghost]

108. You berated the clerk

Just trying to do his job? Seriously? If so that's horrible behavior.

[2naSalit]

112. His tag read "Manager"...

Otherwise I would not have said that. By the time I got up to the place where the one cashier was, with a line of course, he started opening more lanes. I suspect my comment had an impact in favor of the shoppers.

[Zeitghost]

115. So you took out your frustration with corporate ownership

On an employee. Again, that's horrible behavior. Be better.

[2naSalit]

117. ...

[marble falls]

231. ... I know what you mean. I guess some people can get in touch with "corporate" at the drop ...

... of a hat.

[MichMan]

120. If I understand what you are saying

After not noticing that the check out lane didn't have a cashier and was self service, you unloaded all your merchandise, yelled at the clerk who came over to see if you needed any help, and then threw everything back into your cart before yelling at him some more.

Wow

Most people would have just accepted they weren't paying any attention, used the self checkout and gone on their way.

[2naSalit]

122. No yelling involved.

My sequencing was not correct in the story but whatever. What I said made the guy do his job and open more lanes. I had my stuff on the belt before it was clear that it was self serve. With the sensory overload in that place, all cramped together, it was hard to tell until I was there. So the "clerk" was a manager and had he been paying attention to the lines of customers waiting in line everywhere, he would not have even seen me.

But do flame on.

[Jedi Guy]

178. You know berating the clerk was pointless, right?

Even if he was a manager, he doesn't have a hotline to the Waltons to pass along your comments. They will never know what you said and, what's more, wouldn't care if they did. You took out your distaste for Walmart on someone who has nothing to do with how the place is run and no ability to change it.

That's pretty crappy behavior. You made this person your rage dump. As someone else said, be better.

[2naSalit]

194. Bullshit.

The guy was a fucking floor manager who HAD THE AUTHORITY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WHICH HE DID AFTER i SAID SOMETHING.

Enjoy your little flame fest,

[Jedi Guy]

201. Maybe the takeaway here should be...

Don't berate people regardless of whether they can fix the issue or not. The larger point I was making is that you don't have to do that. You chose to do so. Make better choices.

[Buckeyeblue]

97. I do. I have zero patience to stand in line.

I scan and bag as I shop. Check out and pay takes seconds unless I get audited or buy booze (often the case).

I get the argument that it potentially cuts jobs. But I also see very few people in my area taking advantage of this technology. And, the store is constantly hiring, so I don't think anyone has lost their job yet because of this.

[heckles65]

98. Gotta love that passive-aggressive line

"Unexpected item in bagging area."

[PatrickforB]

99. You and I are kindred spirits in this, Atticus.

I drive my grown kids nuts when I refuse most times to use self check because 'it costs jobs.'

And pro-union? Darned right. I will NOT cross a picket line no matter how inconvenient for me. Those workers need a living wage and good benefits, not to mention more predictable scheduling so they can actually HAVE a work/life balance.

Lately, though, I'm noticing that we are in a decade-long scarce labor market. This is why businesses keep adding jobs in spite of the Fed cranking up interest rates. The Fed is doing it, of course, to create a higher labor supply (through layoffs) with the idea this will drive wages down, which is what they are blaming for inflation.

But it isn't wages that are causing inflation. Wages have generally NOT kept up with inflation. I did an analysis of some data on productivity (up 59% from 1979) vs worker wages (up only 13.7% from 1979), while corporate profits have gone up 265% just since 2000.

WE'RE GETTING GOUGED BY CORPORATIONS AND BILLIONAIRE PARASITES, Atticus, we are.

[h2ebits]

128. The whole economy is a complicated juggling act

I agree that we are getting gouged by corporations and billionaire parasites but in ways that we don't always think about.

The $7.25/hr federal minimum wage would be over $20/hr if it had kept up with inflation and that should be the base rate.

We have been turned into a service economy as skilled worker jobs were shipped offshore for production elsewhere by the moneyed class ever on the hunt for more profit to line their pockets.

We have eliminated most trade schools and sorely lack the skilled workers needed to re-build and re-grow our production capacity to return us to a healthy middle class.

Economic "downturns" have taken our wealth and our homes away from us. The banks and other capitalists have taken over ownership and let houses sit empty or rent them out. Shortages of stock have driven housing prices higher and higher. The American "dream" of home ownership is rapidly moving out of the sight of the middle class.

On and on it goes.

