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But you DO understand that the store is manipulating you, right? It's not your choice to use self-checkout. It's the store's. They push your Impatient Button by not having enough registers open. The store controls you and you don't even realize it.
Its always my choice to use self checkout. There can be zero wait in any of the checkout lines, and I'll still use self check out. Especially at Target where I don't have to hear their red card spiel, but even at the grocery stores I always feel like self check out is quicker then having a cashier ring up my items.
Oh this is coming! There's actually technology that scans as you go and you don't even checkout. it will automatically charge your credit card. It's pretty cool. It will dramatically cut down on theft as well.
My library does something like this, you still have to scan your card, but it automatically reads the codes on every item you put on the machine, up to like 20 items at once. It's really cool. It's not quite as advanced as what you're talking about, but it's a step in the right direction.
I love self checkout, always use it & almost always prefer it to a human. The only exception is if I have a bunch of produce. The cashiers know the codes by heart, so it's quicker to use them in that instance.
ETA: to read all the comments about Target. None of our Targets have them :-(
I rarely use the self checkout. It takes away jobs, plus it's really not any quicker IMO.
That is a myth. Self checkout does NOT take away jobs. In my company the people who man the self checkouts are there because they have physical problems that keep them from doing the heavier duty type jobs, including cashiering. People think being a cashier is simple and easy but it isn't really. It's hard, both physically and mentally sometimes, and they have to be on the ball enough to make decisions all day long, take care of disgruntled customers, be fast, friendly and competent with a never ending SMILE. It ain't always easy folks. All of our self checkout cashiers would be unemployed if not for our company stores hiring them but they can't take the body beating the rest of us do.
If people learn to operate the scanners correctly it isn't all that slow. They need to start by reading the directions. Sometimes a scanner will have a problem with accepting cash or cards or even change. A prompt comes up on the screen asking them if they want to continue on this cards/cash ONLY scanner and they just hit "yes" and start. THEN it's time to pay and oh gosh, this thing won't take my money/card! Why did you hit "yes" if you didn't want to pay that way? So I have to suspend it, take it to the front register and let them finish the way they wanted. In the meantime I've got a couple of other folks who need my help and get upset because I can't run right over there. Most of the time it's an age check. People don't seem to realize that there are numerous age checks on the other registers as well but I can take care of it in about two seconds so the customer doesn't even realize I've done it. They don't like being involved in the 'process'. lol They are in such a hurry that they don't pay attention to the prompts on the screen and then blame 'the machine' when it doesn't work right.
I don't always work self checkout...thank goodness!...but I have filled in enough over the past seven years that I see what a lot of the problems are and in 80% of the cases it truly is operator error...or inattention. When I AM on self checkout I do my best to teach folks the best ways to 'beat the machine' and keep that nagging voice as quiet as possible. Some things, like age checks, can't be helped but there's a LOT that can be.
Lot's of people appear to be standing in those long lines because they:
A. Are afraid of self checkout
B. Really have nothing better to do - see this at the post office too
I want to get in and out like the Marines, hate shopping.
Our post office always has super long lines. We also have 3 or 4 APCs. One day I was waiting on the APC & the gentleman in front of me was really struggling. He finally asked for help & I realized it was my neighbor, who was around 85 at the time. I taught him how to do it & he was so pleased with himself :-) I think a lot of times it is fear, but once he learned how, he never wanted to wait in that 45 minute line again!
Back when there was no self check out I ALWAYS got stuck behind people who pulled out their check book after the very last item was scanned by the cashier and then it took forever to fill out, verify ID (which is typically lost in the depth of a deep hand bag) and process payment.
I love self check out. Saved me a lot of time in the past years.
The nice thing about having check readers is that the customer doesn't have to fill out their check at all anymore. The reader fills it out, they sign on the card reader and done. I used to tell people that but some insist "That's how *I* do it" so, okay. Nor do we have to check IDs, thankfully. Then there are the people who insist on giving you "exact change" which really isn't. They need 48 cents so they give you 50 cents. Rarely do they come up with exact change and when they do it takes FOREVER for them to dig it out...one penny at a time. I have a LOT of patience it may not be to the customers benefit but sure is to mine! lol
Sams Club has an app where you scan items onto your phone as you shop. Then when you're done, you just hit pay and sashay out the door past all the people waiting in the checkout lines. Its wonderful. I wish more stores would use this type of technology.
Sure, this can work if you buy 5-10-15 bulk items at Sam's since the door checker will have some type of printout as to what you bought and check through everything to ensure you didn't "forget" to scan something.
Now imagine the same thing at Dollar General or CVS or a supermarket with a cart piled up to the brim with dozens or hundreds of individual items. Chaos, blood in the streets, cats and dogs lying with one another.
In the evenings my local supermarket will have one or two regular registers open and up to 6 self checkouts.
I assume you have never been behind a customer with an overflowing cart and a few dozen WIC coupons that need to be checked out individually with exact matching of products? It can literally take over an hour depending on the motivation of the cashier and the vigilance of the shopper in picking out the exact product so that multiple trips through the store to exchange items can be avoided.
Yes, WIC can be a pain, especially when being used by newbies. Because it's so exact they often aren't sure what to get and bring the wrong things. There are markers on everything that is WIC approved but they don't always see them. At the register it's a pain because if they want the product we have to wait for someone to come get the wrong one, go get the right one and that takes time because those people do NOT move fast! I have never had ANY WIC transaction take over an hour nor have I ever had anyone bring in "a few dozen WIC coupons". I think the most I've ever had was four. It can go just as fast as any other transaction if the customer is on the ball. I don't like waiting like that because it really messes with my 'scans per hour' and makes me look slow. I am NOT slow, at all.
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