Self-checkout rant. Agree or disagree?

[True Dough]

[Croney]

1. No one ever looks at my self-checkout receipts where I shop.

I don't steal intentionally, but I'm sure many people do. If I were poor and trying to feed a hungry family, I might ring up two boxes of Cheerios and bag three. It's a Dickensian matter of right and wrong, and I can see both sides.

[Backseat Driver]

64. I really enjoyed the story of Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" too!

[bamagal62]

81. I watched a girl at my local grocery

ring up half of her groceries and just leave with everything not paying for the other half. My guess is it happens more than we think.

[LudwigPastorius]

145. The grocery down the street has now installed cameras above each self checkout station.

As I was checking out, something obviously triggered a red flag and the one employee monitoring the stations came over and reviewed the video of me scanning items, like it was frigging CSI or something.

Ridiculous.

[2naSalit]

168. It has occurred to me that...

There are a couple things going on here.

One, the store/company would rather pay someone to monitor you while you do an unpaid job yet expect you to do that unpaid job accurately, without training.

Two, they seem more interested in trying to accuse customers of crimes than actually providing the customer with an advertised service.

I refuse to use those self checkout things, fuck that. You want me to check my own groceries? Don't expect me to do it right because I will be resentful to begin with and I might just say fuck it and walk out halfway through and leave the shit there.

Did I mention that I truly hate shopping in the first place?

[DENVERPOPS]

101. Our local Safeway has self checkout

The checkers tell me that their customers do it all the time.........Even worse are the ones that just load up a basket full of Meat and Seafood and just go straight out he door. She also told me, that store employees are not allowed to try to stop them or the employee will get fired.........

Someone I know, who has worked at the REI Denver Flagship store down town since it was opened............The person tells me the amount of losses, EACH DAY, to shoplifting in that store, (on a normal day,) are phenominal, and during the Christmas season the Daily shoplifting amounts are un-fathomable.
They don't have self-checkout, so it can't be blamed. The person tells me that there are no REI security guards at the doors, no off-duty Denver police at the doors, or even anyone checking for receipts. The person tells me that employees are FORBIDDEN from trying to stop the shoplifters, and also that the employees cannot even follow them out of the store to try to get their car's license plates.......He said there are some gangs of real pro's also, who are obviously stealing large quantities to re-sell.......

[Old Crank]

107. Same with my daughters former Safeway

Don't chase, don't follow. You can report. Working for $15 isn't worth the potential risks.
It annoyed her no end but understood the stores position.

[DENVERPOPS]

148. A month ago,

I asked a checker at Safeway what the journeyman wage, (five years experience), was for a checker.......She said she had 12 years and made 16.60 an hour.

I told her a close friend of mine in the early 80's was a Safeway Checker with 10 years experience
and that she made 22.15 and hour........

Wow, 44 years later, and making five and a half bucks less per hour.......

Then I recalled about 15 years ago, the checkers at Safeway went on strike. Safeway told the journeyman checkers that they would give them a dollar more an hour, if they would agree that all new hires could be hired at half price......The Safeway checkers agreed. I asked one of them how they would feel if the workers before them had agreed to a contract that started that them at half the wages??????
Soon after, RTD Bus drivers in Denver, agreed to the same kind of contract after watching Safeway workers do it.....

Reagan's union busting swept the nation like wildfire.................He emasculated the *National Labor Relations Board* of their regulatory powers that had most often sided with the Union employees during wage negotiations.......and unfair labor practices by the Corporations....

In 1980 a Union Journeyman Electrician in the Denver Union was earning about 22.00 and hour and 26% Fringe. A few weeks after Reagan's infamous PATCO, Airline Controllers Union busting, suddenly contractors in Denver were only offering 12.00 and hour and O fringe........
A friend was an Electrician, making a pretty typical middle class wage prior to the busting of the Denver Electrical Union. He could own an average middle class house, have a car, take a modest family vacation, and if his kids worked summers he could help them to pay for a year of college. His medical coverage was for the entire family........
By 1999 the union electrical wage in Denver had finally reached 19.00 Dollars an hour and 11% fringe........Figure the massive inflation over that same 20 year period, and deduct that from the 1999 wage......

[Old Crank]

153. Yes

My daughter was in the low pay cohort. CA raised her pay more than Safewsy did. She did have medical insurance though. Small favours.

[Lifeafter70]

158. I used to work for Safeway and was part

of the strike in 2004 in Southern California. It went on for 4 months. We lost a lot more than pay. They gutted our retirement and health care. Also implemented a two tier pay scale. It created a lot animosity between new hires and older employees.

Edited to add: we didn't agree to it for the money. Some of us like me voted the contract down. Strike pay had run out and many were facing losing homes and more. You didn't qualify for unemployment or any type of assistance if you were on strike.

[ailsagirl]

122. At my local Safeway...

they've done away with self-checkout. I didn't realize how pervasive the stealing was-- too bad. I much preferred using self-checkout. Oh well

[DENVERPOPS]

149. the corporations thought they

could get rid of "expensive" employees......Now several Corporations have realized they lose more to shoplifting by customers ringing up their own sales, and have taken out the Self Check Out areas.

Our local Safeway has SEVEN ceiling cameras over the Check Out area.....wow

[Lifeafter70]

161. Lol

Used to work for Safeway. They have always had camera's pointed down over the register. That was long before self checkouts. It's not just customers they don't trust.

[DENVERPOPS]

162. they still have a single camera over each register......

but in the twelve foot square self check out area they have SEVEN cameras......seems a little bit too much......

[Lifeafter70]

165. Yes it is a bit much, but they have had

camera's everywhere in their stores for more than 20 years. They had them in the deli and the bakery to catch employees. Hell we even had them in our breakroom. I haven't shopped at Safeway since I quit after the strike in 2004. Believe me they don't respect or trust their employees.

[grandpamike1]

133. Does not matter

The stores, inflate their losses for theft, and they get a write off for it come tax time. They don't lose money, in fact, they most likely make money on their inflated losses.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Don't place yourself at the mercy of WalMart Detectives with minimal training and low IQ's

Don't shop there. If you can avoid it.

[jaxexpat]

31. Try, if you can "afford" it. Most use Walmart for the cost.

Which reminds me of that Walmart used to use a masked man with a sword as their primary advertisement feature.

It's evolution, you see. From price slashers to price shoppers to price fixers to price gougers. It's nature. Walmart has evolved into the "national general store". When you vote you may be voting, unwittingly, for the Walmart party. Life in the US would be, for some, highly challenging without Walmart. What was once a novelty in convenience is now economic exclusivity in many US communities.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

134. I seem to think that every time someone does

price checking on Walmart, it is more expensive that other stores.

While I have not been inside one for some years now, the last two times I did price checking on Walmart, that was exactly my experience.

They claim to have the lowest prices and most people don't bother to see it that's accurate.

[Ms. Toad]

138. Aldis is cheaper. Sav-a-lot is cheaper - but often lower quality and much smaller selection.

Otherwise, on average, Walmart is cheaper.

If I am making a significant shopping trip, I generally hit 2-3 stores, since I price check all the time. I buy each item at the store it is cheaper at.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

147. I have found that even Albertson's or Smith's is cheaper for almost everything.

Not that I am purchasing very much in the way of groceries these days. I live alone, I don't have a big appetite, and I do try to eat as inexpensively as possible. Heck, when I make a whole lot of something and freeze up the leftovers, I can often get the cost of an individual meal down to two dollars or less. Really.

[Ms. Toad]

160. This article suggests Walmart is cheaper than Albertson's

https://discover.texasrealfood.com/grocery-gauntlet/walmart-vs-albertsons (The date in the google search was May 2024 - I didn't see a date in the article)

This one suggests Walmart is cheaper than Smith's

https://lowdoughfamily.com/walmart-vs-smiths-who-is-cheaper/ (this article is from 2022)

There are certainly reasons to choose other stores over Walmart - but as to Walmart v. standard grocery stores purely on a price basis, Walmart generally wins.