I don't agree with your statement:
"Lately, though, I'm noticing that we are in a decade-long scarce labor market. This is why businesses keep adding jobs in spite of the Fed cranking up interest rates. The Fed is doing it, of course, to create a higher labor supply (through layoffs) with the idea this will drive wages down, which is what they are blaming for inflation."

Trump's attempted takeover of our country caused, and continues to cause, great damage. In its own way the COVID pandemic has shone a light on a whole new way of living. Many people died and many people retired from the "rat race" and they are not coming back. (I'm one of them.) There are 2 job openings for every unemployed person and it is broad spectrum with jobs available at all skill and knowledge levels. Young people coming out of college with huge debt (because money grab by colleges) expect to be paid handsomely for getting a college degree. Large corporations balk at paying them their asking salaries so they just keep applying until they find one that is desperate enough to succumb to their demands. Restaurants have shuttered because the owners aren't willing to pay a living wage. And people will continue to shuffle until, as a nation, we figure out how to work together again. Hopefully, we are strong enough to force into submission those who desire to rule us.

The Fed reduced the interest rate to 0% to help the economy remain viable. Now that greed has taken over, the Fed is trying to re-balance. I do not believe that they are trying to create a higher labor supply--it already existed.

Most of the people in our country are NOT "invested" in the stock market. Rather, they have savings accounts that have been paying next to nothing. Raising the interest rates for borrowing also forces banks and other institutions to raise the rate of interest that they are paying on savings accounts. Putting some money back into the hands of people.

Raising the interest rates in an effort to reduce inflation will work but it is a process of time.

[MichMan]

152. Millions and millions of workers and retirees have retirement funds invested in stocks and bonds

[IcyPeas]

103. was disappointed to see them in Michaels arts and craft store now too.

some of those self service terminals give me anxiety. I use them very rarely.

[albacore]

107. In my area, Safeway is union...

...and they have the self-check-outs, too.
They always have it staffed.
They also have a stable staff.. everybody has been with the company for years.
(Not as long as some Costco people... some where I shop have been there since the company opened in our area in the 1990's)

I think they do a great job of dealing with the customer load.

I use self-check-out for quick, 5-6 item purchases.

[MineralMan]

109. I use both staffed check-outs and the self check-outs.

If I go into the store and find long lines at the staffed check-out lines, I go through the self check line. If the staffed ones aren't busy, I'll use them, since that store bags my groceries for me.

I can ALWAYS go through a self-check terminal faster than the staffed line. ALWAYS. And, if there are a couple of people ahead of me in such a line, I'll be out of the store before the first person not already being served is finished. It's a matter of time for me. And with COVID and the flu around, the less time I spend near other people the better.

I go shopping for my convenience and because I need to buy something that a store sells. It's inconvenient for me to stand in a long line waiting for an employee to scan my items, especially if there is a self-check station I can use.

Since stores seem to be understaffing their check-out lanes, there's usually a long line of customers in them. I choose not to participate in that, since I can easily take care of the transaction for myself. I don't consider it a management/labor thing at all. I don't work there. I'm just a customer who wants to complete my transaction as quickly as possible and return to other activities.

[GenThePerservering]

116. I use both

Wherever the line is shortest.

As for bagging groceries - most people here bring their own bags, so a lot of people here voluntarily bag their groceries if the cashier has a line, or just while they're ringing up the stuff - as opposed to standing there doing nothing. I do this, and the checker routinely thanks me. If you use their bags, they bag the groceries. If there are people whose job it is to bag, I leave everything alone because that's their actual job.

A lot of seniors work as courtesy clerks as a part time 'retirement job' - which is what I'm looking to do.

[moonscape]

138. I got used to bagging my own groceries when

I lived in Germany in the early 70’s. It was common and made sense to me then and now. As did recycling, which I was first introduced to there.

[brooklynite]

118. You must not make any phone calls...

...since the phone company won't hire operators to place the calls for you?

[LeftInTX]

163. LOL!

[rownesheck]

119. I use self checkout whenever possible.

As someone who works in retail, I understand that most cashiers would prefer I use the self checkout. I'm helping them have a far less stressful day.

[Kaleva]

124. I use self checkout whenever I can

It's faster. Like I wouldn't want to spend time at a gas station waiting for an attendant to gas me up then take my debit card to process it and then give it back to me

[MichMan]

125. They were encouraged during the pandemic to avoid close contact with cashiers

Lots of people became more comfortable with using them and found out they liked them.

I prefer not to wait in line behind people with overflowing carts in the manned lanes in order to scan my dozen items and be on my way.