And here's confirmation of my informal price-checking that Aldis is generally cheaper than Walmart: https://www.thekitchn.com/is-aldi-cheaper-than-walmart-23624199

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

166. For decades, I have been reading the claim that Walmart is cheaper.

And yet, every single time I check prices, Walmart is NOT cheaper.

Every single time. Not just Aldis. Every other store also.

Plus, of course, if you want to donate to Republicans, you should do so directly to those Republicans you support.

[Ms. Toad]

179. Walmart is a publically owned company,

So shopping there "donates" to anyone who owns shares of Walmart.

As to political contributions made by Walmart, first - they are made by individuals and PACs, not the company itself. Second - they aren't as lopsided as you might expect.

In 2022, the last complete 2-year cycle, Walmart PACs and employees made 53.84% of its Federal Campaign donations to Republicans and 46.16% of its donations to Democrats.

Albertson's (PACs and employees) made 54.41% of its Federal Campaign donations to Republicans and 45.59% of its donations to Democrats.
Smith's (Krogers) (PACs and employees) made 57.75% to Federal Campaign donations to Republicans and 42.25% of its donations to Democrats

Source of contribution information: https://www.opensecrets.org/

So maybe you should follow your own advice as to donating directly to Republicans you support - or at least making sure you are aware of the corporate political landscape before you suggest shopping at Walmart supports Republicans but shopping at Albertson's or Smith's doesn't. Corporate-connected donations are frequently roughly even.

As to price comparisons, I'm not sure why your observations would differ from every account of price comparisons (going back years for Albertson's)

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

191. As for the price comparisons, all I can tell you

is that they are what I've actually experienced.

Best example:
Several years ago I was going to make a large amount of spaghetti with meatballs at the local homeless shelter where I volunteer. A friend checked prices at Walmart for the ingredients. Turns out those ingredients were about 30% cheaper at the local Alberston's.

Again Walmart is rarely, if ever, the cheapest choice, which is something I actually figured out in the 1990s. Honestly, it had become so obvious by the mid-90s that Walmart was rarely, if ever the cheapest choice that I simply started ignoring Walmart. Which means that I now seriously wonder about the other price comparisons I see on line. Perhaps more of us should be doing actual price comparisons.

As for supporting Republicans when I shop elsewhere, sadly you are correct. Most, if not all, major corporations are Republican. Sigh.

I suppose I should be better about shopping at the local Farmer's Market, except that I rarely see the light of day before 10am, and by then the farmer's markets are mostly closed. Another sigh here. I know, my problem, not anyone else's.

[Ms. Toad]

193. I'm still lying in bed, trapped by my cat.

Next semester is going to be rough. I have a class two days a week at 7:45 am.

For summers, if you can afford to pay for a whole summer in one chunk, see if you have a local CSA. Pick up times are usually mid to late day. Mine works out too about $31 a week. Last week I got about a pound of asparagus, 2 lbs of peas, large bag of fancy leaf lettuce/arugula mix, half pound of garlic scapes, 1.5 pints of mulberries, head of lettuce, 1.5 lbs of carrots, small bag of microgreens, 3 mint sprigs, bunching onions. Sometimes I pay more than I would at the local grocery, but usually not - and I'm supporting local farming.

I didn't know what to tell you about Walmart. I'm not relying on published comparisons. Not sure if I had even seen any before I went looking to respond to your post. I know the prices of things I regularly buy, and when I buy something I didn't know the price for or encounter something unexpected I do an instant price check by pulling out my phone and checking at other stores. (I do this everywhere I shop, not just Walmart, and not just for food shopping. Drives my spouse nuts - she just wants to buy it and move on.) That's how I know the comparisons I found are accurate. I even used to teach smart shopping, as a significant part of a HS math class which focused on math-based life skills, so this is something I've been doing and teaching since I was 12, when my parents started handing me a check twice a year and expected me to cover all my expenses except for family food, housing, and family events (so I had to cover clothing, school lunches, after school food, school supplies, dues, trips, etc. without running out of money - or I just had to do without).

[whopis01]

167. Selective comparisons can be misleading

Looking at that link to the low dough family, there is certainly some questionable math and comparisons.

In the meat section of the comparison between Smiths and Walmart they compare the price of 5.5lbs or chicken thighs from Smiths to 4.7lbs from Walmart. Likewise they compare 5.2lbs of pork loin from Smiths with 4.5lbs from Walmart.

In another section they show that buying a 12 pack of tortillas at Smiths costs 50% more than an 8 pack from Walmart. Likewise they price a 2lb bag of rice from Smiths with a 1lb bag from Walmart.

If they kept to price per unit throughout their analysis, this wouldn’t have mattered, but they don’t. They compare total dollar values.

[Ms. Toad]

175. Smith's was harder to find a comparison for.

This was the only article I could find for that comparison (unlike Albertson's, which had numerous articles over time comparing prices with Walmart - in each instance Walmart was cheaper).

For pure price comparisons, one that focused solely on unit pricing would have been better - but I couldn't find one.

In the Smith's article, what they were doing was buying all of the items they needed to create a week's worth of pre-planned meals. So, if you needed 8 tortillas (two each for a family of 4) and were shopping at Smith's which only offered a 12-pack of tortillas that is what you would be buying, whereas you could buy exactly what you needed at Walmart. So the overall price does compare unequal amounts - because in some instances the pack size dictated it.

Nonetheless, they do provide either unit prices or the tools you need to compute them:
In each instance from the chart, Smith's is on the left, Walmart is on the right

[excerpt
Chicken Thighs (6-8) $1.79 a lb/ Heritage Farms/5.5lbs= $9.92 $1.62 a lb/ Foster Farms/ 4.7 lbs= $7.61
Pork Loin $2.99 a lb/ Kroger Brand/5.2 lbs= $11.72 *on sale* $2.12 a lb/Smithfield/ 4.5lbs= $9.54

Or the tools to calculate them (a chart excerpt with a few unequal purchases):

Quick Oats Mom’s Best Quick Oats 16oz= $1.99 Great Value 18oz= $2.48
Refried beans Kroger 16oz can= $1.00 Isadora 15.2oz = $1.36
Tortillas Kroger 12ct= $1.49 Romero’s 8ct= $0.98
Pickle Slices Kroger 16oz jar= $2.29 Great Value 16oz= $1.57
Salsa Kroger 16oz jar= $1.79 Great Value 24oz jar= $1.98

In most instances, Walmart has the cheaper unit price (Walmart cheaper: Quick Oats, Tortillas, pickle slices, salsa; Smith's cheaper: Refried Beans

Because of the rules for this particular comparison, they were focusing on how much money you would need in your pocket to feed your family for the week if you were shopping at Walmart v. Smiths. In some instances (as in real life) that means purchasing more than you need because that is the smallest package.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

190. Interesting. And thank you for that.

The comparisons indicated make me even more suspicious about the "Walmart is cheaper!" claims. Again, In the last several decades, the rare times I go into a Walmart to check prices, I walk away knowing absolutely that their prices are NOT lower.

[whopis01]

192. That's been my experience as well

You can always find something here or there that is cheaper at Walmart. But on the whole they are not cheaper.

[rebe303]

146. Inevitable

Good point Wal-Mart is ubiquitous. I always chuckle when I go to the cannabis shop in my hometown because it's right next to it. You just []know that the snack aisles are frequently re stocked😄

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

154. There's a reason a popular strain (I like it) is named 'Girl Scout Cookies'

That's 8 boxes every 10 minutes https://www.today.com/parents/girl-scout-sells-300-boxes-cookies-outside-marijuana-dispensary-6-t122455

[Niagara]

38. Walmart employs not only teenagers and young adults, it also employs adults that need to

pay the rent or mortgage. Walmart also employs disabled senior citizens that need that extra income.


I would never refer to anyone with a honest job "low IQ". These employees are trying to survive.

[jmbar2]

47. I live in a small town and have gotten to know the woman who checks the receipts.

I cannot imagine ever getting rude to her because of some corporate policy. She's a member of my community.

I never use self checkout. They are slowly going back to in person checkers here because people prefer them.

Be kind. It costs nothing.

[Niagara]

55. Thank you and I 100% agree, jmbar2!

It's unfortunate that we have a select few here that act as some people are beneath them for whatever reasons.


Sending a rec to you.

[jmbar2]

85. Thank you.

[Pojat]

121. I always give the checkers a smile

Thanks for your post.

I like to stroll through the Walmart garden center after I check out. There's always someone stuck out there in the heat checking receipts. I always just give them a smile and wish them a good day.

[jmbar2]

172. I imagine it really makes their day

I always look for opportunities to acknowledge someone giving good service, or just spreading kindness. I believe that it is contagious.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

156. The tech who answers phones at the Hometown Market* I use knows my voice

* think of a Walmart (not a Supercenter) that's mostly just groceries and pharmacy. Not even a florist. I shop there unfrequently, as Aldi's is cheaper and better quality, mostly for what I can't find elsewhere. We don't even rate a Kroger's apparently.

[Silent Type]

66. +1. My brother supplemented his SS working at Walmart. He hated it, but he also said they are the only one around

hiring people in their 70s. He said there were several in his store who were in their 80s.

[jmbar2]

86. I see that too in my local store

They also hire some of my graduated special ed students, and trans people.

No one's idea of a perfect job, but those jobs are blessings to marginalized folks here. They work hard, unglamorous jobs, and deserve kindness.

[ShazzieB]

93. Amen to this.

That "low IQ" crack was disturbingly ableist.

[littlemissmartypants]

97. Exactly! Rude people suck.

And I'll shop when and wherever I like!

[quakerboy]

128. I gotta say

I dont think they are putting disabled seniors as their security guards. That said, lets not give them any ideas.

[ShazzieB]

96. Wow.

I don't think anyone enjoys having to stop and have their receipt checked, but it's possible (and highly advisable) to complain about store practices without using ableist and classist stereotypes.

[GreenWave]

3. Let's all put V for Vendetta masks on and do this!

[Oopsie Daisy]

4. Shelf-checkout customers should get an employee discount.

[FuzzyDicePHL]

5. And a staff party! :D

nt

[The Wizard]

6. I asked an employee at the self checkout if I get the employee discount.

The response was a blank expression. Another annoying thing is digital coupons. Just give me low prices without jumping through technology hoops. It's why I started shopping at Aldi.

[Think. Again.]

7. Self-checkout, especially at walmart, can be extremely dangerous...

A false accusation of theft by walmart can and often does lead to instant onsite arrest and subsequent court proceedings, and many false guilty verdicts and the financial costs have landed on a person's record.

If you do have to use a self-checkout, be very deliberate in your movements and actions for the cameras looking down from above you, and always check that the register screen is correctly tracking your purchases as you go along, don't be shy about stopping what you are doing and calling over an attendant at any time during your checkout for any reason whatsoever, in front of the cameras, to avoid any reason for anyone to suspect you of anything.

Also, check your reciept for correctness BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE SELF-CHECKOUT REGISTER, and be prepared and willing to show the reciept at door, even asking for an attendant to check it if they don't stop you first.

[Orrex]

8. I'd like to read about this common occurrence. Do you have examples?

[Think. Again.]

12. I've seen multiple youtube videos of false arrests...

...at walmart self-checkouts, I'll try to find some quickly...

Edit to add:

Here's one: https://m.

https://m.

[3Hotdogs]

13. "Common" is a relative term. But go on Youtube and there are a few where people have been charged.

Also, a story in Newark (NJ) Star-ledger where person had the receipt and still got detained by cops.

[Orrex]

28. The claim is that people are often arrested and wind up in court over self-checkout

“Detained by cops” is an acute pain in the ass but isn’t the same.

[Doc Sportello]

62. You are the one making a false claim

You wrote: "The claim is that people are often arrested and wind up in court over self-checkout". No that is your claim, not the poster who you asked to provide examples, which they did. The poster did not say that arrest were common. The poster wrote: "false accusation of theft by walmart can and often does lead to instant onsite arrest and subsequent court proceedings ..."

so the claim was about "false accusations" not about EVERY checkout.

Hopefully you will admit the mistake and retract.

[Orrex]

72. It wasn't a mistake. The phrase is "can and often does"

I asked for examples when these false accusations by Walmart have wound up in court, and none have been provided.

I’ll amend my trivially imprecise paraphrase once we see these examples. If, as claimed, such false accusation “often does” wind up in court, then citable examples must abound.

Curious that you take issue with the person asking for citation rather than questioning an as yet unsupported claim.

[Think. Again.]

80. Um, hi, didn't mean for my post to cause any trouble...

...just wanted to give a warning about a recurring problem that does cause people legal difficulties.

And yes, I did provide examples, about 10 minutes or so after you asked for them. Check my post to see them, itcs only 2 different news stories on the issue that I fond very quickly but I do know more examples of the same problem have been documented, and I suspect a lot more instances have gone unnoticed.

[Orrex]

87. Forgive me if I'm a bit jaded on this subject

People have been complaining about self-checkout for years, with the complaints tending toward the hyperbolic. And comments like “where’s my paycheck?” sound about as out of touch as yelling “get a horse” at a guy in his automobile machine.

I've seen it asserted here and elsewhere that a brief delay at a store’s exit qualifies as unlawful detention in violation of civil liberties. People likewise conflate “may I see your receipt?” with “you’re under arrest.” So when I see claims like “they’re checking every item in every cart” (as I’ve seen before) or that these cases often wind up in court, I’m inclined to ask a follow up.

“Often” is a hard case to make, notwithstanding one example in Tucson two years ago. I don’t doubt that errors occur or that these accusations are often driven or compounded by incompetence, malice, or profiling. If these are common or widespread, I suspect that the ACLU or similar groups will soon be looking into the matter.

[Doc Sportello]

100. I took issue with your false claim

As well as your "explanation" that doesn't address it. Instead you just provide a limp "trivially imprecise" portrayal that does not address the fact that the poster was talking about false accusations whereas you broadened it out to all cases, which is in fact a mispresentation and a big one. I understand that people who like to make "corrections" don't like to be corrected themselves. But if you're going to do that then you need to be above board and fair. Your responses the first time was not, and this response is just as disingenuous. All it took was to say, yeah I got that wrong. If you can't, then don't be so quick to go after others. The poster even replied courteously to your post, and to your demand for examples, neither of which you responded in the same manner. As you admit, you are touchy on the subject. But that doesn't give you the right to misrepresent.

[Orrex]

103. I have a long history on DU of admitting error

So your potshots don’t really have any relevance to me.

I am happy to allow you your creative interpretation of reality in this, so let’s just agree to pretend that you’ve made some sort of point and leave it at that.

[niyad]

33. A friend was accused of shoplifting at a walmart several months ago.

Fortunately, it went nowhere, because he demanded that the manager run the tape, and to look at his receipt. I taught him well.

[Orrex]

41. You taught him a vital lesson

Forcing their hand that way likely saved him some major hassle, and shoppers should bear that in mind.

I can’t see a policy of false accusation as a viable moneymaking practice, so I suspect that many wrong accusations result from miscommunication, technical glitches, or employee ineptitude.

[niyad]

63. I was glad that he was able to get it resolved quickly, and he got an apology.

As for the corporate mindset. . I stopped shopping at Hobby Lobby long before knowing what reichwing assholes they were, based on one experience I had. A friend and I had gone into our local one for something she was specifically looking for. I decided to use the restroom, which was located at the back of the store down a very dark hallway. I happened to notice a small sign, almost invisible, that read that anybody entering that store gave them the right to challenge you, to assume you were shoplifting, even to the point of challenging you even to the point of physicality at your car. I took the note down, found my friend and showed it to her, and then we went to the manager to express our displeasure. I said, if that was the way they felt, that notice needed to be on the front door, in large letters, so that people could decide whether they wanted to shop where management presumed that everybody was a thief, and threatened them. That was some 20 years ago, and neither of us has been in one since.

[True Dough]

69. Talk about your hostile environments!

Presumed guilty until proven innocent. I don't blame you for not going back.

[delisen]

136. Sounds like Hobby Lobby is projecting.

Didn’t the owner get in trouble for buying ancient artifacts on the black market?