[ProfessorGAC]

126. I Do

That ship has sailed.
It costs the store NOTHING if you or I wait in line for a checker.
Refusing to use the self-check isn't going to send them any message. Many stores have already sunk the capital into banks of self-check stations. They're not abandoning that investment.
I understand your sentiment, but I see it as a futile gesture that does nothing to get the store to reverse direction.

[KentuckyWoman]

127. Same.

I am also quite verbal about it.

[UpInArms]

129. Today was the first time I have been at one of those ...

and the manager was using it to check me out … I never touched any part of it …

I was happily waiting my turn in line for the checker (a fellow Dem) and the manager waved me over to the self checkout line … and I said … oh no … thank you …I don’t use those … he responded with “I will use it for you … no worries…”

[MichMan]

153. Some people would have still refused because management was performing a workers job

[UpInArms]

166. Sigh

Management was managing …

The store was full of people … no one has to make anyone’s life more difficult … me, by refusing, the checker, by trying to work faster, the manager, by just standing idly by …

Not a union situation …

Learn to be chill

[MichMan]

167. Other posters are saying they leave full carts and walk away

All I said was there might be some people complaining that a manager was doing a task that a worker should be doing. It happens. I don't know if it was union or not based on your depiction, but it reminded me of something.

I once made a visit to a auto plant (I didn't work there) and one of the engineers I was visiting drove a car several feet inside the building with me inside as a passenger.

A union worker made a beeline over to us, and started yelling that he was filing a grievance. I was later told that engineering was only permitted to drive them outside the building, and when it needed to be moved inside, they had to stop & find a union member to move the car the last 20 feet, before they could review it with me. I never found out whatever happened to the grievance. Seemed kind of foolish to me, but I found some people can get pretty worked up over stuff like that.

[electric_blue68]

134. I remember when the Rite Aid I often went to mostly all checking about ?5 yrs....

ago. I was like WTH? I might have forgotten that one of my Home Depots had already started it, since I went there very occasionally vs the drug store.

So 95+% of the time I wait for the cashier. I want people to have jobs! 👍

[The Revolution]

137. If there's no line for a person, I'll go there

As it is faster. But if anyone is in line, I'll just go to the self checkout.

It's not like adding the self checkout changed anything at the store I usually shop at. They only ever had 1 or 2 human checkers ever. Now they still have 1 or 2 checkers, plus the self checkout.

And stores never use a single queue multiple server model, so you have to pick which line to wait in. And I always pick the wrong one. And if someone did come along and open another register, the person on the back, who waited the least amount of time, gets to jump to the new line.The whole process was terrible.

A store having more or better self checkouts is an insentive for me to shop there.

[XorXor]

143. I will only use them if I have a few items.

That is where I think they serve a valid purpose. When they first started appearing I thought they were great for that narrow purpose. But now those are the expected to be the primary method for most people to check out. I'm not going to do that if I have normal load of groceries

[MichMan]

154. We were told during the pandemic to use them to minimize contact with cashiers and social distancing

[MerryBlooms]

145. Okay, read through this entire thread.

Self checking isn't going anywhere. It is what is. I have the same folks manning the self check, as I did when they were cashiers. It's different, but the ones I always chatted with and still do, say they like it. They're older women and then one guy in wheelchair. I do miss the one gal I used to seek out, super fast and just a sweetheart. She's been transferred the a different store.

I don't believe we can avoid change in the grocery business. NPR did a great segment regarding, the history or grocery stores and the dark side that it involves.

[Phentex]

200. You're right...

I am not sure we can put the genie back in the bottle although some stores may find themselves having at least one register for people who need assistance.

I did not like them at first because they always glitched and required calling for help. But they are more sophisticated now and I can get through quickly without help. I selfishly enjoy taking care of placing apples in my bag and not smashing loaves of bread. Yes, it's a first world problem but I used to have baggers drop the apples into the bag with a BLAM!

Of course I would prefer and would gladly trade better jobs with good pay for more people. But we are here.

[BannonsLiver]

149. I use them frequently but I don't take it personally nor do I react with rudeness

By the way, it’s pretty lame to leave a cart piled high with crap because it’s an inconvenience to wait or use self serve. All you’re doing there is making unnecessary work for employees who already have enough to do.

Certainly doesn’t sound like you’ve done that kind of work before, given the complete lack of consideration.

[GusBob]

150. Sounds like a first world problem really

Y all crack me up

[USALiberal]

156. So you want to fill your gas tank? Get rid of ATM???

[Retrograde]

161. I find them difficult to use one-handed

as an elderly arthritic person I sometimes use a cane. My experience with self-checkouts is that there's no place to lean the cane without it interfering with the scanner or a scale.