[niyad]

144. I believe you are correct.

[Attilatheblond]

141. You did good

I might have just peed or crapped just short of passing the sign,

[lark]

24. Just say no is my go to on this subject.

i don't do self checkout, not stealing low wage but needed jobs! I'm retired, I can generally take my time or can leave and go elsewhere.

[soldierant]

115. Exactly.

Every self-checkout stand is taking someone's job. I am also retired, and fragile enough that I don't go to stores at all. I order online and get delivery . (and since my little hospital adventure last fall, I get the driver to ring the bell and put them in carts that are insdie the house. And then I up the tip a little.

I also don't shop al WalMart or Amazon, but that's just me. I'm not telling anyone else they can't or shouldn't. And I admit that if someone gives me an amazon gift card I don't spit in their eye, I use it.

[mwb970]

120. I'm with you.

I enjoy chatting with the cashier.

[lastlib]

32. Am I getting a W-2 for all this?

I'm doing their job, after all. And I didn't pass their pee test.

[3Hotdogs]

79. I'm a ball-buster... retired, with a lot of time on my hands.

Should it ever happen to me, small claims court suit for $3k. That is the N.J. limit for small claims.

Win or lose, they have to hire a lawyer. It would likely be settled for 1/2 at pre-hearing arbitration.

B.T.W., in my experience, threat of small claims has prevented a lot of aggravation. 2 Examples:


Concord, N.H. I was being denied a Motel 6 room even though I had a reservation. "We need photo I.D."

Me: "N.J. doesn't require photo I.D. We can look in the mirror and we know what we look like."

Clerk: "No photo, no room."

ME: "Fine. I will rent a room at the..... and go to small claims court, down the street, Monday morning and sue for the difference in rate."

Clerk: "Your room is # .... Enjoy your stay."


Plymouth, U.K. 15 years ago. Car was reserved with auto trans. Joyce needed auto because of arthritis.

Clerk: "None are available at that rate. You can have an auto trans for an additional $$ per day.

Me: "I have an Avis rental that was ordered in Newark, N.j. I will pay the difference and sue in Newark, N.J. small claims to recover the difference."

Clerk: (With the British) "Right." She walks into the office and comes back 5 minutes later with the key to the higher priced rental at the same price.

[sl8]

36. You recommend *asking* to have your purchases checked by an attendant?

Does that work well in practice?

[marble falls]

9. Had to pick up some masking tape and couldn't get it at HEB. Went to WalMart where the last time I went for ...

... for an oil change, my oil did not get changed. My local mechanic discovered it a few days later. Picked up a few more items. The self checkouts were all mostly empty and the machine checkouts were lined up. I hate self checks and it seems most everybody in there yesterday mid-morning did too.

[True Dough]

10. "...where the last time I went for an oil change, my oil did not get changed."

Seems like a minor oversight!

[marble falls]

23. Absolutely pissed me off, I change oil every 3,000 miles. There was another time a mechanic there ...

... put a new air filter in at 3,000 and I replace then at 10,000, or as needed. This one was good. They took out the new one, and put the old one back in with four or five beads of from a grease gun on the down wind side of the filter. I just did not want feel right about it, so when I went home I checked it and found the grease. I change my own air filters now. Cheap, easy and the only thing I am qualified to do on these new engines past checking oil (too old to change it), check the radiator, the washer reservoir, change bulbs, change windshield wipers.

[jaxexpat]

27. Walmart always does a careful chemical analysis of your motor oil.

They do this to determine if your used oil is actually worse than the oil they sell. You paid the lab fee. They didn't tell you?

Yes, of course, it's just my excuse to use the smilie.

[DENVERPOPS]

105. My son took his car into a FORD dealership

for an oil change. He came back to pick up the car, and paid for the oil change. He started it up, sat there for a couple of minutes and was looking at the receipt, AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. They hadn't put the new oil in the engine........The management of the FORD dealership tried to tell him it was some other reason that caused the engine to seize. He had to hire a lawyer to pursue the matter.....unbelieveable...

Another FORD dealership I went to was even worse. I told them that I wanted the CPS sensor replaced on my F-250 diesel. Period. The part, over the counter, at retail, costs 30 bucks, and it is a ten minute job to replace. They charged me 150 to "diagnose" the problem, a hundred bucks for the part, and two hundred dollars in Labor. I told a friend of mine what had happened, and he went on line and found out the part was under recall. Which of course the FORD dealer didn't tell me. He said the dealer also probably billed FORD for the replacement because it was under recall. I sent a copy of the invoice, (NOT THE ORIGINAL) to FORD motor company, and got a check for the entire cost by return mail.
Then, my wife had her car towed to Rickenbaugh Volvo, here in Denver, because her two year old Volvo stopped running. They diagnosed it as the "computer" went bad, along with several of the electronic relays. Total bill 2400 bucks. I called that same friend who again went on line, and told me that the failure was a known problem with that year/model Volvo, and Volvo had extended the warranty on those parts. I sent a copy of the bill to Volvo of America, and got a check for 2400 bucks by return mail. Again, I believe that the Volvo also turned in a bill to VOA for the repair/replacement of those parts.

[MichMan]

163. Seems like you should do some research online before, instead of after.

Would have saved yourself a lot of aggravation if you had just looked it up yourself.

"I told them that I wanted the CPS sensor replaced on my F-250 diesel. Period. The part, over the counter, at retail, costs 30 bucks, and it is a ten minute job to replace."

If the part is $30 and only takes 10 minutes to replace, why would you even take it somewhere to have it repaired ? I'd just fix it myself in the driveway.

[DENVERPOPS]

164. Good comments, but

I regret that some of us are not as accomplished at using the computer as you, nor as accomplished at automotive mechanical tasks......

If you can't trust the dealer, who can you trust.........LOL I learned an important lesson......

[WiseElder]

11. Self checkout

I had the slowest, rudest and nastiest cashier today. I’m done using the self checkout.

[maspaha]

35. I had the same cashier! What a coincidence!?!

[jimfields33]

48. I often get that asshole too.

[True Dough]

70. Get the lead out, WiseElder!

[Wednesdays]

82. They're about that fast at ALDI

But not as haphazard.

[TNNurse]

14. Walmart is our last desperate attempt to find a product.

We know we are on camera at our grocery stores but in both that we use the employees are polite and helpful.

[marble falls]

26. Absolutely dead end last.

[Rorey]

15. I don't mind getting my receipt checked

That person checking your receipt is just doing a job, and often it's an older person who is supplementing their retirement income because their retirement income isn't enough to pay their bills. I have my receipt ready to show them, and nine times out of ten they won't even look at it, or they just glance at it.

I'm sure it's not anyone's dream job. I see no need to make their day any worse than it might be by giving them a bad time.

[Midnight Writer]

16. Yeah, it's no big deal to me.

They want to see my receipt? I show them my receipt, and then I get on with my day.

[jimfields33]

50. It reminds me of those that refuse a vaccine. Just obstinate.

Follow the rules. It’s not hard.

[quakerboy]

131. Costco can check my receipt every time.

I signed a contract, and I follow the rules.

Walmart and Kroger have made no such deal with me. Its not a rule, its a random imposition with no benefit to me and no real value to the store. The people actually shoplifting anything of value are either employees trying to not starve, or

[jimfields33]

132. I understand

I actually forgot I signed a contract with Costco. lol. Of course, I’d give my receipts to any store employee who asked. Maybe they will find an error that benefits me.

[Joinfortmill]

17. My experience has been an occasional

quick, 3 second, check as I approach the exit. I think they're checking the date on the receipt. I don't know why they do these checks, but it barely interrupts my pace. I don't take it personally and usually just smile and continue on my way.

[Elessar Zappa]

18. I sympathize with the point and basically agree but

I just show my receipt because the ones checking it are usually elderly people who probably have to work because Social Security isn’t enough so I don’t want to give them a hard time.

[twodogsbarking]

19. I won't give shit to people who work at Walmart. I go there when I have to but I don't like it much.

Think of the folks who work there. Their names are not Walton.

[DENVERPOPS]

106. The Walton's are busy

buying up every pro sports team in Denver........Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and the Lacross or Soccer team. (No one, not even the Walton's are dumb enough to buy the Colorado Rockies.......the high altitude and hot temps make the air very thin. A pitcher could tear up his shoulder/elbow in no time, trying to throw a pitch with enough speed to get it to curve, or drop. )

Fifteen years ago, I quit going to Walmart for anything..........Walmart hands out sheets to new hires for all the government things they can get help with because of the low wages they pay their people....like government places to get food stamps, health care, medicaid, etc

[oldfart73]

20. Credit card for one cent.

Self checkout at Walmart. Used a gift card. Came up one penny short. Put a nickel in the slot waiting for four cents. Nothing happened. The Walmart assistant sent that it does not take cash. It took the nickel but did not give it back. Got a nickel's worth of entertainment having to use a credit card for one cent.

[boyedav1969]

21. I don't mind self-checkout if I only have a couple of items.

If I have produce that needs to be weighed or items that need to be looked up or any significant amount of stuff, I prefer to have a checker.

I'd rather pay a little bit more to be checked by a human, and incentivize others to use self-checkout for a slight discount.

[melm00se]

22. My nephew works for Walmart

He said that the self checkouts weigh what is placed in the bagging area and compares it to the scanned goods.

If the weight is off, the little handheld device chirps the person covering the self checkout that register X may have unscanned items that have been bagged.

The other system that is getting rolled out is an AI system that automagically flags and alerts store personnel.

He also said that drawing that duty sucks because people lash out as if the checkout monitor is personally targeting them.

[Rorey]

39. Exactly

Some people treat the human who is simply doing their job as a personal punching bag because they don't like the system put in place by the company.

What I absolutely hate is that I have to get someone to open a locked case to give me a product because of the rampant thieving that's happening in this town these days. It's irritating to have to go through the process, but I'll never take out my irritation on the employee. They don't like the process any better than we do, and I imagine they have to get an earful enough times during their work day without me being rude to them too.

[Ms. Toad]

140. It's not that precise.

Just rearranging items within the bag, without altering the weight, will trigger the alarms. I love self-checkout, but I won't use the variety that is scale-based because I often need to rearrange things in the bagging area - and it is more based on change in weight (i.e. item set in bag, or item lifted temporarily to rearrange things). I don't like being accused of stealing for rearranging my groceries.

The Walmart self-check-outs in our area aren't weight based. I've gotten multiples of the same thing and scanned one of them three times (rather than scanning each of them) before putting anything in the bagging area. It doesn't set off an alarm.

Now I have to think back and remember the one I discovered was weight-based recently . . . I was shopping with my spouse and she was "helping," and didn't put something in the bag and it set off alarms. Shopping with her is never the normal self-checkout routine - so it slipped my mind to put it on the stores where I don't do self-checkout list.

[melm00se]

184. The alarm

isn't a *whoop*whoop*whoop* type alarm.

It pings the little PDA they all have grafted to their hands.

He says that you can tag some one to get checked but most of the time its nothing. Like you said: rearranging the bags or someone leaning on the platform or someone scanning 1 thing 5 times after the 4 are put on the platform.

He says that its not little variances, its when you get above the expected weight by enough compared to the total bill.
1 pound over on a $200 checkout? No worries.
1 pound over on a $15 checkout? *beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*.

[dawn5651]

25. i refuse to use the self check out. i don't get paid to work there

and a nice little 1 star at the end of any transaction is given by my sister when she has to use it.

[Rorey]

43. So the person who has the misfortune of working the self-checkout gets a bad review?

It's not their fault they drew the short straw that day. Why give them a bad review because you don't like the store policy?

[dawn5651]

171. oh the store is well aware of how i feel about the self check outs. and walmart isn't the only one..one of the local

grocery stores treats people like we are all thieves..a maze to get out and if you open the wrong gate the buzzers sound incredibly loudly.

[BoRaGard]

29. Yep

[Loubee]

30. If customers and unions don't take a stand

soon greedy corporations like Walmart, Target, Kroger, etc will have their customers lugging the merchandise off the loading dock and stocking the shelves. You have struck a chord.

[MichMan]

68. You do realize that the supermarket concept had customers filling their carts themselves, right?

Rather than having store clerks do it. Should we return to that model?

Historically, the earliest retailers were peddlers who marketed their wares in the streets; however, by the 1920s, retail food sales in the United States had mostly shifted to small corner grocery stores. In that era, the standard retail grocery business model was for a clerk to fetch products from shelves behind the merchant's counter while customers waited in front of the counter, indicating the items they wanted. Most foods and merchandise did not come in individually wrapped consumer-sized packages, so the clerk had to measure out and wrap the precise amount desired.

These practices were by nature slow, had high labor intensity, and were quite expensive. The number of customers who could be attended to at one time was limited by the number of staff employed in the store. Shopping for groceries often also involved trips to multiple specialty shops, such as a greengrocer, butcher, bakery, fishmonger and dry goods store, in addition to a general store. Milk and other items of short shelf life were delivered by a milkman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket

[stopdiggin]

157. thank you !! a little surprised that 'innovation' is getting so thoroughly trashed here

Am I putting somebody out of a job every time I use an ATM to withdraw cash?
Purchase concert tickets online? Tag my card or phone to ride the bus/subway? Pay my electric bill online? Pump my own gas at the filling station? Look up the definition of (and possible treatments for) bunions and lumbago on the internet?

Let's have a little perspective here! Right?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[niyad]

182. Really? Let us have a little perspective indeed. WE are discussing self-

checkout lines at supermarkets, designed to cut down on the number of employees, upping the profits, and screwing over the customers. Kindly explain to my addled, elderly, luddite brain, what in the F'n hell is so "innovative" about that?

Nice try at the insult, and thanks. We needed the laugh.

[stopdiggin]

183. and all of those things I mentioned?

fall into a different category? How so? And where would you make the distinction?

Gas stations don't employ less people than in previous times? Banks don't ... Farms .. ? Factories and assembly?
Are we saying a profit motive was NOT part of all those evolutions?

As MMan pointed out in his post - the 'grocery and goods' industry has itself changed beyond all recognition through the years.
But a 'check-out' job is somehow different - or sacrosanct? I just don't think there's any particular logic here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[niyad]

186. If you cannot see the difference in effort between getting money out of

an atm, or dealing with a cart of groceries, then I cannot help you. And, once again, "innovation" is hardly the correct word for these greedy, money-grubbing attacks. But, as I said, keep trying. We need the laughs.

[stopdiggin]

189. so now the argument is that scanning groceries

represents more (or better, or more honest, or more valuable) 'labor' - than pumping my own gas, or processing my own bank deposit?

I perform all of these tasks - while rarely breaking a sweat myself.
Still don't quite get it. And I guess I'm just one of the dullards that can't see the light. - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Loubee]

170. Yes I did know that

What's your point?

[AltairIV]

34. Never used or will i in the future

I absolutely refuse to use them.
1) I already have a job
2)these just take "starting" jobs for high school students, part time time jobs for those needing a second income etc, etc.
and finally a question: if you get hurt/ injured while performing this task can you collect work man's compensation?

[RandomNumbers]

37. Depends how it is implemented.

My grocery store has handheld scanners and I can scan and bag as I go. They have an audit process. Sometimes when I check out - which just involves scanning the scanner barcode and paying - I'm stopped because I came up for a random audit. I don't mind because in THIS case I like the speed and convenience of shopping this way, and I am happy to see they have some process to deter theft.

A key point is that it makes sense for groceries to do it exactly this way, because many of us like to bag our own groceries anyway. Also you can see the price as you scan things, even if you can't find the right price tag on the item or the shelf. And see your total before checking out so you know if you are in budget.

I despise self-checkout at most other stores. The exception there is if I have just one or two items at CVS, I can live with it and usually do get out of the store faster. But if there is a human cashier with no one in line I would go there first just out of principle.

The worst I've seen so far is Kohls. To be fair, my store only just implemented it and they had plenty of "helpers", so I lived through the experience with only minor annoyance. But that day was the longest checkout line I've seen in quite a while at that store. Just, ugh.