The places I do most of my grocery shopping just have live, human checkout clerks. They're both small, family-owned stores and they hire a lot of local young people

[LeftInTX]

165. My WalMart has an annoying checker who flirts with customers....

I don't like being in his aisle.
He flirted and flirted with the women in front of me.
I got annoyed and asked him to hurry up.
They told me, "He's providing excellent customer service. Go to the self checkout".
I replied, "I can't. I've got a watermelon"

He flirted with those women for about 1/2 hour.

I prefer self serve over his aisle.

[wackadoo wabbit]

168. Me also! I once made Ikea open a checker line (all they had open were self-checkouts) ...

because I told the manager that my sister, who had been a checker, lost her job because of self-checkouts, and I would not use a self-checkout because of this. (The story about my sister wasn't true — she'd never even ever been a checker — but it gave me a sort of righteousness that just saying, "I won't use a self-checkout" lacked, and encouraged the manager to open the checker line.)

I've never used a self-checkout, ever, and I never will. While my sister may not have lost her imaginary job because of self-checkouts, someone else's sister has — and I support her.

[Donkees]

172. Bernie: ''Brothers and sisters, when we stand together ... :)

[brewens]

169. I left a bag of produce on the check stand conveyor a couple weeks ago. I buy my

produce on my morning walk frequently. I'm lucky to have a good supermarket and a smaller quality grocery store within a mile.

There were no check stands open. The first one the cable was unhooked but the light wasn't on. I went over there and stood and looked around. The only checker was over helping people at the self-checkout and didn't notice me. I stood there for about a minute and walked out. If it happens again, I won't waste my time walking over there. The other store has great produce at just slightly higher price and is in the opposite direction.

[JCMach1]

170. And, I avoid companies that try to use only this

Kroger I'm looking at you...

[DeeDeeNY]

171. I never shop for food at stores like Walmart

I only go to unionized supermarkets. But they are getting fewer and fewer.

[Kaleva]

176. Which supermarket chains are unionized?

[twodogsbarking]

174. Whatever gets me out of there in the least amount of time.

Shopping sucks out loud.

[DeeDeeNY]

180. Costco plus some local supermarkets in my area of Long Island are unionized

https://www.ufcw.org/who-we-represent/grocery/

Mainly I make sure to rule out stores like Target or Walmart

[MayReasonRule]

177. My experience is obviously different that yours...

Last edited Sun Dec 11, 2022, 08:37 AM - Edit history (1)

My experience is that it's exceedingly rare that a cashier/bagger or bagger is able to carefully and competently pack my groceries, so that items are not damaged in transit.

I use self check nearly exclusively.

It's one thing to be in favor of work reform.

Wholesale, outright technological rejection is the provenance of delusional Nat-C Chriso Fascist Luddites that would send children back into coal-mines in order to burn more and more of that clean, clean, coal...

Reason is the provenance of our Democratic Party.

May reason rule where delusion dwells.

[Atticus]

186. "Wholesale, outright technological rejection"? "Delusional Nat-C Chriso Fascist

Luddites"? "Send children back into coal mines"?

Were I to respond with similar insulting fiction, I would expect an alert.

[MayReasonRule]

204. Does delusion ever deserve respect?

Not in my world.

Happy Saturday y'all, vote with your dollars and your feet in addition to your ballot!

The insult is towards delusion.

The insult is not directed towards any individual.

May reason rule.

[Atticus]

206. That sort of word salad may fly elsewhere, but not here.

Bless your heart! (Y'all )

[MayReasonRule]

224. Laissez bon temp roulez my friend...

Reason is never one's enemy.

I am a person of reason.

I, am not your enemy.

You, are not my enemy.

We fight a common enemy.

That enemy is delusion.

May we each be a participant in the good things that we are able to accomplish within our circles of influence.

I'm a fairly new online participant.

I've been active within my community ever since I was a child.

I embrace what I love where ever I may find, and leave the rest.

What I love is reason.

Which, is the reason that we're both Democrats, because of our embrace of reason.

I have no reason to offend you, nor do I have any reason to wish you ill.

I'm currently in the kitchen letting the good times roll, listening to Radio Garden with my honey of over forty years, reducing some vegetable scrap broth for some dolmades I'm putting together this evening.

May your life be successful and your evening pleasant.

I desire the same good things for others that I desire for myself.

Hence my friend, laissez bon temp roulez!