[Otterdaemmerung]

40. I work for a retailer that has self-checkouts.

I'm not going to disclose which, and of course my statements here do not reflect the opinions of the company I work for.

Yes, I'll admit it's a pain to customers, but when customers want low cost over everything else, that's what they get. And self-checkout mechanical and software systems have undoubtedly gotten more sophisticated over the last few years, so they're not as fussy as they used to be.
Please don't grumble to us about self-checks being the only registers available. We're not the ones who instituted them or made the short-staffed work schedule; we're only the ones who have to deal with them and with customers. If you really want to complain, then treat us with the kindness we deserve and save your ire for company management. Nowadays most retails have surveys you can participate in, and that would be the best time to express your displeasure with self-checkout.

My biggest problem with this meme is that it says, "you can put your cashiers back in place" while also "You expect me to be a cashier with no training." That shows that the maker of this meme has no respect for what a cashier has to go through and that they see cashiers as unskilled. Yes, there are a lot of first-time-employed kids doing cashiering badly, but being a truly great cashier takes not only skill but knowledge, patience, and ingenuity. Apparently those qualities are utterly lost on the maker of this meme.

Be kind to your cashiers and also every other worker you interact with regularly. They deserve your respect. So if you don't want to do what you regard as their jobs, be courteous and patient. Help lighten their workday.

Thank you.

[Rorey]

45. +1 over and over

I'm amazed at how many people think the human being doing their job is somehow responsible for making store policy.

I wish people would stop using hourly workers as their own personal punching bags.

[niyad]

52. That was a great post. The only thing I disagree with is how you interpreted

the "cashier with no training" line. I read it exactly opposite from the way you did (perhaps incorrectly on my part). I read it as saying, "how do you expect me to do the cashier's job when I do not have the cashier's training and experience for it?"

I hope that all the employees with whom I have contact at any store feel that I do treat them courteously and respectfully. Goddess knows I would have a hard time dealing with the public, so I am VERY grateful to those who can.

[Diamond_Dog]

65. Two of my sons worked as grocery cashiers when going to college

You wouldn’t believe the snark, anger, and entitlement heaped on grocery cashiers. I know this is off - topic, but please be decent to people only doing their jobs. Complain to management instead.

[JoseBalow]

98. I will often ask to speak to the manager

to compliment an employee for doing a good job.

[niyad]

181. I often do the same, especially at restaurants. The look of consternation

on their faces as they approach, and then looking at you as if you are speaking Klingon when you praise the staff. One time, I seriously thought the manager was about to faint. I knew from our server that it had been a very difficult day, some sort of crisis with the kitchen, if I remember correctly, and I acknowledged that to the manager, and said how much I appreciated our servers taking such good care of us under such difficulties.

[oswaldactedalone]

78. Excellent post

As a full-time asst. mgr. and lead cashier at a major chain store which accepts a high volume of coupons, I can verify that your post is spot on when it comes to the patience and ingenuity it takes to sort through the problems to be sure that every customer is receiving the maximum discount available to them while staying within store policy.

I’ll grant you that some cashiers can be rude and impatient, but the greatest majority of us want you to enjoy your shopping experience so you’ll come back again, as customers coming in is job security for us.

[drmeow]

90. I don't agree with your analysis

of these statements:

My biggest problem with this meme is that it says, "you can put your cashiers back in place" while also "You expect me to be a cashier with no training." That shows that the maker of this meme has no respect for what a cashier has to go through and that they see cashiers as unskilled.

"You expect me to be a cashier with no training" translates to "The people who the store hires to be cashiers are trained. With self check out the store is expecting me, the customer, to be a cashier without receiving any of that training." It is actually acknowledging the training that cashier's receive rather than labeling them unskilled.

The statement overall says "put the skilled workers who used to have good paying jobs back to doing those jobs instead of expecting unskilled customers to do the job for them."

Also - replacing cashiers with self-checkout was not to give customers lower prices, it was to give share holders more returns.

[Otterdaemmerung]

104. Okay, after reading your comment I'll freely admit that the meme's statement is a bit ambiguous...

... and was probably meant to be interpreted the way you said.

Still, customers are acting like they have no idea what to do at the self-checkouts. You do what the cashiers do: scan each item, set it aside, and continue to scan. When finished, you pay. The system makes it as easy as possible.
I'm not defending retailers' overuse of self-checkout systems, especially since it can't be that much cheaper to hire and train a cashier rather than to license, deploy, and maintain self-checkout machines. We often find them as maddening as customers do. Our last batch of them were so counterintuitive and consistently faulty that each one of four had its own quirks and it was a nightmare for the cashier to constantly assist their customers with each one.

[drmeow]

124. I think that speaks to

how little some people pay attention to what is around them. The customers don't know what to do with the self-checkouts because they've never paid/pay attention to what the cashier is doing, they don't look at products and notice that there is a bar code, etc. It is like my partner who has driven by the YMCA that is about 2 miles from our house probably 1000 times yet had no idea it was there (yeah, sure, it is set back but there is a sign on the corner!). I know a guy who has a PhD and tenure at research university and I used to wonder how he managed to survive to adulthood and how he managed to leave the house every morning fully dressed. The guy is brilliant but OMG is he incompetent at every day life.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

135. Some years ago, at my local grocery store

there was a young man at the cash register who was clearly befuddled, confused, and unsure of himself. He looked maybe 19, and while I was already vastly older than that, I recall very well what it was like to be brand new at a job, and not knowing exactly what to do.

When I got to the front of the line and exchanged pleasantries with him, turned out this was his very first day, they'd given him maybe an hour of training and put him to work.

I told him he was doing a fantastic job and made a point of being in his line as long as he worked at that store. After a few years he got a job at a local bank, and has hopefully gone on to even bigger and better things.

[P.C.L.D.]

187. I wish I could rec this more than once

+300 👏

[Martin68]

42. It takes a few seconds. Just breathe, dude. Horrific First World Problem!!!!

[niyad]

44. Last year, the evil empire near me did a remodel that included two huge

self-check sections, that went into operation in November. Shortly thereafter, an OP here on DU talked about the fact that stores were closing their self-check sections, as they were proving NOT to be the cost-savings they expected (could have told them that!!!). So it amuses me to go to that store, and see those two new sections of self-check closed, and having actual clerks doing the checking.

I refuse to do self-check anywhere, except Costco (where they pretty much do it for me anyway, all maybe 4 items, 2 of which require them to verify ID), certainly not at the evil empire. I have no problem having my receipt out as I leave, but most of the time, that person just waves me out. At Costco, they check everything, which, in my case, is very few items, and I try not to get stuck behind someone with a really full cart. I keep calling the various corporate offices to tell them I refuse self-check, not just for it stealing jibs, but because I hate machines talking to me.

[Leith]

123. I was wondering if anyone was going to mention Costco

I like Costco, but I buy only a few things there. Every single time I've been there, there are 2 employees at the exit checking receipts very carefully. I use the "self" checkout - and every time one of the 2 employees there do my checkout for me. I just smile and let them.

I was in Walmart last a few months ago. I was astonished because about half the items were behind locked doors! Customers have to push a call button to get an employee to open the door so you can reach in and get it yourself. Then the employee locks the door again and leaves. Rinse and repeat every aisle.

You know what was not locked up? The alcohol. And that department was next to "the back." I could have lifted a couple bottles of wine and 12-packs of beer and escaped out the back.

I haven't been back since.

[CrispyQ]

176. I love self checkout, but recently they changed the program.

You used to be able to mute the machine voice telling you over & over to scan the next item but now you can't. The entire self checkout area is noisy & chaotic & I'm sure contributes to more theft.

[rwild1967]

46. I tell them:

If you think I stole something call the police and the manage, otherwise get out of my way.

[Niagara]

49. Unfortunately, it's not only Walmart

It's also Tops Markets and Aldi's, at least here in Buffalo.


I went to an Aldi's located on Niagara Falls Blvd. yesterday morning due to the fact that the produce is a better quality compared to Tops Markets. There was only one cashier line open at Aldi, the rest are all self-checkouts.


I don't shop at Wegman's because that grocery store in way overpriced and overcrowded.


I have yet checked out a Trader Joe's. I just never think about it when I need to shop for groceries.

[spooky3]

61. Harris Teeter grocery does it here. I once commented to

A lone cashier that it was too bad that management didn’t provide adequate staff (I know margins used to be tight in the industry but they are surely sharing in some of the recent price increases). She looked at me wearily and said, “ please tell them that. They don’t listen to us. We need help.” They need unions too.

[Niagara]

173. I briefly worked at a WalMart about 10 years ago. Briefly was roughly about 3 or 4 days

One of the first things Walmart does, is they show videos to newly hired employee's about how "bad" unions are.

I grew up in a pro-union household so Walmart's anti-union video rubbed me the wrong way.

[spooky3]

174. They are notorious violators of labor law--see article

https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/walmart-faces-another-nlrb-complaint-dealing-unions

[intrepidity]

51. I've been using the "curbside pickup" left over from pandemic days

Many places have continued to offer this, and I find it very helpful. Shop online, pay online, choose a pickup time. Then you drive to the back of the store (or wherever they designate) call them, tell them which spot you are in (or do it via their app) and they bring your stuff out and load it in your car for you. And, to my knowledge, don't charge for this service. Kind of the opposite end of the spectrum as self-checkout.

My dog is always with me, so it makes shopping so much easier. I hope they never stop doing it.

Also, cuts down on impulse buys! Although, every once in awhile I find I want to just walk through the store and look at everything, where inevitably I'll find a billion things I "need" but wouldn't have thought of.

[Traurigkeit]

53. Remember Remember The 5th of November

[Ligyron]

54. I've never been stopped...but I'm white.

It’s minorities that I notice being checked and I was unaware of them targeting self checkout. I almost never use it unless I’m in a rush mainly because it deprives people of jobs.

The Superstore has a sherif substation in it. I guess so they can toss em right into jail.

[Fla Dem]

56. I can take it or leave it. If a human checkout line is relatively short, or I have a lot of groceries I'll go there.

If I only have a hand full of items, and there are people waiting in the checkout line, I'll use self-check out.

Not especially happy with retailers and grocery stores, that are taking good jobs away from folks and replacing them with technology, but I have to realize, life moves on. Nothing stays the same as much as we'd like it to.

[twodogsbarking]

57. Maybe the people who order online and pick it up should pay more.

[RandomNumbers]

112. They probably do.

I used grocery delivery during the worst of covid. I checked it out recently - the prices are higher when using the app for delivery, vs. what's on the item in the store. At least now it is. During covid I wanted to reduce my risk so I was willing to pay higher and didn't worry about it. Now I'm back to going to the store, for several reasons.

[sop]

58. I've noticed the Walmart receipt checkers stop only a certain type of customer on their way out the door.

(This is only from personal experience, it's purely anecdotal and I have nothing else to support it, but) Every time I've walked out of Walmart with my purchases I've been waved through with no receipt check, and a couple of friends who look like me have also noticed the the same thing. Walmart receipt checkers tend to stop a certain type of customer, and you can probably guess which ones they're checking.

[stopdiggin]

159. not happening at my Walmart (or grocery)

also purely anecdotal, but mostly just that people won't put up with that kind of crap anymore. So that any employee that is trying it ... Quickly disabused ...

[AllaN01Bear]

59. self check out

1 train me how to do a checkers job
2 pay me to do a checkers job.
then and only then i will use self check out. period as i am taking somones job. pox self checkout if u get into trouble ,
you need somone anyway.

[Wounded Bear]

60. Oddly, last time I was at Walmart there were three checkout aisles manned by real checkers...

Perhaps the one near me is getting the message.

[MichMan]

67. I always use self checkout whenever possible

I buy between 6 and 15 items and don't need to get in line behind someone with an overflowing cart. The only store I am ever asked to show a receipt is Costco.

During Covid, everyone was encouraged to use them to minimize contact.

[LisaM]

71. I have never shopped at Walmart but I detest self checkout.

It won't let me bag groceries the way I like - it wants me to fill one bag then another, and I usually walk to the store, so I need the bags to weigh the same. This is nearly impossible to do at self checkout and I need to rearrange them afterward.

I also like the human interaction. I know it's become on trend to say you're an introvert, or to disdain small talk, but I think talking to other people, even for a few minutes a day, is healthy.

I agree with the person above who said they appreciated a good cashier. So do I! A little positivity can improve my day immensely. We should all appreciate people that can ease our path just a little.

[True Dough]

73. Never shopped at Walmart?

I wonder how many Americans can say that? I think it must be a rather small minority. Some refuse to go back for various reasons, but to have never purchased anything from Walmart has to make you one of a relatively small number, I'd imagine.

Anyway, there's no Constitutional obligation so good on ya.

[LisaM]

74. I have not. I don't think there is one in the Seattle city limits.

I do boycott them on principle, but it's easy for me to do.

I have also never spent a nickel on Amazon.

[Croney]

111. I've only been to a Walmart when out of town a few times.

The closest one to me is eight miles of urban traffic away, so it might as well be a hundred miles.

[Demobrat]

118. I never have. I have never been inside one.

Only been inside Costco a couple of times.

[DENVERPOPS]

150. Walmart has made an emphasis

on going into Rural areas. They open, drive all the small businesses broke, and then have somewhat of a monopoly. Those rural areas have to drive 30-50 miles or more to anywhere that has a population big enough to have stores. But then, the only store left in those communities is?..... Walmart. They have a captive labor market for employees and no competition......

[randr]

75. Easily fixed problem

Do not shop there!

[TBF]

76. I don't shop at Walmart, but I have a solution on self check outs in general -

The scanning doesn't matter to me at all - I'm happy to have a clerk doing it if stores are experiencing a lot of theft. But PLEASE let me pack my own bags.

Lately I've gotten braver and just politely ask if I can please pack the bags myself because it annoys me when I pay so much for food and come home with a bunch of squashed items if I don't pack myself. I bring my reusable bags & I'm very good at putting all the heavy things on the bottom, light things on top, and cold things together in the cold bags. This is something that should be simple, but 99% of the baggers in the stores these days will not do it. They don't even look - they just throw random things in the bags as fast as they can.

[LakeArenal]

77. My feeling is: Keep humans gainfully employed.

Treat others as you want them to treat your mom or your child.

[kacekwl]

83. I never use self checkkout

because it's always a problem with bagging and price accuracy. Also clearance items and coupons are an issue. I do enjoy the scan and go at Sams club. No check out at all and show your receipt to the border guard at the door.

[debm55]

84. Agree, I do not use the self check lanes. I feel it is taking jobs from those that need it. Showing your receipt it

new at WalMart. They have always done it at my Walmart.

[Native]

89. we have one of the smaller Walmart Neighborhood Markets that went ALL self-checkout. 1 year later...

they added cashiers back in. I've read that a lot of Walmart stores are converting back due to shoplifting losses. When our store fully transitioned to all self checkout, they had like 8 employees just standing there watching everyone check out. It was bizarre because they never had that many people working upfront when they had zero self-checkout registers. While it was extremely uncomfortable having all those eyes on you, they never checked receipts as a standard practice.

[4lbs]

91. I always use self-checkout for 15 items or less. Not just at Wal-Mart. At Albertsons too.

I don't really trust the cashier to bag my stuff properly. I'm a little OCD that way.

I've had incidences where cashiers would not really pay attention and put a heavy item on top of a light one and smash it.


I.E. cans of soup, a gallon of milk, etc. on top of a carton of eggs, or a loaf of bread.

Since the item(s) was/were already scanned before bagging, I technically paid for them. So, to get a replacement for the broken/smashed item, I often have to wait in another line, at customer service, and get an 'exchange'.

F that. I'll save the time and scan and bag the effing things myself. I know what I'm doing.

And if I smash them, oh well, it was me alone. So I have only myself to blame.

EDIT: Oh, and producing the receipt to the person near the door, as I walk out after self-checkout, takes all of 5 seconds. Bitch and moan all you want.