[Atticus]

225. Ainsi soit-il, mon ami--- nt

[Emile]

182. The only time I use self checkout is when I order something online!

[Karma13612]

185. I prefer self-check out.

Cashiers will misidentify vegetables and ring stuff up twice, etc.

When it’s a choice between waiting for a cashier-line versus an available self-check out, it’s a no brainer. It’s my time and I can’t spend it waiting while other perishables are sitting in my car over-heating.

In our area, there is always a shortage of cashiers. And they require that only x number of self-check outs are available per each staff assistant. Otherwise they close the SCO station.

Lastly, the sooner we phase out really low paying jobs like cashiers (where applicable), the sooner we can encourage workers to look at more lucrative satisfying jobs and careers.

[Atticus]

187. So, "more lucrative satisfying jobs and careers" are actually available, but some are

CHOOSING to be cashiers instead?

[Karma13612]

189. Companies need to

Start thinking outside the box and create and redefine minimum wage jobs. It is not just the employee but the companies that need to walk away from some of the low wage jobs. Cretae better ones, and they workers will apply.

[Atticus]

191. So, corporations which have making as much money as possible as their sole purpose

are going to voluntarily increase their costs and "do the right thing"?

[Emile]

195. Can your more lucrative job be replaced by robotics?

[AngryOldDem]

192. I've had employees try to direct me to self-checkout.

I always say no, and they always look at me like I’ve got three heads. Trying to steer people to these is also a huge kick in the chops to their fellow workers. I’m not being complicit in taking away someone else’s job.

[yellowdogintexas]

193. I hate them and will not use them unless under extreme time pressure

Mr YD is the same I shop at Sprouts, WINCO and ALDI because they use checkers. As far as long lines go, I have the luxury of being retired so I can go anytime I please. We went to WINCO a lot at 10:30 pm because there was never anyone in the store.

1. That is someone's job gone. It is always about the bottom line.
2. The equipment is often difficult to work with (won't scan, keeps buzzing at me etc)


Regarding bagging my own: I prefer that, because I can control the weight of the bags and
avoid squashed bread, broken eggs, or bruised fruit. I shop at ALDI and WINCO and don't mind bagging my own stuff.

Now if I am in a store and have no choice I get the attendant and pull my "little old lady" card out
and tell them I just can't deal with it. Of course the nice person will help me out.

I understand the pros and cons, this is just my choice.

[The Jungle 1]

196. Do you drive a car or a horse and buggy.

If you drive a car then you put the buggy whip makers out of business.
Chamber pot or toilet?
Whale oil lamp or LED? Republicans prefer incandescent and refuse to switch to LED.
Should we also rehire toll takers on the highway?
I understand we all hate to see people lose their jobs.
We order and pay for our food online and they load it in the car!

[eShirl]

199. I've never used them.

Except one time a manager showed me how easy it was by self-checking all my stuff for me and ringing me up.
I'd rather just use the regular checkout which I've done my whole life.

[piddyprints]

203. We use them.

The fewer people touching my groceries, the better. I am sensitive to fragrance and invariably would get a cashier who transferred the fragrance on their hands to our groceries. The stock clerk has already left their scent, so it's difficult as it is.

Upthread replies listed a lot of other good reasons to use them, including control over how your groceries are bagged. I can't tell you how many times cashiers have roughly tossed a bag of apples, first from the belt to the bagging area, and then into the bag. Then there's cross-contamination. I never ever put meat in the same bag with anything else, but I've had cashiers put meat and lettuce together. Many of them have no clue how to handle groceries.

Self-checkout is the future. There is no escaping it.

[Mosby]

209. There are new jobs in retail.

That probably replace the lost cashiering positions. Their fuction is order fulfillment.

[wishstar]

218. Yes, the stores I use have been hiring not downsizing their workforce and added pickup and delivery

and although I almost always use self-check to save time and prefer to bag my way, I still enjoy greeting and getting assistance when needed from long time employees who now watch over the self- check area rather than checking everyone's items. I find it easier to keep up with pricing discrepancies when using self-check.

I haven't seen a reduction in staffing at my stores. Seems to me that although there may be a couple of fewer clerks at checkouts, there are now several employees preparing online pickup orders as I go around shopping.

Just like ordering online vs in a store, there can be advantages for customers.

[Marthe48]

210. Once in a great while

Yesterday at Kroger, at noon, on Friday, they had 2 checkouts open, both operated by women my age or older (seventies). They have both worked there so long, we've grown old together. There were lines at both checkouts, and I chose to stand behind a man even older than I am, who was checking out, and a couple my age, the fella using a motorized cart. The guy getting checked out seemed to have magically packed his cart with one of everything, no end in sight, so I moved to a self checkout. I only had a few things, and while I'm double-masked, don't like hanging around, because most of the shoppers are not even single masked. As I was finishing up, the couple who had been in front of me in the human checkout line moved behind me in the self checkout. Crazy.

Maybe they put the older gals on the registers to minimize insults and such. Anyway that's the first time I've used self c.o. for months.

You have a lot more patience than I do. I'm actually thinking of going back to curbside, but so many of the shopping clerks don't know how to pick fresh veggies.

[Xavier Breath]

211. If I pop into the store for just a few items

then I will use the self checkout, always. Usually the store close to us, and therefore the one we frequent, will only have a handful of lanes staffed by a cashier, so if you want a cashier it's going to be a considerable wait. For me, that's only worth it if I have a cart full of groceries, which makes self checkout a bit cumbersome.

[NH Ethylene]

212. I use it if I have a small load.

Only because I am slightly aversive to interacting with people.

[Historic NY]

213. I rather talk to the cashier, most who have known me over the years

When the pandemic hit, they all were working longer hours and the entire bank of registers was in use. A manger or senior checker would direct a customer to each open register, this ended up being very efficient. Replacing that work force with some self-checkout is like a slap in the face for all the good work.

[certainot]

214. well done

[Shermann]

215. Not much difference from the gas station attendants of yesteryear

These aren't great jobs to have, the focus should really be on creating better jobs for these workers.

[Emile]

216. Back in the late 60's there was a gas station just outside the Mayport Naval base

in Florida that had young women in bikinis pumping your gas and washing your windshield. Damn I miss those days!

[Shermann]

217. See now I would wait a bit longer in line for that!

[Emile]

219. It was always busy. LOL

[DontBelieveEastisEas]

220. Big Mistake

I think you are making a mistake.

The world can be more productive when we use better efficiency.
The price of food and other supplies would be higher. The money saved can be used to buy more food, if necessary, or to go out and eat or go bowling or purchase a chair or get your nails done.
The person that is no longer a check-out person, could perhaps have a job doing one of those things that I pointed out above.

This could lead to concepts like,
Only buying clothes that are handmade.
Only buying gas that was pumped by someone else.
Only eating food that was hand prepared, without machines.
Building a home that was built using handsaws, and manual hammers.
I'm sure this list could number in the hundreds.

When humans are replaced in ways like robots which do enough of our jobs that we have unemployed, we must have a system that allows humans to have a great life without the need to have them trade most of their time for that life.
I could expand on that last point to make it more precise, but the devil is in the details.

[Willto]

221. Corporate Cucks

The big chain stores already have people checking themselves out. I guess within 5 years will be back here with the same people saying, "I like going ahead and unloading the trucks myself." "I mean it speeds things up if I go ahead and stock the shelves." "Besides I worry about people like the Walton family." "The money they have to spend on cashiers is money desperately needed to reupholster the leather seats on their fleet of Leer jets." "A net worth of 250 billion really isn't that much these days ya know." LOL!

The corporate CEO's are laughing their asses off at the cucks who not only self check out but passionately defend them online for being cheap greedy bastards who can't sleep at night thinking about having to pay a cashier a living wage.

[FlyingPiggy]

222. I go w whatever is fastest. I'm not waiting.

[FelineOverlord]

223. We use them in the supermarket quite often

We don’t want to wait an hour in line.

The stores are struggling to hire, although beginning wages have gone WAY up.

I do live in one of the wealthiest areas in the country, so even the much higher wages won’t cut it.

New Jersey HAS gone bag-free in the stores recently.

[Texasgal]

228. I was at Wal Mart

a while back and realized that it is all self-check now. I was shocked. I don't shop at wally world often. While there I observed an elderly lady that appeared to be disabled struggling to check on her own. Sure, there was a customer service person there, but she was the only one on that side of the store handling multiple checkout lanes. Finally, the employee was able to help this poor woman.

Why must wally world be all self-check? Can they not open a few lanes for people that struggle?

[Willto]

230. Cut them some slack

Wal-Mart only makes $17,000 dollars per second, $1.1 million dollars per minute, $68 million dollars per hour, $1.6 billion each day and $49 billion in sales each month. How do you expect them to afford to employ a cashier? LOL!

[YourFriendlySnake]

232. I don't want Target cashiers to know how many butt plugs I go through in a week.