[CrispyQ]

127. This!!

Poor bagging sent me to the self checkout, too! The checkers could help by not sending all the light stuff first.

[Lifeafter70]

137. I'm a checker and have held back on

some comments on this thread. I would just like to point out that the light stuff is always on top of the basket when it gets to the register. So unless we dig through your groceries the light stuff will be scanned frist. I always move it to the side until I get to the heavier stuff for the base of my bag lol. I also know how to pack a bag.... Cold with cold, cleaning products in their own bag.

[CrispyQ]

177. That's true, especially for big orders,

but there's a point where enough light stuff has been removed & the checker could dig down & get some heavy items to the bagger but most of them just work from the top to the bottom without any thought to the bagger at the end of the check stand & what their job entails. I worked as a checker through college.

[DENVERPOPS]

152. You are precisely the customer they want

At our safeway, they normally had five checkers. They cut it back to only one on duty at all times, so they could force almost EVERY customer to use the Self Checkout. A checkout machine costs far less than a checker.

I refuse to use the Self Checkout because it has led to the dismissal of many of the checkers that had been at that safeway for years.
Safeway already had us unloading our own shopping carts, and in many cases helping to bag the groceries so they could have the checkers do that task also, eliminating all the baggers........

Because of this, many many customers have quit shopping at Safeway, and go to one of the King Soopers nearby.

BTW Albertsons has been slowly going down hill for years. They bought safeway a few years ago because the Safeway stores were more profitable. Then, of all the stupid moves, Albertsons made all the Safeways adopt Albertsons ways of doing business.

Now Safeway/Albertsons is trying to Merge with the KingSoopers/City Market grocery chains in the Rocky Mountain Region.
It would basically produce a MONOPOLY in the entire area, under one Corporation's management. The Federal Trade Commission ruled against the merger a number of months back. Now they are back trying to shove it thru again........
Under Trump, I guarantee you the FTC would have approved the merger......

Trump has already openly stated that if elected, he will obliterate any and all regulatory agencies in the Federal Government.
Regulatory Agencies, like DOJ, FBI, FEC, FCC, NLRB, etc etc etc. All the regulatory agencies that FDR put in place to make sure we never had another Great Depression brought on by the Billionaires in the "Gilded Age".......

[TygrBright]

92. I feel I should be paid at LEAST minimum wage for the time I would invest in self-checkouting.

If they're not gonna do that, they should calculate how long my self-checkout transaction took, and discount my total order by the amount of time it cost me to self-checkout, calculating the value on the full compensation package of an employee - that is, including payroll taxes and benefits as well as base wage.

So if, for instance, that works out at $18 an hour, and I spend 10 minutes doing self-checkout, my order should be discounted by $3. Only fair.

If they'd do that, I might try the self-checkout. Of course, I'd have to trust the greedy shiteweasels to do the calculation correctly, so...

dubiously,
Bright

[MichMan]

117. Yes, should be compensated wages for pumping my own gas and using an ATM too

[NBachers]

94. I heard her saying "Ma'am Ma'am" as I kept walking. I simply raised my hand above my head and shook my receipt, as I

kindly left the store.

What an abusive, entitled, drama queen asshole this person is. And the checker could have got in trouble for their haughty "I'm too special" behavior.

Sorry, disagree.

[Faux pas]

95. Excellent

[JoseBalow]

99. Friends don't let friends shop at Wal-Mart

[LearnedHand]

102. I was in a long line at Costco once

And they were trying to wave us to the self-checkout line. I said, a little loudly and a little rudely, "I'm not paying to shop here and then have to check myself out." Every person in line behind my nodded and mumbled agreement. No one left the line. It was a glorious moment of solidarity.

[Old Crank]

108. We have some here in Munich

About half have a gate that is closed on your way out from your purchase. On the bottom of your receipt there is a bar code that you place over a sensor to open the gate.
You can only buy with a card. I like to keep people working so I tend to avoid them.

[Lochloosa]

109. Easy solution. I refuse to use the self-checkout. I'm paying them to use their store.

I always go to the "assisted checkout" line.

[XanaDUer2]

116. Me too. I'm not being paid to work there

Give me a decent discount and I might

[appleannie1]

110. What tics me off is they make it easy for people to walk out without ringing everything up, then they

raise all their prices to cover what dishonest people steal. Over a third of the cost of goods in a retail store covers the cost of theft. I refuse to use self checkout. If they want me to be a clerk, they can pay me a wage. Afterall, I am doing them a favor by shopping there. I can always go somewhere else to shop where they have people to wait on me.

[Marthe48]

113. I don't shop at walmart

last time I was in there was about 10 years ago, because my m-i-l did shop there.

I shop at Aldi, 1.25 Tree, Ollie's, Big Lots, Giant Eagle, Warren's IGA regularly. All have human cashiers. I shop at Kroger once in awhile. Since Kroger Pharmacy opted out of supplying my Medicare prescriptions, I don't shop there like I used to.

walmart killed off their competition by underpricing their products. Now that the competition is gone, walmart prices just go up and up. That's what happens with monopolies :/

[Luciferous]

114. Nobody checks receipts at our Walmart

My problem with self checkouts is that they put in a ton of them at our store but most of them are closed. So you still have to wait in a long line.

[True Dough]

139. I've noticed the same. It's frustrating, but...

my understanding is that when they only have one staff member to monitor/assist at the bank of self-checkouts then they limit the number of open checkouts to four because it would be difficult to oversee more than that for shoplifting.

Now, has the store only scheduled one staff member when such things occur, or is it because other workers didn't show up for their shifts? Because my sister is a retail manager, I've heard plenty of stories about how challenging it is for stores to recruit and retain employees, particularly hard-working ones, since Covid.

And, yes, paying more would likely help in that regard! My sister doesn't make near enough for someone in a managerial role.

[zanana1]

119. The self check out puts people out of jobs.

Great for the company. Bad for employees and you and me.

[a kennedy]

125. I will NEVER use a self help checkout......and I always say stuff like "oh, no staff today?"

or “can’t get enough help today?” to whomever is there watching things for the store. Always let them know how much I hate the self check out.

[Iggo]

188. A simple "Yeah, I don't work here" works great.

[FirstLight]

126. Here's another take, what about those with health issues?

My partner has something very similar to IBS, so often when we're out shopping we have to take an emergency detour and go home...sometimes she'll make it to a restroom.
If we are in a Walmart that means rushing through the self-checkout so that we can get out of there as fast as possible.
So using self check has its moments.
And if we're rushing, I usually tell them at the door that my partner is having a health issue so we had to leave quickly...

[aka-chmeee]

129. Union member since '76,

Retired now ... I view self checkout schemes as anti-labor BS

[flashman13]

130. And I just thought I was being the grumpy old man when I did the same thing.

They made the decision to go self check out. They can live with the consequences.

[Lulu KC]

142. Amen and Amen

Also? Amen.

[kimbutgar]

143. Only if there is long line then I go to self checkout.

[OAITW r.2.0]

151. Every OS at every store has a different program. Screw that....I don't want to hassled

with learning their software routines. Much [refer a human to deal with.

[True Dough]

169. This is true

I hate those idiosyncrasies. It adds to the hassle.

[donheld]

155. Disagree and Unrecommend

I love Self-checkouts and use them all the time. They've been around Denver a long time. They're quite popular here.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

178. My only self-checkout story is that I don't have one.

1). I am not being paid to perform the store’s work.

2). I get no grocery discounts for performing the store’s work.

3). I do not want to take any work away that could eventually result in the store cutting jobs.

4). If there is any kind of problem with my purchase or if I get a discount that requires some kind of a scan, the cashier or their supervisor can take care of it better than I can.

[republianmushroom]

180. And they don't let you use the employee's lounge, either.

[ificandream]

185. I never EVER show my receipts at Wal-mart.

They are the only store that trusts their customers so little. No one has to show their receipts. There's no law that says you do. Now Costco is a little different since it's a membership store and it's part of the agreement you sign when you join. But Wally World doesn't have the same things. So no one should.